Patience Of A Lion

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of a clandestine relationship, one that the narrator feels is unsustainable because it must remain hidden. The opening lines, "You've got the patience of a lion," suggest a persistent, perhaps even predatory, partner who is trying to break through barriers, but the narrator is resolute: "You scratch and claw, you won't get in." This sets up a dynamic of unfulfilled desire and a refusal to yield to external pressure. The central tension arises from the secret nature of the affair. The narrator acknowledges the fun and pleasure derived from it – "we've been having fun" – but this enjoyment is overshadowed by the inability to make the relationship public. The repeated phrase, "Our little love affair don't mean a thing / If we can't tell the world," underscores this conflict. It implies that without public validation or acknowledgment, the relationship lacks true substance or legitimacy in the narrator's eyes. The imagery of the phone ringing and the narrator's indecision, "Now should I pick it up or let it ring?" serves as a potent metaphor for the constant temptation and the internal struggle of whether to engage with this hidden world or to cut ties. The domestic, almost mundane, scene of "singing for my supper" and waiting for soup to cool contrasts sharply with the illicit thrill of the affair, highlighting the narrator's divided loyalties and the practical consequences of their secret. Ultimately, the lyrics suggest a breaking point. The narrator's declaration, "me myself, you know it's all or none," coupled with the repeated insistence that the affair is meaningless if it can't be revealed, points towards an impending decision. The writing effectively captures the emotional weight of secrecy, where pleasure is tempered by the fundamental need for openness and the fear of being labeled "a liar."