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The Love Me Or Die
C.W. Stoneking Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I studied evil, I can't deny,
Was a hoodoo charm called a Love Me or Die,
Some fingernail, a piece of her dress,
Apocathery, Devil's behes'
I will relate, the piteous consequence my mistake,
Fallin slave to passin desire,
Makin' the dreaded Love me or Die.

Against a Jungle primeval green,
She had the looks of a beauty queen
No bangles or chain, wearin' broken shoe
Seventy-five cent bottle perfume.
I said, "Good mornin", I tipped my hat,
All the while I was cunning like a rat,
Smilin gaily, looked her in the eye,
I felt in pocket, the Love me or Die

My past history, one to behold,
I studied magic from days of old,
Membership, secret societies,
Power and wealth in my family
But Matilda, Darling,
Why you don't take my wedding ring,
Like a demon under the floor,
I buried the hoodoo down the back door.

Lawd, word broke through the town,
That a fever strike Matilda down,
Nine thirty, the doctor arrive,
Priest come runnin, quarter to five.
Standin in the weeds early next day,
I saw the meat wagon rollin away,
I seen Matilda layin in the back,
Her old mother wearin a suit of black

Sound the trumpet, and bang the drum,
I wait for me judgement to come,
I know her spirit is down beneath,
I hear the weepin and gnashing of the teeth.
Flames of Hell licks at my feet,
In the shadow of the Jungle I feel the heat,
Matilda's waiting in Hell for me too,
All cause she died from a bad hoodoo.

Overall Meaning

The Love Me Or Die by C.W. Stoneking is a song about a man who falls in love with a woman and uses a hoodoo charm known as Love Me or Die to make her fall in love with him despite her not having any interest in him. The charm consists of a piece of the woman's dress and some fingernails. The man is not a stranger to magic, secret societies, and even wealth, which makes him even more dangerous with the charm. He is cunning, and he knows he can make this woman fall in love with him using the charm.


In the first verse, the man admits that he has studied evil and is familiar with hoodoo charms such as Love Me or Die. He took some fingernail and dress piece from the woman and mixed them with some Apothecary and devil's essence to create the charm. He knew his mistake after using the charm, and he became a slave to the passing desire he had for the woman. The man knows he should not have used the charm for his selfish desires, which caused the piteous consequence.


The second verse talks about how well he knew the woman he wanted, the way she looks and what she wore. Here he reveals how he approached her and attempted to make her fall in love with him. He put on a smiling face and acted nicely towards her, but in reality, he was like a cunning rat. The final verse reveals the result of his actions, the woman, Matilda, had fallen ill and died. The man had to face the consequence of his action and wait for his judgment, knowing that Matilda was waiting for him in Hell.


Line by Line Meaning

I studied evil, I can't deny,
I learned about dark magic, and I'm not afraid to admit it.


Was a hoodoo charm called a Love Me or Die,
It was a spell to make someone fall in love with me or face fatal consequences.


Some fingernail, a piece of her dress,
I used personal items from the woman I was pursuing for the spell.


Apocathery, Devil's behes'
I obtained the necessary ingredients for the spell from a shady source.


I will relate, the piteous consequence my mistake,
I regret using the spell and will tell you the sad outcome of my actions.


Fallin slave to passin desire,
I was consumed by a temporary attraction to this woman.


Makin' the dreaded Love me or Die.
I used the dangerous spell Love Me or Die to win her over.


Against a Jungle primeval green,
In the midst of the wild jungle, I saw her.


She had the looks of a beauty queen
She was stunningly beautiful.


No bangles or chain, wearin' broken shoe
Despite her beauty, she was not wealthy.


Seventy-five cent bottle perfume.
She wore cheap perfume.


I said, 'Good mornin', I tipped my hat,
I greeted her politely.


All the while I was cunning like a rat,
Inside I was scheming to use Love Me or Die to make her fall for me.


Smilin gaily, looked her in the eye,
As I spoke to her, I looked her directly in the eye.


I felt in pocket, the Love me or Die
I secretly had the spell with me.


My past history, one to behold,
I had a dark and mysterious history.


I studied magic from days of old,
I had studied various magical practices for a long time.


Membership, secret societies,
I belonged to some exclusive, secretive groups.


Power and wealth in my family
My family was influential and had financial means.


But Matilda, Darling,
My love interest's name was Matilda.


Why you don't take my wedding ring,
I offered her my wedding ring, hoping to win her over without the need for the spell.


Like a demon under the floor,
I felt guilty about my actions.


I buried the hoodoo down the back door.
I tried to get rid of the spell.


Lawd, word broke through the town,
News spread quickly throughout the area.


That a fever strike Matilda down,
Matilda became sick.


Nine thirty, the doctor arrive,
A doctor visited her at 9:30 PM.


Priest come runnin, quarter to five.
A priest was called in at 4:45 AM.


Standin in the weeds early next day,
I watched from a distance the morning after.


I saw the meat wagon rollin away,
I witnessed the removal of Matilda's remains.


I seen Matilda layin in the back,
I saw Matilda's body in the wagon.


Her old mother wearin a suit of black
Matilda's mother was dressed in mourning attire.


Sound the trumpet, and bang the drum,
I fear the consequences of my actions.


I wait for me judgement to come,
I am bracing myself for the punishment I deserve.


I know her spirit is down beneath,
I believe Matilda is in Hell.


I hear the weepin and gnashing of the teeth.
I can hear Matilda's suffering in the afterlife.


Flames of Hell licks at my feet,
I am overwhelmed with the realization of my damnation.


In the shadow of the Jungle I feel the heat,
The jungle around me seems to reflect my fiery situation.


Matilda's waiting in Hell for me too,
Matilda's death was ultimately my doing, and I will face her in Hell.


All cause she died from a bad hoodoo.
Her death was caused by my foolish use of the Love Me or Die spell.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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Comments from YouTube:

@FilipeDGuedes

I can't believe this was released in 2008. The first time I heard I could swear this song was from the early 1900s. This is awesome

@zenamarcoulidou9407

Like all of us...🤣🤣🤣
I felt so proud that i discoverd an old song...🤣🤣🤣

@milascave2

Yea. To me it sounded like a cross between the Trinidadian Calipso of the 1940s (Matilda take me money and run Ven3ezuala) and the black American musick of the 1920s (Cab Caliways "Saint James infermery." It turns out that it did not come out in the twenties. But I am hearing it for the first time in the 20s.

@sabinebenbrahim2530

P cc c'est

@valentinagrigorova8244

Me to,

@crystalsager9475

Same!!

3 More Replies...

@billybluester

Incredible lyrics and vocals...I really haven't heard anything better in years...Freaking awesome...

@nicolascoulonmacke

sounds like old calypso from trinidad

@mabul513

Has lots of great songs he has written. Not like when was heres your song. Good words and stories.

@UrusaiJoe

Reminds me of Tom Waits a lot

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