Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby
Ain't nothing like the real thing
Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby
Ain't nothing like the real thing

I got your picture hangin' on the wall
But it can't see or come to me when I call your name
I realize it's just a picture inside a frame

I read your letters when you're not near me
But they don't move me, and they don't groove me
Like when I hear your sweet voice whispering in my ear
I play the game, a fantasy
I pretend I'm not in reality
I need the shelter of your arms to comfort me

I got some memories to look back on
And though they help me when you're gone
I'm well aware nothin' can take the place of you being there
No other sound is quite the same as your name
No touch can do half as much to make me feel better
So let's get together

Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby
Ain't nothing like the real thing
Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby
Ain't nothing like the real thing

Copyright: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Writer(s): Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson