If You Want Love by NF Lyrics Meaning – Unveiling the Soulful Journey of Personal Growth
Lyrics
I just need a moment in my own space
Ask me how I’m doin’, I’ll say “okay,” yeah
But ain’t that what we all say?
Sometimes I think back to the old days
In the pointless conversations with the old me
Yeah, back when my momma used to hold me
I wish somebody woulda told me
If you want love, you gon’ have to go through the pain
If you want love, you gon’ have to learn how to change
If you want trust, you gon’ have to give some away
If you want love, if you want love
Yeah, as a kid I used to think life
Is moving so slow, I watch it go by
Look out the window on my bus ride
I thought the world was so small, through my closed eyes
I’ve always tried to control things
In the end that’s what controls me
Maybe that’s why I’m controllin’
I wish somebody woulda told me
If you want love, you gon’ have to go through the pain
If you want love, you gon’ have to learn how to change
If you want trust, you gon’ have to give some away
If you want love, if you want love
The older I get, I feel like I’m always tryna save time
Talkin’ to the voices in my head, they make me think twice
Tellin’ me it doesn’t mean it’s wrong because it feels right
I’m scared that one day I wake up and wonder where the time go
Talk about the past like it’s the present while I rock slow
I’ll sit in the living room and laugh with kids of my own
And tell ’em
If you want love, you gon’ have to go through the pain
I wish you woulda told me
If you want love, you gon’ have to learn how to change
I wish somebody woulda told me
If you want trust, you gon’ have to give some away
You gon’ have to give
If you want love, if you want love
If you want love, if you want love
Peeling back the layers of NF’s emotionally charged anthem, ‘If You Want Love,’ reveals a raw and confessional dialogue with growth, pain, and the quest for authentic connection. The track delves not only into the artist’s personal introspections but also into universal truths about human yearnings and the complexities of life’s most coveted emotion.
As with much of NF’s discography, ‘If You Want Love’ transforms personal narrative into a shared experience, echoing the sentiments of listeners navigating their own emotional landscapes. By scrutinizing the intricate verses and chorus, one can uncover a myriad of interpretations and the profound messages ensconced within the rhythm and rhyme.
The Tug-of-War Between Control and Letting Go
NF, with an acute sense of self-awareness, presents a compelling portrait of introspection in ‘If You Want Love.’ He acknowledges the innate human desire to dominate our circumstances, only to be reminded that ultimately, it’s the need for control that ends up governing us. These lines serve as a candid admission of the artist’s internal struggles and their consequences.
The gripping narrative encapsulates the paradoxical truth that to embrace love, we must surrender the very control we cling to. This lesson in vulnerability, a theme recurrent in NF’s repertoire, positions the track as an ode to the complexities of personal change and self-acceptance.
The Paradox of Pain in the Pursuit of Love
Central to NF’s contemplative ballad is the tenet that love and pain are inextricably linked. The chorus repeats a simple yet profound truth: ‘If you want love, you gon’ have to go through the pain.’ It’s a stark reminder of the sacrifices one must endure to truly connect with another soul, an ethos that runs deep in the human psyche.
In parsing these lyrics, we confront the uncomfortable reality that love is not solely a sanctuary of comfort but a crucible wherein we are called to face and overcome our deepest fears and uncertainties. NF’s honest lyricism contrasts the dreamlike notions of love with its organic, often tumultuous, evolution.
Decoding the Hidden Meaning: A Journey Through Time
‘If You Want Love’ unravels as a narrative across time, chronicling NF’s transition from childhood innocence to adult apprehension. The poignant reflections on the pace of life and the hindsight wish for prescient wisdom imbue the song with an existential quality that resonates widely.
Liberating the hidden bottom line, NF is not merely commenting on love but also on the human condition and our relationship with time. His lines weave together the inherent tension between living in the moment and our fascination with what lies ahead or behind, suggesting that love’s true essence can only be appreciated within this temporal context.
A Lesson in Trust and the Currency of Connection
The song’s lyrics encapsulate a fundamental truth about human interaction—trust and love are intertwined currencies that necessitate mutual exchange. NF’s incisive observation, ‘If you want trust, you gon’ have to give some away,’ illuminates this principle with nuanced understanding and invites listeners to mirror this internal audit of their relational economies.
As he implores us to reassess our willingness to be vulnerable, the nuanced discourse underpinning ‘If You Want Love’ challenges us to dismantle the barriers we erect in self-preservation, making a profound case for the need of equitable emotional investment in nurturing authentic relationships.
Memorable Lines that Resonate with Timeless Truths
With lyrical precision and emotive force, NF delivers lines that transgress the boundaries of the song and embed themselves in the consciousness of his audience. ‘I thought the world was so small, through my closed eyes’ resonates as a universal truth about the naïveté of our youth and the revelatory nature of maturation.
These lyrics do not simply echo; they invade the listener’s internal dialogue, prompting self-examination and empathy. NF manages to distill complex emotional landscapes into pithy wisdom, allowing ‘If You Want Love’ to dwell as much in the sphere of philosophy as in music, sealing its place within the pantheon of memorable musical expressions.
