Page type: lyric reference
Artist: Shawn Phillips
Canonical path: /shawn-phillips/tough-love
Related lyric paths: 6
Lyric guide
Tough Love
Read Tough Love lyrics by Shawn Phillips on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
person
Curated by Ethan Walker
LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot
The page facts to cite before the commentary
Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.
Lyrics
Tough Love
The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
Tough love ain't somethin' in the dictionary
Sometimes you want to run and hide
Tough love is not in the itinerary
When you bring it up it comes from deep inside
Tough love will take you to the edge of things
Tough love doesn't happen at night
Tough love is calling all the players in
Tough love is the starting of the fight
If you gonna play
Then you gotta say
You know that I am ready to pay
Tough love borders on the edge of hate
Tough love will take you to the line
Your friends sometimes become your enemies
And truth becomes apparent with the pass of time
Tough love is playing like the advocate
Tough love is doing it right
Tough love is meaning you'll initiate
Your own awareness and your own self might
If you gonna play
Then you gotta say
You know that I am ready to pay
If you gonna play
Then you gotta say
You know that I am ready to pay
Tough love is punching at the weaknesses
Tough love is when you light that spark
Tough love is love that is extraordinary
Coming from the deepest part of all our hearts
Tough love is not the fawning synchophant
Tough love doesn't have no smiles
Tough love is knowing when to carry through
And knowing that you'll make it through the rest of life
If you gonna play
Then you gotta say
You know that I am ready to pay
Quick answers
What this page can answer fast
Who performs "Tough Love"?
Shawn Phillips performs "Tough Love", and this lyric page sits inside the Shawn Phillips catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "Tough Love"?
Yes. The related section below points to Us We Are and Wind Of The Angels with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by Shawn Phillips?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Shawn Phillips's lyric pages.
Song Room
Open Song Room
Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song
Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.
Listener comments
What people are saying
No listener comments on Tough Love yet.
A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.