At first I thought I Think He Knows was kind or boringly straightforward but I’ve come around a bit; I think it works in the context of the rest of her oeuvre (like much of Lover).
It presents her current relationship as akin to a teenage romance, with the “skipping down 16th Avenue” and the explicit “it’s like I’m 17.”
But in her teenage crushes, the guy never knew; her earlier songs are filled with tortured longing, and she’s always great at keeping her secret. See:
- I fake a smile so he won’t see
- I wonder if he knows he’s all I think about at night
- I think he can see through everything but my heart
- all this time how could you not know, baby?
etc. The idea that the guy in these songs could find out is terrifying.
And now it’s just … fine? “I think he knows,” shrug, good that saves me the trouble of telling him. She’s realized that she’s not a teenager anymore and people aren’t as oblivious as they used to be, and that’s okay, because now she’s secure enough not to be scared of displaying vulnerability, and mature enough to appreciate the joy of just getting each other, and wearing your heart on your sleeve, and not giving a fuck.