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Baby, love never felt so good 
And I doubt if it ever could 
Not like you hold me, hold me

I interpret the "Not like you hold me" part as

It's not like you hold me.

as same usage in "It's not like I've done anything wrong."

But a friend said to me that it is the abbreviation of

I'd not like you to hold me.

So I thought word 'like' is a conjunction, and a friend thought it is a verb.

Who is right? or Is neither of us wrong?

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  • In standard English, it would be: I doubt I could ever not like you holding me.
    – Lambie
    Sep 21, 2021 at 22:14

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I think it's a continuation of the meaning of the first line, "Baby, love never felt so good".
So, "not like you hold me" means "Love never felt as good as it does now, when it is you who are holding me."

That's my sense about it, but looking for "exact meaning" in relation to these lyrics is probably a mistake. A good part of the lyrics of popular songs is intended to be suggestive or just to sound good when sung.

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  • I got it. Thank you. Then, Is it natural to say "I never felt so good not like this." ? And awkward to say "I never felt so good like this." ?
    – Qwer Asdf
    Nov 13, 2020 at 12:28
  • You could say the first with a pause, indicated in writing with a comma "I never felt so good, not like this." But it's not good written English. You second example here would be acceptable if it were "I never felt as good as this."
    – Jack O'Flaherty
    Nov 13, 2020 at 12:32
  • Then is second one acceptable in colloquial English?
    – Qwer Asdf
    Nov 13, 2020 at 13:09
  • Not as you wrote it, no.
    – Jack O'Flaherty
    Nov 13, 2020 at 13:11

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