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Call It a Loan Lyrics
In the morning when I closed my eyes
You were sleeping in paradise
And while the room was growing light
I was holding still with all my might
Oh--what if it's true
...What my heart says
Oh--what'll I do
What if this feeling becomes hard to part with
You were meant to play your part
In the design of a desperate heart
And while you gave your love to me
I was betting I was getting it free
Oh-- If I'd only known
...What your heart cost
Oh-- can we call it a loan
And a debt that I owe
On a bet that I lost
In the evening when you see my eyes
Looking back at you, no disguise
I'm not sure who you think you'll see
I'm just hoping you'll still know that it's me
Oh-- what if it's true
...Better ask the man inside
Oh, oh-- there seem to be two
One steals the love, and the other one hides.
Yeah-- can we call it a loan
Till I'm paid in full for the seeds I've sown
Yeah-- can we say that I've grown
In someway that we may have yet to be shown
Oh-- if I'd only known
...What your heart cost
Oh-- can we call it a loan
And a debt that I owe
On a bet that I lost
You were sleeping in paradise
And while the room was growing light
I was holding still with all my might
...What my heart says
Oh--what'll I do
What if this feeling becomes hard to part with
In the design of a desperate heart
And while you gave your love to me
I was betting I was getting it free
...What your heart cost
Oh-- can we call it a loan
And a debt that I owe
On a bet that I lost
Looking back at you, no disguise
I'm not sure who you think you'll see
I'm just hoping you'll still know that it's me
...Better ask the man inside
Oh, oh-- there seem to be two
One steals the love, and the other one hides.
Till I'm paid in full for the seeds I've sown
Yeah-- can we say that I've grown
In someway that we may have yet to be shown
...What your heart cost
Oh-- can we call it a loan
And a debt that I owe
On a bet that I lost
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Yes, the song's about what her love cost HIM, not that he lost her love. There's nothing indicating that he's lost her. He's fearful, yes, of parting with the feeling that's caught him by surprise--two men (the man inside), one steals the love, the other hides. He was betting he was getting her love for free, that he could remain aloof to love for her. He awakes one morning, still, afraid to wake her, dealing with his own realization that he loves her when he really wasn't planning on that happening. He's fearful she will see him for who he may really be, or not be, but he does not want her to see his love for her written all over his face. He is fearful of this heart transaction, and wants to have her love on loan only, to be able to keep his own heart in order to protect it from hurt. I think the most telling stanza includes "can we call it a loan/Till I'm paid in full for the seeds I've sown" which indicates he feels undeserving of love based on his past withholding of it in other relationships. He used women in the past, and now he's fallen in love unexpectedly, and feeling the feeling that will be hard to part with, he wants to grow to be worthy of the full trade. His heart's not worthy, not equal, but he's willing to grow toward worthiness.
@jamiescryin Yes, that's it. You said it so well. Thank you.
@jamiescryin Yes, that's it. You said it so well. Thank you.
Everything about this song leads me to believe it is about a guy that thought he was hooking up with a woman not looking to become emotionally involved and intending to move on to other things in the morning.
However, as he wakes up he realizes that he has in fact begun to fall in love.
@barry11162 agreed, are you speaking from personal experience or generally?
@barry11162 agreed, are you speaking from personal experience or generally?
@barry11162 both, I have been listening to this song for 35 years and
@barry11162 both, I have been listening to this song for 35 years and
I have played this song so many times for my wife. When we first met I was coming off a long relationship and she certainly fell for me much quicker than I did her but boy did things change. As the song states while you gave your love to me I was betting I was getting it free. I thank god for her everyday and although our relationship has its highs and lows we have come out the other side better than ever.
Love the music to this song. To me this song has always been about a man who has been with a woman and truly loves her. However, he has always assumed that she loved him back and has taken her love for granted. Finally, he wakes up one day and sees how much her love really cost and how much it will cost him to get it back.
She's in love with him, but he's going to leave her. The cost will be to his soul, and he knows that.
Beautiful, painful song. I know just how he feels.
This has to do with the suicide of his wife Phyllis Major in 1976. Her death left him devastated, and this song takes place of the wake the night/morning she died.