You Don't Need To Love Me

You don't need to love me
Or tell me that you do
Don't make me any promises
Just promise we're not through
Don't give me one damn thing
I won't let you call this greed
Just let me give to you
That's the only thing I need
I know that this can work
If you'd plant one simple seed
You'd see it grow
You don't need to love me
To know.

You don't need to need me
It's better that you don't
If each of us can walk away
It won't matter that I won't
We'll both be self-contained
But together, not alone
You can keep me in the dark
Hell, it's all I've ever known
But we both could use a friend
Who will always check the phone and take the call
You don't need to need me
At all.

Let me be your emergency contact
Your occasional plus-one
Your excuse to take a sick day
When the forecast calls for sun.

We can keep on being lonely
But we don't have to be apart
And I'll never even ask you
To let me have your heart.

So I'll never break your heart
No, I'll never break your heart.

You don't need to love me
To let me help you through
You don't need to confide in me
I've got crap enough for two
You don't need to answer
I'll know before you do
But hear me
And believe me
That you don't need to love me
The way that I love you.