Song Meaning

Nanci Griffith, though not the writer of "Try the Love," inhabits its emotional landscape with a weary grace, transforming Pat McLaughlin's composition into a masterclass on the bittersweet negotiation of desire and regret. The song isn't a straightforward plea for rekindled romance; it's a proposition steeped in the complexities of past hurts and the tantalizing allure of 'what if.' The lyrics lay bare the vulnerabilities of someone attempting to lure a former lover back into their orbit, not with grand gestures, but with the quiet desperation of a soul wrestling with its own loneliness. The repeated urging to 'Try the love' functions less as a confident invitation and more as a fragile offering, tinged with the knowledge that it might be rejected. The psychological undercurrent of "Try the Love" resides in its exploration of attachment and the human tendency to revisit familiar patterns, even when those patterns have proven painful. The singer acknowledges past mistakes ('We should have quarreled, it's so unwise / To cut yourself loose with only some lies'), hinting at a relationship that ended prematurely due to avoidance and unspoken truths. The 'keeper of the keys' bridge introduces a fascinating element of external validation or perhaps even divine intervention, suggesting that this love was once deemed unsuitable, yet now beckons with irresistible force. This adds a layer of destiny versus free will, questioning whether the pull towards this person is a genuine connection or a self-destructive compulsion. The song's brilliance lies in its understated delivery and refusal to romanticize the situation. There's no promise of eternal happiness or easy solutions, only the raw, vulnerable invitation to 'Try the love.' The image of a home with 'so much room that I can't unpack' speaks volumes about the emptiness that pervades the singer's life in the absence of their beloved. It is a spacious loneliness, and this love is offered as a potential antidote. The phrase 'once hidden now seems so alive' suggests a rediscovered passion, maybe a re-evaluation of prior hesitations. Ultimately, the song meaning circles around the courage—or perhaps the folly—of offering oneself up for potential heartbreak once more.