Sonnet 138

Song Meaning

The lyrics immediately present a relationship built on deliberate untruths. The speaker's "love swears that she is made of truth," yet the speaker openly acknowledges "I know she lies." It's a knowing deception, a complex dance where both parties are aware of the artifice. The central tension arises from this mutual suppression of "simple truth." The speaker plays along, hoping to appear an "untutored youth" to their lover, even while recognizing their own age. This creates a delicate equilibrium where honesty is consciously sacrificed, seemingly for the sake of maintaining a particular dynamic. The craft here is particularly sharp in the speaker's internal monologue, which reveals a sophisticated awareness of the game. Phrases like "vainly thinking that she thinks me young" show a layered self-deception, while the rhetorical questions – "But wherefore says she not she is unjust? And wherefore say not I that I am old?" – directly expose the unspoken rules of their arrangement, highlighting a deliberate avoidance of uncomfortable realities. Ultimately, the effectiveness of these lyrics comes from their stark honesty about dishonesty. The concluding couplet, "Therefore I lie with her and she with me / And in our faults by lies we flattered be," cuts through any romantic pretense. It suggests that in this relationship, lies aren't destructive but rather a form of mutual flattery, a way to soften the edges of reality and age, creating a cynical yet tender acceptance of imperfection.