Have mercy, baby on a poor girl like me,
You know I'm falling, falling, falling at your feet,
I'm tingling right from my head to my toes,
So help me, help me, help me make the feeling go.
'Cause when the loving starts, and the lights go down,
And there's not another living soul around,
Then you woo me until the sun comes up,
And you say that you love me.
Have pity baby,
Just when I thought it was over,
Now you got me running, running, running for cover.
I'm begging you for a little sympathy,
'Cause if you use me again it'll be the end of me.
'Cause when the loving starts, and the lights go down,
And there's not another living soul around,
Then you woo me until the sun comes up,
And you say that you love me.
Baby, baby, hope you're gonna stay away,
'Cause I'm getting weaker, weaker everyday,
I guess I'm not as strong as I used to be,
And if you use me again it'll be the end of me.
'Cause when the loving starts, and the lights go down,
And there's not another living soul around,
Then you woo me until the sun comes up,
And you say that you love me.
Fallin' fallin' fallin
Fallin' fallin' fallin
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Contributors to this interpretation included: Joanne, blackcat, Jessica, Alexa, and Laura.
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When looking at Christine McVie’s attempts at love in life, she does not have a perfect record. A lot of Christine’s songs reflect the love she is feeling despite the pain of loneliness and rejection. "Say You Love Me" is a perfect example. Christine’s relationship with her husband John McVie is starting to get rocky and she is beginning to wonder if she is gaining as much as she is losing. All she really needs is for John to tell her he loves her.
Have mercy, baby, on a poor girl like me
You know I’m falling, falling, falling at your feet
I’m tingling right from my head to my toes
So help me, help me, help me make the feeling go
Christine knows she loves John, to such an extent that she’d do anything for him. Christine has a feeling of uneasiness and anger because John is not expressing his love for her. She wants John to use his love to make the feelings go.
Cause when the loving starts and the lights go down
And there’s not another living soul around
Then you woo me up till the sun comes up
And you say that you love me
Christine needed John to tell her he loved her. No one needed to be around. Pressures within the band were growing and John was changing and treating Chris differently and not in a way she liked. Christine felt they both had to put the band aside and focus on each other.
Have pity, baby
Just when I thought it was over
Now you got me running, running, running for cover
I’m begging you for a little sympathy
Cause if you use me again it will be the end of me
Christine wants John to see what he’s doing to her and love her. She doesn’t want to have to deal with hurt and rejection. She needs John to see that and love her and not treat her badly. She is beginning to lose the strength that keeps her loving John.
Baby, baby hope you’re gonna stay away
Cause I’m getting weaker, weaker, weaker everyday
I guess I’m not as strong as I used to be
And if you use me again it’ll be the end of me
Christine is, in a way, giving John a warning. She is basically telling him that she can’t take him anymore and their relationship won’t last much longer if John doesn’t erase the hurt he has caused.
Fallin’, fallin’, fallin’
Fallin’, fallin’, fallin’
This can be looked at in two ways. Christine is continuing to fall in love with John. She is also falling out of love with John. The way this is sung seems to say that it isn’t exactly a bad thing, but it’s a thing she is sure of. "Say You Love Me" sets the tone for many of Christine’s upcoming songs. In many ways it is like "Over My Head", a song of a person in a hurtful relationship. Songs such as "Never Make Me Cry," "Never Forget," and "Over and Over" have the same theme as well. The title of this song is the message in many of Christine’s songs. Say you love me!
(The interpretations to these lyrics were compiled through discussions on the message boards of the Penguin, The Ledge. It is entirely possible that the artists had something completely different in mind.)
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Performance #1: | |
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Running Time |
4:03 | Sound Clip |
| Performers |
Lindsey Buckingham (Electric Guitar), Lindsey Buckingham (Banjo), Christine McVie (Piano), Mick Fleetwood (Drums), John McVie (Bass), Christine McVie (Vocals), Lindsey Buckingham (Background Vocals), Christine McVie (Background Vocals), Keith Olsen (Produced By), Fleetwood Mac (Produced By), Lindsey Buckingham (Produced By), Mick Fleetwood (Produced By), John McVie (Produced By), Christine McVie (Produced By), Stevie Nicks (Produced By) | Comments | (Single Version) Chart: Billboard US Hot 100 Singles Peak Position: 11 Peak Dates: Sep 18, 1976 - Sep 25, 1976 - Oct 2, 1976 Weeks on Charts: 19 Chart:
Billboard UK Top 50/40 Singles Peak Position: 40 Peak Dates: Dec 4, 1976 Weeks on Charts: 4 | Appears On | | Performance #2: | |
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Running Time |
5:00 | Sound Clip |
| Performers |
Stevie Nicks (Vocals), Lindsey Buckingham (Banjo), Lindsey Buckingham (Vocals), Christine McVie (Keyboards), Christine McVie (Vocals), John McVie (Bass), Mick Fleetwood (Drums), Brett Tuggle (Keyboards), Brett Tuggle (Guitars), Brett Tuggle (Background Vocals), Neale Heywood (Guitar), Neale Heywood (Background Vocals), Lenny Castro (Percussion), Sharon Celani (Background Vocals), Mindy Stein (Background Vocals), John McVie (Vocals) | Appears On | | Performance #3: | |
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Running Time |
4:10 | Sound Clip |
| Performers |
Christine McVie (Keyboards), Christine McVie (Vocals), Lindsey Buckingham (Guitars), Stevie Nicks (Background Vocals), John McVie (Bass), Mick Fleetwood (Drums), Lindsey Buckingham (Background Vocals), Christine McVie (Synthesizer), Mick Fleetwood (Percussion), Keith Olsen (Produced By), Fleetwood Mac (Produced By), Lindsey Buckingham (Produced By), Mick Fleetwood (Produced By), John McVie (Produced By), Christine McVie (Produced By), Stevie Nicks (Produced By) | Appears On | | Performance #4: | |
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Running Time |
5:00 | Sound Clip |
| Performers |
Stevie Nicks (Vocals), Lindsey Buckingham (Banjo), Lindsey Buckingham (Vocals), Christine McVie (Keyboards), Christine McVie (Vocals), John McVie (Bass), Mick Fleetwood (Drums), Brett Tuggle (Keyboards), Brett Tuggle (Guitars), Brett Tuggle (Background Vocals), Neale Heywood (Guitar), Neale Heywood (Background Vocals), Lenny Castro (Percussion), Sharon Celani (Background Vocals), Mindy Stein (Background Vocals), John McVie (Vocals) | Appears On | | Performance #5: | |
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Running Time |
4:18 | Sound Clip |
| Performers |
Lindsey Buckingham (Guitar), Lindsey Buckingham (Vocals), Mick Fleetwood (Drums), John McVie (Bass), Christine McVie (Keyboards), Christine McVie (Vocals), Stevie Nicks (Vocals) | Comments | Recorded in Wichita on the "Rumours" tour | Appears On | | Performance #6: | |
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Running Time |
4:10 | Sound Clip |
| Performers |
Christine McVie (Keyboards), Christine McVie (Vocals), Lindsey Buckingham (Guitars), Stevie Nicks (Background Vocals), John McVie (Bass), Mick Fleetwood (Drums), Lindsey Buckingham (Background Vocals), Christine McVie (Synthesizer), Mick Fleetwood (Percussion), Keith Olsen (Produced By), Fleetwood Mac (Produced By), Lindsey Buckingham (Produced By), Mick Fleetwood (Produced By), John McVie (Produced By), Christine McVie (Produced By), Stevie Nicks (Produced By) | Appears On | | Performance #7: | |
Date Performance |
1977-08-25 | Performers |
Lindsey Buckingham (Guitar), Mick Fleetwood (Drums), Christine McVie (Keyboards), John McVie (Bass), Stevie Nicks (Background Vocals) | Comments | Recorded at the Aladdin Theatre Performing Arts, Las Vegas, Nevada | Appears On | | Performance #8: | |
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Running Time |
4:10 | Sound Clip |
| Performers |
Christine McVie (Keyboards), Christine McVie (Vocals), Lindsey Buckingham (Guitars), Stevie Nicks (Background Vocals), John McVie (Bass), Mick Fleetwood (Drums), Lindsey Buckingham (Background Vocals), Christine McVie (Synthesizer), Mick Fleetwood (Percussion), Keith Olsen (Produced By), Fleetwood Mac (Produced By), Lindsey Buckingham (Produced By), Mick Fleetwood (Produced By), John McVie (Produced By), Christine McVie (Produced By), Stevie Nicks (Produced By) | Appears On | | Performance #9: | |
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Running Time |
3:59 | Performers |
Nic Johnston (Acoustic Guitar) | Appears On | | Performance #10: | |
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Running Time |
4:10 | Sound Clip |
| Performers |
Christine McVie (Keyboards), Christine McVie (Vocals), Lindsey Buckingham (Guitars), Stevie Nicks (Background Vocals), John McVie (Bass), Mick Fleetwood (Drums), Lindsey Buckingham (Background Vocals), Christine McVie (Synthesizer), Mick Fleetwood (Percussion), Keith Olsen (Produced By), Fleetwood Mac (Produced By), Lindsey Buckingham (Produced By), Mick Fleetwood (Produced By), John McVie (Produced By), Christine McVie (Produced By), Stevie Nicks (Produced By) | Appears On | | Performance #11: | |
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Performers |
Billy Burnette (Guitar), Rick Vito (Guitar), Mick Fleetwood (Drums), John McVie (Bass), Christine McVie (Keyboards), Stevie Nicks (Background Vocals) | Comments | Recorded live at The Cow Palace, San Francisco, CA 12/12/87 & 12/13/87 | Appears On | | Performance #12: | |
Date Performance |
1982-10-22 | Performers |
Lindsey Buckingham (Guitar), Mick Fleetwood (Drums), Christine McVie (Keyboards), John McVie (Bass), Stevie Nicks (Background Vocals) | Comments | by Fleetwood Mac. Recorded at the Inglewood Forum, Los Angeles | Appears On | | Performance #13: | |
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Running Time |
4:10 | Sound Clip |
| Performers |
Christine McVie (Keyboards), Christine McVie (Vocals), Lindsey Buckingham (Guitars), Stevie Nicks (Background Vocals), John McVie (Bass), Mick Fleetwood (Drums), Lindsey Buckingham (Background Vocals), Christine McVie (Synthesizer), Mick Fleetwood (Percussion), Keith Olsen (Produced By), Fleetwood Mac (Produced By), Lindsey Buckingham (Produced By), Mick Fleetwood (Produced By), John McVie (Produced By), Christine McVie (Produced By), Stevie Nicks (Produced By) | Appears On | | Performance #14: | |
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Running Time |
5:00 | Sound Clip |
| Performers |
Stevie Nicks (Vocals), Lindsey Buckingham (Banjo), Lindsey Buckingham (Vocals), Christine McVie (Keyboards), Christine McVie (Vocals), John McVie (Bass), Mick Fleetwood (Drums), Brett Tuggle (Keyboards), Brett Tuggle (Guitars), Brett Tuggle (Background Vocals), Neale Heywood (Guitar), Neale Heywood (Background Vocals), Lenny Castro (Percussion), Sharon Celani (Background Vocals), Mindy Stein (Background Vocals), John McVie (Vocals) | Appears On | | Performance #15: | |
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Running Time |
4:10 | Sound Clip |
| Performers |
Christine McVie (Keyboards), Christine McVie (Vocals), Lindsey Buckingham (Guitars), Stevie Nicks (Background Vocals), John McVie (Bass), Mick Fleetwood (Drums), Lindsey Buckingham (Background Vocals), Christine McVie (Synthesizer), Mick Fleetwood (Percussion), Keith Olsen (Produced By), Fleetwood Mac (Produced By), Lindsey Buckingham (Produced By), Mick Fleetwood (Produced By), John McVie (Produced By), Christine McVie (Produced By), Stevie Nicks (Produced By) | Appears On | | Performance #16: | |
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Running Time |
4:03 | Sound Clip |
| Performers |
Lindsey Buckingham (Electric Guitar), Lindsey Buckingham (Banjo), Christine McVie (Piano), Mick Fleetwood (Drums), John McVie (Bass), Christine McVie (Vocals), Lindsey Buckingham (Background Vocals), Christine McVie (Background Vocals), Keith Olsen (Produced By), Fleetwood Mac (Produced By), Lindsey Buckingham (Produced By), Mick Fleetwood (Produced By), John McVie (Produced By), Christine McVie (Produced By), Stevie Nicks (Produced By) | Comments | (Single Version) Chart: Billboard US Hot 100 Singles Peak Position: 11 Peak Dates: Sep 18, 1976 - Sep 25, 1976 - Oct 2, 1976 Weeks on Charts: 19 Chart:
Billboard UK Top 50/40 Singles Peak Position: 40 Peak Dates: Dec 4, 1976 Weeks on Charts: 4 | Appears On | | Performance #17: | |
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Running Time |
4:10 | Sound Clip |
| Performers |
Christine McVie (Keyboards), Christine McVie (Vocals), Lindsey Buckingham (Guitars), Stevie Nicks (Background Vocals), John McVie (Bass), Mick Fleetwood (Drums), Lindsey Buckingham (Background Vocals), Christine McVie (Synthesizer), Mick Fleetwood (Percussion), Keith Olsen (Produced By), Fleetwood Mac (Produced By), Lindsey Buckingham (Produced By), Mick Fleetwood (Produced By), John McVie (Produced By), Christine McVie (Produced By), Stevie Nicks (Produced By) | Appears On | | Performance #18: | |
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Appears On | |
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