I Don’t Know You, But I Want To
Sam Hunt is a country music singer and songwriter. His single, ‘Take Your Time’, was released in 2014. It is from his debut studio album, Montevallo. The album is named after his wife’s hometown in Alabama, and many of the songs on the album are inspired by his relationship with his wife.
The song stands out for its gentle pace, Sam’s comforting voice, the exceptional lyrics and the moving video.
The lyrics
What is exceptional about the lyrics is not their poetry, but their uncommon approach to the topic of love. The song is about a man who is romantically interested in a woman and is trying to come up with the best way to approach her. She appears to be a popular person, because he says, “Everyone here knows your name.”
He is apprehensive in approaching her. He is aware that she is not looking for a relationship at present. “So, I don’t wanna come on strong”, he says.
He is perceptive enough to know of some of the difficulties that a young girl might face. He knows he is not the only one who has expressed interest in talking to her:
“And I know it starts with hello,
And the next thing you know, you try to be nice,
And some guy’s getting too close,
Trying to pick you up, trying to get you drunk.”
He clarifies his intentions in a very tentative manner, very respectful of her wishes, and understanding of her possible misgivings:
“You don’t know me, I don’t know you,
But I want to.
And I don’t wanna steal your freedom,
I don’t wanna change your mind,
I don’t have to make you love me,
I just want to take your time.”
Throughout the song the listener gets a feeling that the man, though very interested in a relationship with the woman, is not going to push any harder than she is comfortable with. He is willing to give the relationship as much time as it may take. He understands that she may not end up loving him. He just admires her, and wants to get to know her.
The video is equally fortifying. The girl in the video is in a relationship with a tattooed man and they both have a baby together. But the tattooed man, probably her boyfriend, treats her poorly. He shouts at her publicly, he hits her both publicly and in private.
Sam Hunt, who plays the protagonist, witnesses some of these outbursts. He appears to like the girl and care for her welfare from afar. During one such episode, Sam catches a glimpse of the aggression through the window of a shop. He immediately heads out of the shop to intervene. But by the time he is out of the door, the girl and her boyfriend have left in their van.
In the last scene of the video, Sam happens to be walking past the house where the girl lives with her boyfriend. Sam sees her trying to flee the house, her baby with her. But her boyfriend attacks her and tries to prevent her from getting away. This time Sam is able to stop him. He shoves the boyfriend away from the escaping girl. Repeatedly, the boyfriend lunges for the girl, and repeatedly Sam pushes him back. This gives the girl and her baby a chance to escape in their van.
Sam is not there to teach the guy a lesson by beating him up. His aim was just to allow the girl to get away. Once the van leaves, the boyfriend walks away frustrated. And so does Sam.
The opportunity
The song and its video offer a rare example of respectful love. And it offers us an opportunity to discuss with young children how love should be practiced. Because popular culture and social media are not offering them enough examples of that.
Relationships, especially romantic relationships are not often discussed in families. And yet, relationships are what life runs on. It is unfortunate that young people have to learn lessons about love solely through the school of hard knocks. Or have to get misleading pointers about love from their equally clueless friends.
Young boys and girls need to learn that love is, above all, respectful. They need to treat their romantic partners with respect and expect to be treated similarly in return. And it makes a lot of difference when responsible adults in their life actively teach them about relationships.
Sam Hunt’s song is a good starting point for just such a discussion.
