Every time I tried to tell you the words just came out wrong/
So I have to so I love you in a song.

“I’ll Have to Say I Love You in a Song” is very meta. I love the fact that Croce just flat out gets to the point of this whole love-song-writing business. He is around a girl that he is in love with and it makes him stumble upon his words. But he has so many feelings that he needs to express: so he wrote this song.

I imagine hearing this must have made the ladies/lady swoon. I feel that this is a common experience among a lot of songwriters. They have feelings that they want to express to their love-interest, but they find it easier to do so in song than in words for whatever reason. Lucky for us.

Croce’s voice always sounds amazing. His sound is very distinct and if you don’t listen closely it sounds like a lot of his songs sound similarly, but I really believe he has a deep catalog that is under-explored. Partially due to the fact that soft-rock doesn’t get the due that other genres do and partially due to his short career.

He was so young when he died. He never had a chance to go through phases and reinvent himself or explore other sides of his genius. Jim Croce is one of the biggest omissions from the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.

I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A Song Lyrics

Well, I know it’s kind of late,
I hope I didn’t wake you.
But what I’ve got to say can’t wait,
I know you’d understand.
‘Cause every time I tried to tell you
The words just came out wrong.
So I’ll have to say “I love you” in a song.

Yeah, I know it’s kind of strange,
Every time I’m near you,
I just run out of things to say,
I know you’d understand.
‘Cause every time I tried to tell you
The words just came out wrong.
So I’ll have to say “I love you” in a song.

‘Cause every time the time was right
All the words just came out wrong.
So I’ll have to say “I love you” (I love you) in a song.

Yeah, I know it’s kind of late, (it’s kind of late)
I hope I didn’t wake you.
But there’s something that I just got to say.
(I know you’d understand)
I know you’d understand.
‘Cause every time I tried to tell you
The words just came out wrong.
So I’ll have to say “I love you” in a song.

Songwriters: Jim Croce