This song is currently one of the over played songs on my iTunes/iPod, but I honestly haven't been able to get it out of my head. It's a cover by the wonderful Bon Iver on Bonnie Raitt's song I Can't Make You Love Me. The original itself is awesome, but Bon Iver's cover just blows me away. Honestly, the first time I heard it, I cried and couldn't stop crying... it is that beautiful.
In my opinion, his version certainly gives this song a different tone and feeling. The really simple piano accompaniment just allows his voice to just make this song come alive in a beautifully solemn way. It's a piece that allows someone to look into their hearts and really think about what their intentions or feelings are.
The lyrics give the message of regret, lost love, and sadness. Someone who messed up really badly and lost a person near and dear to them. A person who has gone through much tribulation and heartache to finally realize what was in front of them all along, but failed to acknowledge what they had and ended up losing it.
It also seems that that person who was lost has given the speaker another chance. However, things are not as mutual as before.
"I can't make you love me, if you don't / You can't make your heart feel something it won't."
These two lines in particular allows us to empathize with the speaker and his/her loss, with not being able to give their loved one what they rightly deserved. Now, this person is paying for it. It also seems that the person they lost seems to be lost, unable to find themselves to move on, so they revert back to old habits by going back to something familiar. However, anybody who has been in a relationship knows that that's possibly the worst thing you could ever do that would prevent you from moving on.
"I will lay down my heart / If you feel the power, but you don't."
The speaker is willing to admit to their past mistakes, to move on, to be a better person this time around. However, their loved one isn't as ready to try again.
By the end of this song, I feel that these two people are left at an impasse. One is ready to try again, but the other isn't. This is what the message is to me; this song tells a story of a couple needing closure, one unable to find it until the other gives it to them, and the other unable to come to terms with their own feelings.
So give this song a listen, I am sure it will leave you in a blubbering mess given the right situation and mood.
Seriously the best explanation I can imagine for this song. I too have had it on repeat, for a couple of days now. It's absolutely beautiful and heart wrenching. I know this feeling to a 't'! His version changes it quite a bit for me, so much more passion and heart in a different way than when Bonnie Raitt sings it. Just musical perfection! His piano playing makes it over the top superb. Thank you for sharing your opinion and explanation of the lyrics meanings.
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