Knowing that you lied/
Straight-faced while I cried/
Still I look to find a reason to believe
“A Reason is to Believe” is incredibly misunderstood. Many think it is a love song—it isn’t. There are two primary reasons for this: one, the most common cover of this song is Rod Stewart’s live version which is an awful misinterpretation of the song. Second, the lyrics are a bit confusing.
The song is about a couple who are in a bad relationship—there is gaslighting and lying. Yet, the narrator still “loves” her partner; partially out of habit, also due to the good times they had, but mostly because of the doubt that has been sowed in her mind. Rather than repel her, this behavior causes her to think that she can’t live without her partner. For whatever reason, she still believes that their relationship will work. Maybe because he is a sweet talker.
The narrator knows what is really happening, but breaking up is hard, especially with a manipulative individual. The song starts out: “If I listened long enough to you/ I’d find away to believe that it’s all true/” This sounds like the narrator is coming to the realization that she is not dating a good person. But will she be able to leave?
Karen Dalton’s version of this song is the best version. It is stripped down of all pretenses; is just her raspy voice and a banjo. She sings the song as it is meant to be—as if she is upset by her realization. Contrast that with Stewart’s version. He highlights the following lyric: “Someone like you/ makes it hard to live without/ somebody else”. That makes it sound as if he is realizing he found his long-lost love. That is not what this song is about. His delivery and tears at the end of the MTV Unplugged version is just weird.
The original version by Tim Hardin is amazing as well. Both Hardin and Dalton deliver classic folk performances. Their performance shows that a great musician just needs her instrument and voice to deliver a song that connects emotionally. I give Dalton’s version the slight edge, as it sounds more unique and heartbreaking.
As with many folk songs, the one weakness is the song-length. The song is short. I would have preferred another verse and chorus. That would hit the sweet spot.
Reason to Believe Lyrics
If I listened long enough to you
I’d find a way to believe that it’s all true
Knowing that you lied
Straight-faced while I cried
Still I look to find a reason to believe
Someone like you
Makes it hard to live without
Somebody else
Someone like you
Makes it easy to give
Never think about myself
If I gave you time to change my mind
I’d find a way just to leave the past behind
Knowing that you lied
Straight-faced while I cried
Still I look to find a reason to believe
If I listened long enough to you
I’d find a way to believe that it’s all true
Knowing that you lied
Straight-faced while I cried
Still I look to find a reason to believe
Someone like you
Makes it hard to live without
Somebody else
Someone like you
Makes it easy to give
Never think about myself
Someone like you
Makes it hard to live without
Somebody else
Someone like you
Makes it easy to give
Never think about myself
Someone like you
Makes it hard to live without
Somebody else
Someone like you
Makes it easy to give
Never think about myself
Someone like you
Makes it hard to live without
Somebody else
written by Tim Hardin