Tell Me You Love Me

And though we know
Exactly what we want to say
The words
When they emerge
Don’t quite come out that way
The language circuit doesn’t work too good
No wonder we all think that we’re misunderstood

So tell me you love me
But tell me again in French
Now in a Welsh accent
Say it in Maggie Smith’s voice
Then say it like Judi Dench
Tell me you love me

And then
Just when
Our message should have hit the mark
I fеar
It’s all too clear
We’ve lеft them in the dark
The thing that’s said is not the thing that’s heard
That’s the trouble with the spoken word

What? So tell me you love me
Quoi? But tell me again in Dutch
Que? Shout it in Swedish
Huh? Whisper it in Norwegian
Was? I like that one very much
Eh? Tell me you love me
What? Plug in your Modem
Quoi? Select your transmit mode
Que? Give us a handshake
Tell me in Fortran, tell me in Basic
Was? Tell me in Binary Code
Eh? Tell me you love me

And on
The words have gone
All meaning long since lost
Yes Squire
We’ve got our wires
Spectacularly crossed
It read ‘Send’ reinforcements
We’re going to advance’
You said ‘Send three-and-fourpence
We’re going to a dance’

What? So tell me you love me
Quoi? But tell me again in Greek
Que? Ancient or Modern
Huh? Demotiki or Katharevousa
Was? I don’t care which one you speak
Eh? Just tell me you love me
What? Tell me in Chinese
Quoi? And while we still have the chance
Que? Talk in Tibetan
Huh? Say it in Zulu, say it in Xhosa
Was? Say it in Afrikaans
Eh? Tell me you love me
What? Buzz me in Morse Code
Quoi? Flash me in Heliograph
Que? Flag me a signal
Huh? Will you try it in Esperanto
Was? If I promise not to laugh?
Eh? Tell me you love me