you had to be there

you had to be there

You would only really understand or appreciate something if you had been present when it happened or was said. A: "I don't get it." B: "Sorry, it was more about the way Jeff did it that was funny. I guess you had to be there." A: "So, tell me about the party!" B: "Oh, it was wild. You really had to be there, because words wouldn't do it justice."
See also: there
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

You had to be there

and YHTBT
sent. & comp. abb. You had to be in a place to understand what happened or what was said there. Yeah, it was funnier when I heard it. YHTBT.
See also: there
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • YHTBT
  • see the point (of something)
  • see the point in (doing) (something)
  • don't sleep on (someone or something)
  • make game of (someone or something)
  • make sport of (someone or something)
  • make (something) right
  • set (something) right
  • set right
  • don't get me wrong