# Please explain this song lyric....

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-song-lyric/228287>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [February 9, 2004, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-song-lyric/228287 "2004-02-09T15:52:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-song-lyric/228287/1 "2004-02-09T15:52:50Z")

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Did you ever listen to a song that you love, and wonder what a specific lyric means? Especially when you know that it must mean something, and isn’t just filler.

I was listening to “Sleepwalker” by The Wallflowers. And I don’t know what this line means…“Sam Cooke didn’t know what I know.” Can someone explain this to me?

The full verse is “Cupid don’t draw back your bow, Sam Cooke didn’t know what I know, I’ll never be your Valentine, The sleepwalker in me, and god only knows I tried.”

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**Author:** ![Merlot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3e96dc/32.png) [@Merlot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merlot)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-song-lyric/228287/2 "2004-02-09T16:11:54Z")

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Sam Cooke wrote “Cupid”

_Cupid, draw back your bow and let your arrow go  
Straight to my lover’s heart for me, for me  
Cupid, please hear my cry and let your arrow fly  
Straight to my lover’s heart for me_

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**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-song-lyric/228287/3 "2004-02-09T16:54:26Z")

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Thanks Merlot. I’m glad I asked.

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**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-song-lyric/228287/4 "2004-02-09T17:03:18Z")

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That’s only part of it.

Sam Cooke also wrote Wonderful World

_Don’t know much about history  
Don’t know much biology  
Don’t know much about science book  
Don’t know much about the French I took_  
etc…

Haj

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**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-song-lyric/228287/5 "2004-02-09T18:40:10Z")

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Thanks Haj. Even better.