"Song For When You Want To Say I Love You But You Can't"
This song is the epitome of Let’s write a love song to each other about how we can’t say we love each other.
This song is exactly what it says. How to say I love you, when you can't. They wrote it to and for each other as a celebration of the love they share for one another. A love that they can’t fully admit to the outside world, maybe can’t even admit behind closed doors. But upon listening to this song, we both realized there is a lot that alludes to their shared life. There are so many references to their relationship and the things they have experienced in their thirty plus years together. We theorize that they are singing to each other, not these ‘imaginary’ women. This analysis is highly subjective, but we need to note that Rhett and Link’s inspiration draws from their shared past. We will attempt to deconstruct these lyrics, connect said lyrics to their combined past and illustrate how this song is indeed about their love for one another. Let’s do that.
Hey girl
You know we've been dating for a long time now
Going on five whole weeks
RandL has been together for a very long time now. That part is exactly true. It is ironic how they are talking about a five week relationship, yet all the lyrics point toward a long and trusting one. The type of relationship that they themselves share.
Now that's commitment, baby
They made a commitment in blood to do something great together. They wrote it out and cut their hands and became blood brothers vowing to do something big and great together.
So we've prepared this very special song
For the very special ladies in our lives
Listen up
It was magic on our first date
At the food court in the mall (at the Sbarro)
You still won't let me meet your parents
But hey, that's your call
Maybe alluding to not being able to tell their parents/friends about what's going on.
(You're a strong, independent woman)
Remember our first kiss
Romantically lit
Their first kiss (that we know of) was the plexi-glass kiss, lit by all the studio lights.
In the Wal-Mart parking lot
The Walmart Song is one of the many things they created together. This might remind them of their shared goals.
(Always low prices)
And then what did we do?
We got matching tattoos
This has definitely happened. Not only matching tattoos, on the same part of their body, but of the same thing--their wives’ names.
Of our high school mascot
(The charging chipmunks)
The person they are singing to went to the same high school….. Rhett and Link went to the same high school…..(long story short, the person they are singing to is not imaginary woman, but they themselves)
Now I'm ready to say
They weren’t ready to say it before. But something has changed. Some aspect in their lives has made them brave.
I lost my shoe in the park
It was a flip-flop, have you seen it?
I lotioned my skin with hotel shampoo
They’ve spent their fair share of time in hotel rooms together.
It was an accident
We have no doubt that Link had done this at least once on the multiple times Rhett and he have shared a motel room.
You nursed me back to health
When I woke up in Mexico
(He was missing a kidney)
Kidney pain is very similar to back pain, which Rhett experiences frequently.
And I drove you to the hospital
When you fell off the hoverboard
They both love the idea of hover boards. Link even has a shirt dedicated to the idea.
And broke both elbows
This part really stuck out for us. Rhett accompanied Link to the hospital when Link fell off his snowboard and broke his pelvis.
(All two of 'em)
His pelvis was broken and his memory was gone. Two injuries.
You shaved my hairy back
We are unaware of any backs being shaved, but Rhett and Link have shaved many other things together. In school Link was cutting Rhett’s hair to a buzz cut. They shaved each others’ heads in college. Link shaved Rhett’s beard in the Killing Rhett’s beard episode. They created two videos on how to kill a mustache and how to kill a beard.
Popped the pimples I can't reach
And you went with me to get my dog spayed
(Helping control the pet population)
Two theories: Jade and Barbara. OR The many discussions about getting vasectomies.
I think it's time to lock this down
Open my heart
And finally say
They want to finally let out the love that they have for one another. It has been long enough. They have lived with these feelings for too long and it is finally time to share these with each other and the world.
I long-jump on the weekends
I'm in a league, you should come watch
This is another throw back to their shared pasts. Rhett coached little league basketball for his son. Link came to the game and watched Rhett. Link even commented on Rhett’s chosen attire. Also there was all the times in their childhood where Rhett was training for a basketball scholarship, and Rhett’s family would come watch Link play soccer.
I lowered my car insurance
By fifteen percent when I switched to Geico
(Not a sponsor)
This may be in reference to several things. They could be talking about the many cars they have purchased together. Or it is most likely a reference to their The Backup Plan series of videos sponsored by Geico. Not a sponsor, boys? Come on!
Those three little words
They're so hard to say
And even though I can't say 'em
Yeah, we don't need to say much about this. It probably would be hard to say. After so long.
I want you think I'm saying 'em anyway
It is hard to say, not only because of the area and time they grew up, but that they are also married with children. It would be difficult to admit feelings that could rock their perfectly set lives. But it is important to note, that they can’t say these words, but they so want to. They want to show each other how much they mean to the other. So when you want to say I love you, but you can't...you write a silly love song for comedy.
I'll make you happy
If you just do this
Just put it on mute (mute it up)
And read my lips
So they may not be able to say the words. So ignore what is being said. Read their “lips” or read everything else they do. Every action shows a multitude of love. Going to the same college, aspiring towards the same dreams, putting their livelihoods in jeopardy to pursue silly dreams and moving cross country. Actions speak much louder than words. And these boys have spoken a million I love you’s without actually uttering anything.
Olive juice
Elephant poo
All the shoes
Mythical Shoes?
On the news
They were on the news for their Red House Commercial controversy.
I love booze
Alligator food
Island view
Vacuum
Will it vacuum seal?
Pile of poo
Dried-up glue
Could be in reference to two things. One they did a Wheel Ending a month earlier where their hands were superglued together. But it most likely refers to the dried glue on the mythical mail boulder. Taking them back to the roots of their show, where they glued a lego man to a rock and it became an empire.
Buy a zoo
Commercial Kings Zoo episode, along with all the references to poo.
Crawl and spew
Cows like moo
they interacted with a cow during their Are you going to eat that song video
Find Blues Clues
This seems suspiciously close to Buies Creek.
I lick boots
I like your boots, anyone?
Is that you?
They did a GMM on amnesia
All birds flew
First episode of GMCL was about birds.
Eyes like puce
Owls can hoot
Another GMCL episode
Barbecue
Throwback to their BBQ song that they did with alka seltzer road trip. This is also a very important concept in the south.
These many ways to say I love you without actually saying it is true RandL style. They have only said the actual words a handful of times and it was always by mistake or without thinking. This also shows how they don’t really need to say the actual words, because they both know in their hearts what they mean to one another. It is in their eyes and gestures. It is in each action and smile. So they say I love you everyday without the actual words. The words are unimportant. The list of ways to say I love you without saying it is a nod to these other ways they show love to one another.
See some other episodes where they mention love here and here and here
