His biggest hit was "Unchained Melody" in 1955. Other hits were "He", "11th Hour Melody", "Never Turn Back", and "After the Lights Go Low" (all in 1956). "After the Lights Go Low", sung with a put-on British accent, was his last charted hit.
In the late 1950s and 1960s, Hibbler became a civil rights activist, marching with protestors and getting arrested in 1959 in New Jersey and in 1963 in Alabama. The notoriety of this activism discouraged major record labels from carrying his work, but Frank Sinatra supported him and signed him to a contract with his label, [lable]Reprise Records.
However, Hibbler made very few recordings after that, occasionally doing live appearances through the 1990s. He died in April 2001 in Chicago.
Don't Take Your Love from Me
Al Hibbler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tear a petal from the rose and the rose weeps too
Take your heart away from mine and mine will surely break
My life is yours to take, so please keep the spark awake
Would you take the wings from birds so that they can't fly?
Would you take the ocean's roar and leave just a sigh?
All this, your heart won't let you do
Don't take your love from me
All this, your heart won't let you do
This is what I beg of you
Don't take your love from me
Don't take your love from me
The lyrics to Al Hibbler's song "Don't Take Your Love From Me" is a plea from a lover to their significant other not to leave them. The opening lines compare the devastating impact of losing love to tearing a star from the sky, which would make the sky feel blue, and tearing a petal from a rose, which would make the rose weep. The singer then goes on to plead with their lover not to take their heart away from them, as it will surely break.
The second verse of the song uses the symbolism of taking the wings from birds and the roar from the ocean, leaving just a sigh, to describe the immense pain and loss that would come from losing their love. However, the singer acknowledges that their lover's heart won't let them do those things because they are too cruel, and they ask for the same compassion and love in return.
Overall, the lyrics of the song portray an intense fear of losing one's love and a desperate plea to keep that love alive. The singer is willing to offer their entire life to the lover, begging them not to take their love away.
Line by Line Meaning
Tear a star from out the sky and the sky feels blue
If you take away something beautiful, the world becomes a sadder place
Tear a petal from the rose and the rose weeps too
Even nature mourns when things of beauty are lost
Take your heart away from mine and mine will surely break
Without your love, my world falls apart
My life is yours to take, so please keep the spark awake
I am devoted to you and depend on your love to keep me going
Would you take the wings from birds so that they can't fly?
Just as it is cruel to rob a bird of its ability to fly, it is cruel to take away someone's love
Would you take the ocean's roar and leave just a sigh?
Just as it is impossible to silence the ocean's mighty roar, it is impossible for me to live without your love
All this, your heart won't let you do
I trust that your heart is kind enough to not bring me pain
This is what I beg of you
I humbly ask for your love and affection
Don't take your love from me
Please don't break my heart and leave me in despair
Lyrics © INDANO MUSIC COMPANY, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Henry Nemo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind