What's It Take?

The speaker describes a relationship in which attempts to show affection are met with suspicion. He makes an effort to visit, shares time together, and tries to move closer, yet his partner questions his motives and checks up on him. The repeated question, “What does it take to love you?”, conveys frustration and a wish to understand how trust might be earned. The mood is comic and exasperated, but there is also a sense of emotional exhaustion.

Several images make the distrust vivid. The “private red-eye rocket” suggests an extravagant, hurried journey to see someone, while having his pockets searched turns the reunion into an inspection. The partner also “overhaul[s]” his letters, as if searching them for evidence. Calling the questioning a “Spanish inquisition” is a humorous exaggeration for intense interrogation; it does not mean a literal historical event. These details suggest that ordinary gestures are treated as suspicious.

The speaker may be teasingly portraying a jealous partner, or expressing a real feeling of being unable to reassure someone he loves. His own lines hint that he has not “made the first move,” so he may also recognize that he has failed to communicate clearly or take responsibility. The lyrics do not explain the partner’s fears or settle who is at fault. Their playful tone softens the complaint without removing the underlying question: can love work when trust is missing?