2025 Competition Entry:

Like I’ve Been Loving You by Zahmu Sankofa

Genre

Rock

Artist

Website

Co-writer(s)

no

Performer(s)

Zahmu Sankofa – Lead and Background
Mawli Baruti – Background
Charles Bennett – Background
Christian T. Dockins – Background
Seidel Harris, III – Drums

Description

All my life I wanted to find someone to love and who would love me in return. I didn’t have many relationships to speak of but over the years there were three people who I really gave my whole heart to, but they were all troubled souls for their own reasons. Upon my last breakup, I was accused of being a “fair weather” lover. Meaning when things are going well I’m all in, but when things are going badly I want to pull away. So, my partner gave me the song, “Can You Stand the Rain” by a group called New Edition for me to listen to, to prove his point. I was a bit saddened about the accusation KNOWING how much patience I had poured into my relationship, so I began to question myself and if there was something wrong with my capacity to love. THEN IT HIT ME: If YOU are the source of my sadness, and if YOU are the reason why life is hard…then that is not us weathering the storms of life “together,” that is YOU being the storm! I thought to myself…you can’t protect me from the rain if YOU are the water, and you can’t protect me from the fire, if YOU are the flame… …so I wrote a song about it!

Bio

Lyrics

LIKE I’VE BEEN LOVING YOU
Zahmu Sankofa
(c) 2024

I was on a quest to find a love divine
When we met you stayed on my mind
Didn’t want to be alone again this time
The red flags were flowing, but I kept going, come on

Oh, Oh, Oh, No, Oh – you didn’t treat me fair
Believing that my love would turn you all around
Oh, Oh, Oh, No, Oh,….you didn’t really care
Or cherish what we found, because

You can’t protect me from the rain if you’re the water
You can’t protect me from the fire if you’re the flame
It’s not you and me together, if there’s something there that’s ever keeping you from-a-loving me…
Like I’ve been loving you, let me ask you

Who do you think I am
Who do you think I am
Who do you think I am

Ah, was it your lies, your getting high
Your drunken nights, or all the tears you made me cry, Boo Hoo
Jump offs in my face
Laying up in my space
Didn’t think I could see
You must not know about me

Oh, Oh, Oh, No, Oh … you didn’t treat me fair
Deep in my soul I was knowing, then I felt myself growing,
I was growing but you
Oh, Oh, Oh, No, Oh – you couldn’t meet me there
My love was patient, my love was kind, but

You can’t protect me from the rain if you’re the water
You can’t protect me from the fire if you’re the flame
It’s not you and me together, if there’s something there that’s ever keeping you from a-loving me…
Like I’ve been loving you

So save that “but I love you”
I don’t want to hear it (oh no)
Take your “what about us”
I don’t want to be near it

So save that “but I love you”
I don’t want to hear it
Take your “what about us”
I don’t want to be near it, let me ask you

Who do you think I am
Who do you think I am
Who do you think I am

BRIDGE:
There were candles on our table
but I was sitting there by myself
When I realized, you can’t love me
Cause you, you don’t love yourself
I’ve had dreams, (dreams matter)
all my life (life matters)
And a heart filled with love, (love matters)
and I matter (I matter now)
I don’t want to live this way, but I can only blame myself if I stay

Cause you can’t protect me from the rain if you’re the water
You can’t protect me from the fire if you’re the flame
It’s not you and me together, (if there’s something there that’s ever)
Keeping you from a-loving me
Like I’ve been loving you, loving you
Save that “but I love you”
I don’t want to hear it
Take your “what about us”
I don’t want to be near it
My dreams matter
My life matters
Love matters
I know I matter now…
(Who do you think I am)
(Who do you think I am)
(Who do you think I am)
Who do you, who do you, who do you…

(Who do you think I am)
(Who do you think I am)

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