Make Believe (’Till We Can Make It Come True)

Song Meaning

This song paints a picture of a love that exists in secret, built on the foundation of 'make-believe.' The opening lines immediately establish a tone of forced happiness and denial, urging a shared pretense that things are fine, even though the reality is starkly different. The repeated phrases, 'make-believe that we're happy' and 'just pretend that it's true,' underscore the desperate effort to construct a reality that doesn't exist. The central tension arises from the forbidden nature of their affection. The lyrics explicitly state, 'You belong to another, I belong to someone too,' highlighting the external barriers preventing their union. Despite this, there's a defiant assertion that 'our love just has to be,' creating a poignant conflict between societal constraints and personal conviction. This internal struggle fuels the need for the shared delusion. The most striking aspect of the craft here is the pervasive repetition, not just of key phrases but of entire lines sung by both vocalists. This mirroring emphasizes the shared commitment to their make-believe world, suggesting a deep, albeit painful, connection. The recurring promise, 'We'll make-believe 'til we can make it come true,' acts as a mantra, a desperate hope that their fabricated reality might somehow solidify into something real. Ultimately, the effectiveness of these lyrics lies in their raw portrayal of longing and the lengths to which individuals will go to sustain a forbidden love. The simple, direct language, combined with the insistent repetition, creates an emotional resonance that speaks to the pain of unfulfilled desire and the fragile hope that imagination can, in time, overcome reality.