Message To My Girl
Neil Finn
I don’t want to say I love you
That would give away too much
It’s hip to be detached and precious
The only thing you feel is vicious.
I don’t want to say I want you
Even though I want you so much
It’s wrapped up in conversation
It’s whispered in a hush
Though I’m frightened by the word
Think it’s time I made it heard
No more empty self possession
Vision swept under the mat
It’s no New Year’s resolution
It’s more than that
Now I wake up happy
Warm in a lover’s embrace
No one else can touch us
While we’re in this place
So I’ll sing it to the world
This simple message to my girl
No more empty self possession
Vision swept under the mat
It’s no New Years’ resolution
It’s more than that
Though I’m frightened by the word
Think it’s time I made it heard
So I’ll sing it to the world
This simple message to my girl
No more empty self possession
Vision swept under the mat
It’s no New Year’s resolution
It’s more than that
No, there’s nothing quite as real
As the touch of your sweet hand
I can’t spend the rest of my life
Buried in the sand
Song appears on:
Split Enz - Conflicting Emotions (1983 album)
Live: Fangradio webcasts, 2020
“It is very hard to write a love song that doesn’t sound a bit contrived, these days. Every angle of love’s been covered a thousand times before, so the best thing you can do is make it relate to you personally as much as possible. That song does relate to me personally. It’s also partly about the fact that I found it difficult to write an out and out love song, and most people find it difficult to express love in any sort of way, which is a shame.”
“I probably would never have conceived of writing ‘I love you’ in a song at that point - it just seemed you don’t let yourself be exposed like that. I suppose also, after years of being a bit derisive about songs that were in the charts that were blatantly sentimental, we felt we had to cloak them in slightly obscure or clever wordplay, lest be accused of being schlocky.
But that matters far less to me now. In fact, I think all it’s ever been about is if you believe it and you sing it as simple as can be, then it sounds real and it sounds good and tough. It’s only sentimental if you try and display an untruthful emotion.”
Director Ray Argall with Neil on the set of the Message To My Girl video.
