About the song
Toby Keith has long been a polarizing yet undeniably influential figure in country music. His music embodies the rugged independence and plainspoken honesty that have made him a staple of the genre for decades. While his catalog is often associated with brash patriotism and honky-tonk bravado, Love Me If You Can offers a different side of Keith—a more introspective, even vulnerable, meditation on personal values, tolerance, and the struggle to do what’s right in a complicated world.
Released in 2007 as the second single from his album Big Dog Daddy, Love Me If You Can is a ballad that distances itself from the more overtly political anthems Keith was known for in the early 2000s. Instead of the defiant nationalism of Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American) or the barroom swagger of I Love This Bar, this song is a plea for understanding, an acknowledgment that morality is often subjective, and that one’s intentions should count as much as, if not more than, public perception.
Musically, the song leans into the softer, more reflective side of country, with a melody that allows Keith’s deep, resonant voice to shine. The arrangement is understated—built around acoustic guitar, warm steel guitar accents, and a restrained rhythm section. The production is clean and polished, typical of Nashville’s mid-2000s approach, but without feeling overproduced. This allows the weight of the lyrics to land with sincerity rather than sentimentality.
Lyrically, Love Me If You Can presents Keith as a man caught in the crossfire of political and moral debates but determined to live according to his own principles. Lines like “I don’t do it for money, I don’t do it for fame / I don’t do it so the world will remember my name” emphasize a kind of ethical independence—a commitment to doing what he believes is right regardless of external judgment. The chorus, which asserts that while he may not always make perfect decisions, his intentions are pure, reinforces a theme of personal integrity.
What makes this song particularly compelling is how it plays with Keith’s public image. By 2007, he was already well-known for his outspoken views, often delivered with a heavy dose of bravado. Here, though, he steps back from that hard-edged persona and offers something more nuanced. Love Me If You Can doesn’t demand agreement; rather, it seeks understanding. It’s an admission that, despite strong opinions, there’s always room for grace, and that moral clarity isn’t always as simple as choosing sides.
This is why the song resonated with both Keith’s core audience and listeners who might have previously dismissed him. It’s not a political song in the way some of his others are—it’s a human one. It acknowledges that even those who hold firm beliefs can also hold compassion, and that kindness should transcend ideology.
In the landscape of Toby Keith’s career, Love Me If You Can stands out as one of his most thoughtful offerings. It proves that behind the bravado is an artist who understands the complexities of human nature. And in a world that so often demands people take hard stances, a song that simply asks for a little understanding feels all the more necessary.
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Lyrics
Sometimes I think that war is necessary
Every night I pray for peace on Earth
I hand out my dollars to the homeless
But believe that every able soul should work
My father gave me my shotgun
That I’ll hand down to my son
Try to teach him everything it means
I’m a man of my convictions
Call me wrong, call me right
But I bring my better angels to every fight
You may not like where I’m going
But you sure know where I stand
Hate me if you want to
Love me if you can
I stand by my right to speak freely
But I worry ’bout what kids learn from TV
And before all of debatin’ turns to angry words and hate
Sometimes we should just agree to disagree
And I believe that Jesus looks down here and sees us
And if you ask him he would say
I’m a man of my convictions
Call me wrong, call me right
But I bring my better angels to every fight
You may not like where I’m going
But you sure know where I stand
Hate me if you want to
Love me if you can
I’m a man of my convictions
Call me wrong, call me right
But I bring my better angels to every fight
You may not like where I’m going
But you sure know where I stand
Hate me if you want to
Love me if you can
