Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Music Lyrics Explained number 26.
Today, the song is "Suspicious Minds" and probably the most famous version is
actually by Elvis Presley. All right. But let's take a look look at the note here.
This classic song was written by Mark James. Yeah. He tried to make a hit out of
it and it never really went anywhere. And of course
Elvis picked it up and Elvis made a big hit out of it. Then a lot of other people
a lot of other famous singers also made hits out of it later too.
All right. Let's continue. Elvis Presley probably had the most famous cover
version and actually it was his last number one hit for Elvis Presley too. Of
course he had many number one hits he had other hits after that but it was the
last time that he had a number one hit. It was actually the cover version of this
song. Let's continue. The Fine Young Cannibals had a big hit with this cover
version in the 1980s too. I really liked that version. I had seen that version as well.
It was kind of cool. All right. But anyway to get into it this song I did check out a
little bit of the backstory. You know, because Mark James. He's the one who actually
wrote it. And you know, when when you see the suspicious minds and you read these
lyrics and you start to wonder like did his ... I guess it's his wife did his
wife really have a good reason to be suspicious of him or was she just you
know like really just naturally a suspicious person. And what you find out
is that supposedly Mark James he still had some feelings for his first
love, who who also had married another guy and you know, now he married her but
I guess the wife could sense it you know just like a wife's intuition she could
feel that. She could sense it. And you know, that's probably where these
feelings of jealousy and mistrust probably came from. So that's really kind
of the background of you know for Mark James the guy who really wrote this song.
Even though , Elvis made a really really good version
of it as well. And so did the Fine Young Cannibals. All right but anyway. Let's
get into it Let's let's cover it. Let's just like
usual we'll cover the lyrics and I'll try to explain any lyrics that need to
be to be explained. Let's start. We're caught in a trap. I
can't I can't walk out. Because I love you too much baby.
All right. We're caught in a trap. All right. Here he does mean kind of a trap. Almost
like there is a little bit of a love trap. You know between the feelings he has for his
old love and his wife. I don't know if I would exactly call it a love triangle.
Not really. Because he is , he is married to her (the wife ) and she (the old girlfriend ) is married as well. But it's
still of his, his present wife is having trouble getting past this. And he's still
probably having trouble you know, reassuring her about ...you know, that he
really loves her and he wants to stay with her. So that's, that's what he means.
That's the kind of trap he's talking about. We're caught in a trap and I can't
walk out. All right. I can't walk out. You know to leave abruptly. Often in protest
or anger. But of course he's talking about you know walking out on the
marriage leaving the marriage. Because I love you too much baby.
So he's letting his present wife know that he really does love her. He doesn't
want to leave. He wants to stay with her you know, even though you know, she's
probably driving him crazy with, with all of the suspicion and possibly jealousy.
All right. So let's continue. Why can't you see , what you're doing to me, when you
don't believe a word I say ? So again you can kind of understand this. If anybody's
ever been in a relationship with one person really doesn't trust the other
person. Is suspicious, very suspicious. It would be very, very bad for a
relationship. It would make things very, very uncomfortable and could be very
dangerous for the relationship. So but he says you know why can't you see ? Remember
we often use the word 'see' to mean understand. Why can't you understand what
you're doing to me ? You know like even though, you are suspicious, you know,
you're driving him crazy and you're making... He can't bear this... all, all his
feelings that's coming off her as well. When you don't believe a word I said.
Yeah, you got to have trust in a relationship or eventually you'll both
go crazy. All right. So now we , now we come to the chorus. We can't go on
together with suspicious minds and we can build our dreams on suspicious minds.
All right. We can't go on, can't go on of course means we can't continue.
You know, it's endangering the relationship. with suspicious minds. Remember if you are
suspicious... believing somebody's done something wrong. You know maybe she just
really doesn't trust him. Maybe she can you know, sense that you know, he still
had feelings for her. And we can't build, build our dreams you know. Because he
wants to stay with her. He wants to be with her on suspicious minds. So he's kind
of saying this to her. So if an old friend I know.. stops by to say hello,
would I still see suspicion in your eyes ? All right. This is a good question. And I don't
know is this, is this, is this old girlfriend still dropping by. And
then I could really understand why the wife might be more suspicious actually.
If that's who he is talking about. So if an old friend I know. Stops by to say hello,
would I still see suspicion in your eyes ? Okay. All right. Well you know, I hope he's
you know, honest here. Here we go again. Asking where I've been. You can't see the tears
are real. I'm crying you know, something like that.
And then there's backup singers who are also singing yes, I'm crying. " Yeah so
here we go again. So they probably argued about this a lot of times. It's probably
come up a lot of times. You know , you with couples sometimes ...you could see... you know,
they remind you... they remind you of something like this. Asking where I've
been. All right. So you know, she's probably really suspicious. You know
recently in another video I did the... I did the noun phrase , the the third degree.
Like somebody gives you the third degree. That's, that's what it sounds like. She's
probably doing to him. Like well where, where have you been ? Where did you go ? Did
you stop off ? Why'd it take you so long to get back ? How long did it take you to get
back ? You know, giving him a lot of intimidating questions.
You can't see the tears are real. So you know, it's eating him out as well. And
then of course it again it continues with the regular chorus. which we covered
already. You know, we can't go on together. All right. So we can probably skip that
part. And then, it says oh and then it really slows down. It says, oh let out love
survive. I'll dry the tears from your eyes. let's don't let a good thing die.
When honey you know, I never lied to you. Yeah. Okay. So let our love survive. Don't let it
continue. Don't let it fall apart. Let's not ruin this. I'll dry the tears from
your eyes. Well he's trying to reassure her. That you know, you cried. Oh don't
worry. I'm not you know, I'm not going to do anything. I'm not going to go there . Let's
don't let a good thing die. So you know, he realizes that he's got a good thing
with the wife that he's married to. At the moment, when honey, you know, another
you know term of endearment, you know, Often couples call each other you know
honey, sweetheart, etc. When honey you know, I've never lied to
you. Yeah. Yeah. So I hope he's truthful. But he says it. He
says he never lied to her. So he is saying the right things. Anyway, of course. And
then of course it basically... it repeats the chorus. And, and I think the bridge
several times so. So why can you know, it goes back into it again. You know, why can't
you see what you're doing to me ? And we can't go on together.. he continues that both
times as well. Anyway, I hope you got it. It's a famous classic song. You know,
sometimes you hear it come out and movies and everything else as well.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you got it. Thank you for your time. Bye-bye.