It has often been my dream
To live with one who wasn't there
Like an ocean fish who swam upstream
Through nets, by hooks, and hungry bears.
When the water grew less deep
My fins were aching from the strain
I'm swimming in my sleep
I know I can't go back again.
Got the will to love, the will to love.
I'll never lose it, never lose the will to love,
Never lose the will.
It's like something from up above.
I can be like a fire in the night
Always warm and giving off light
But there comes a time when I shine too bright
Oh, I'm just a fire in the night.
And now my fins are in the air
And my belly's scraping on the rocks
I still think someone really cares
And I'll keep swimming till I stop.
Got the will to love, the will to love.
I'll never lose it, never lose the will to love,
Never lose the will.
It's like something from up above.
I'm like a singer on the stage
With the golden lights and liquid rage
Down from the mountains to the sea
Cool running love keeps cleansing me.
It keeps my gills from getting dry
But it distorts things in my eyes
Sometimes I see what really isn't there
Like my true lover, and I care.
Got the will to love, the will to love.
I'll never lose it, never lose the will to love,
Never lose the will.
It's like something from up above.
Sometimes I ramble on and on
And I repeat myself till all my friends are gone
And get lost in snow and drown in rain
And never feel the same again.
I remember the ocean from where I came
Just one of millions all the same
But somewhere someone calls my name
I'm a harpoon dodger, and I can't, won't be tamed.
Got the will to love, the will to love.
I'll never lose it, never lose the will to love,
Never lose the will.
It's like something from up above.
Baby, if I see boredom in your eyes
I'll know my river has run dry
But I won't turn back with that lonely tide
I bought that ticket and I'll take that ride.
If we meet along the way
Please sway beside me, let us sway together
Our tails together and our fins and mind
We'll leave this water and let our scales shine
In the sun above and the sky below
So all the water and earth will know
It has often been my dream
To live with one who wasn't there.
To live with one who wasn't there
Like an ocean fish who swam upstream
Through nets, by hooks, and hungry bears.
When the water grew less deep
My fins were aching from the strain
I'm swimming in my sleep
I know I can't go back again.
Got the will to love, the will to love.
I'll never lose it, never lose the will to love,
Never lose the will.
It's like something from up above.
I can be like a fire in the night
Always warm and giving off light
But there comes a time when I shine too bright
Oh, I'm just a fire in the night.
And now my fins are in the air
And my belly's scraping on the rocks
I still think someone really cares
And I'll keep swimming till I stop.
Got the will to love, the will to love.
I'll never lose it, never lose the will to love,
Never lose the will.
It's like something from up above.
I'm like a singer on the stage
With the golden lights and liquid rage
Down from the mountains to the sea
Cool running love keeps cleansing me.
It keeps my gills from getting dry
But it distorts things in my eyes
Sometimes I see what really isn't there
Like my true lover, and I care.
Got the will to love, the will to love.
I'll never lose it, never lose the will to love,
Never lose the will.
It's like something from up above.
Sometimes I ramble on and on
And I repeat myself till all my friends are gone
And get lost in snow and drown in rain
And never feel the same again.
I remember the ocean from where I came
Just one of millions all the same
But somewhere someone calls my name
I'm a harpoon dodger, and I can't, won't be tamed.
Got the will to love, the will to love.
I'll never lose it, never lose the will to love,
Never lose the will.
It's like something from up above.
Baby, if I see boredom in your eyes
I'll know my river has run dry
But I won't turn back with that lonely tide
I bought that ticket and I'll take that ride.
If we meet along the way
Please sway beside me, let us sway together
Our tails together and our fins and mind
We'll leave this water and let our scales shine
In the sun above and the sky below
So all the water and earth will know
It has often been my dream
To live with one who wasn't there.
Lyrics submitted by planetearth
Will to Love Lyrics as written by Neil Young
Lyrics © Silver Fiddle, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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As far as its meaning, Neil uses the metaphor of salmon swimming upstream to spawn to express how strong his resolve is in regards to his search for love and happiness. I suppose it could be pretty easy to slip into the "I'm never going to put myself out there again, I'm never going to let myself get hurt again" mode, but Neil shuns that with this song.
"It has often been my dream to live with one who wasn't there." Perhaps my favorite Neil song line of all time. Not sure what that part means and I actually found this website hoping I could get some ideas. Anybody??
"Got the will to love" - I don´t know what you think about it - for me it means: never give up on love even when you don´t have one to share your love with - but love can be felt in many different ways so - for me it´s about being in love with a girl who isn´t there..
I’m sure SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, has used or at least thought of using, the metaphor of a salmon swimming upstream to breed, to equate with human love, but it’s all in the execution…
STAR OF BETHLEHEM, same lp, has a not entirely dissimilar theme, if you will, addressing one of those things in our shared history that we see as an “archetype”, like the Star of Bethlehem, which was probably (maybe just “possibly”?), which Neil says wasn’t limited to ancient times, there’s a Star Of Bethlehem in all our hearts, and when the time Is right to HEAL, and to move FORWARD, to free yourself of the morass of the past, in your mind, you will KNOW it when it happens…don’t despair, the SoB (!) is not something “ancient”, it’s right here in your chest, in your mind, just let it BE, and, again, don’t despair, at least not because you think there’s no LOVE for you in this world…it’s always nearby, in YOUR heart, awaiting the end of its hibernation…
Or maybe I have no fuckin idea and just LOVE knowing that the MASTERS like Neil-Bob-Bruce are still out there, doing it, because, while it’s NEVER ok to get bogged down in the past, it’s ALWAYS ok to look back, just to see where you came from, and therefore, where you’re going…
I wasn't aware that it was recorded at a campfire - but this explains the slightly lower than normal volume, as well as the crackling which, I will admit, I found slightly distracting at first. Now I know this, however, I'm sure it will only add to my appreciation of the song.
As for the line you mentioned - "It has often been my dream to live with one who wasn't there." - this one also jumped out at me. To me it either means simply that he feels he has never been able to find his 'soulmate', if you will, or more likely, that he has often found himself alone and 'dreaming' that there was someone there living with him.
I also loved the crackling of the fire in the background.