Can't We Try

The speaker is worried that his relationship is slipping away. He notices his partner becoming distant and asks her to talk openly with him. He feels that they are facing outside judgment and personal difficulties, but believes their love is worth saving. The repeated questions in the chorus make the song feel both hopeful and pleading: he wants them to make another effort, yet he is afraid she may not respond.

Several images express this emotional strain. Her face “clouding over” suggests sadness or withdrawal, while her eyes losing their “shine” suggests that her former happiness has faded. Saying that love “tears me up inside” is an idiom for intense emotional pain, not physical harm. The contrast between “more passion” and “less pride” implies that stronger affection and less defensiveness might help them understand each other.

The song is told from the speaker’s point of view, so we hear his longing more clearly than his partner’s reasons for turning away. His request that he should be the person she confides in can sound caring, but it may also suggest jealousy or a wish to control their closeness. The lyrics do not tell us whether the relationship can be repaired; the repeated appeal leaves that outcome uncertain.