I love you 'cause I want to
I love you 'cause I want to

Sometimes I wonder, baby
Why I put up with you
You ought to pay attention
I've got better things to do
I could be tearing the Eiffel Tower down to the ground
I could be helping superman and break the speed of sound
Nobody tells me what to do
And I don't love you cause I have to

I love you 'cause I want to
I love you 'cause I want to

Sometimes I'm feelin' wicked and I want to sneak around
Sneak up from behind you baby while you're out on the town
Now if you don't take me with you I might catch you in the act
You can't run and hide and keep your alibis intact
Nobody tells me what to do
And I don't love you 'cause I have to

I love you 'cause I want to
I love you 'cause I want to

This just ain't some game we play, so you better straighten up
I ain't doin' this for my health
I'm doin' it for love, love

I love you 'cause I want to
I love you 'cause I want to

Life is an adventure and I just can't get enough
Love can be so simple it don't have to be so tough
I could be anybody's sweetheart, anybody's girl
I could marry me a rich man and sail around the world
But I think I'll stay right here with you
'Cause I never do nothing I don't want to

I love you 'cause I want to
I love you 'cause I want to

Overall Meaning

The song "One Love" by Carlene Carter is an interesting exploration of the reasons behind the lyrics' love for the subject of the song. The chorus, "I love you cause I want to," emphasizes that the decision to love isn't a choice forced upon the lyrics' character, but rather a choice of her own free will. The lyrics delve into the character's independent spirit, indicating that she has no desire to be told what to do or to feel forced into anything, including love. The lyrics also suggest a bit of a tumultuous relationship, with the lyrics’ character hinting at catching the subject in the act of doing something potentially unsavory. Despite this, the lyrics repeatedly emphasize the character's choice to love the subject because it's what she wants to do.

Through the lyrics of this song, Carlene Carter offers a unique perspective on what love means. It's not something that's forced upon someone; rather, it's something that an individual actively chooses to do. The lyrics of "One Love" showcase the type of agency individuals have in their love lives, emphasizing the personal responsibility and independence required to make relationships work.

Line by Line Meaning

I love you cause I want to
The reason why I love you is because I choose to.

I love you cause I want to
I love you because I freely choose to love you.

Sometimes I wonder baby
Occasionally, I wonder about you, darling,

Why I put up with you
Why I tolerate you and your actions.

You ought to pay attention
You need to listen and take notice of what I am saying.

I've got better things to do
I have more important things to occupy me.

I could be tearing the Eiffel tower down to the ground
I could be occupied with an enormous task such as demolishing Eiffel Tower down to the ground.

I could be helping superman and break the speed of sound
Alternatively, I could be occupied with helping Superman break the sound barrier.

Nobody tells me what to do
I'm an independent individual who makes their choices without anyone's influence.

And I don't love you cause I have to
I'm not bound to love you due to an obligation or responsibility.

Sometimes I'm feelin' wicked and I want to sneak around
Sometimes I feel mischievous, and I want to play a naughty trick or be a little bit devious.

Sneak up from behind you baby while you're out on the town
I might come up behind you, my dear, while you're in town unaware.

Now if you don't take me with you I might catch you in the act
If you don't include me in your intended activity, I might catch you doing something immoral.

You can't run and hide and keep your alibis intact
You can't avoid me and keep your excuses for whatever you're doing, my darling.

This just ain't some game we play, so you better straighten up
This isn't just some game we're playing; hence, you need to behave properly.

I ain't doin' this for my health
I'm not doing all of this for no reason.

I'm doin' it for love, love
My actions are motivated by love.

Life is an adventure and I just can't get enough
Life is a ceaseless journey, and I'm always hungry for more.

Love can be so simple it don't have to be so tough
Love can be pure and uncomplicated; it doesn't always have to be troublesome.

I could be anybody's sweetheart, anybody's girl
I could be any man's lover or partner regardless of the individual.

I could marry me a rich man and sail around the world
I could marry a wealthy man and embark on a voyage around the world.

But I think I'll stay right here with you
But, I have decided that I will stay here with you.

Cause I never do nothing I don't want to
I'm confident that I'm not required to do anything I don't want to do.

I love you cause I want to
I love you because I have freely chosen to do so.

I love you cause I want to
My love for you is because I have willingly chosen to love you.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CARLENE CARTER, RADNEY FOSTER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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