His first musical success was as a 14-year-old guitarist in the Royal Teens, best known for their novelty blues riff, "Short Shorts". In 1960, he joined the song-writing team of Bob Brass and Irwin Levine, who wrote the hit, "This Diamond Ring", for Gary Lewis and the Playboys. When he was 21, he moved to Greenwich Village.
He performed with Bob Dylan in concert in 1965 and in the studio in 1965 and 1966, including playing Hammond organ with Dylan at the (in)famous Newport Folk Festival of 1965. He worked extensively with Mike Bloomfield for a number of years after the two met as studio musicians on Dylan's legendary Highway 61 Revisited album.
In 1965, he co-formed The Blues Project and played their most famous gig at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. He formed Blood, Sweat & Tears in the same year, leaving after the group's first album, Child is Father to the Man, in 1968.
Kooper played on hundreds of records, including The Rolling Stones, B.B. King, The Who and Cream. On occasion, he has even overdubbed on his own efforts, as on The Live Adventures Of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper album, as Roosevelt Gook. He discovered the band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and produced their first three albums, including the single Sweet Home Alabama. Kooper also wrote the score for the TV series, Crime Story, and has also written music for several made-for-television movies. Kooper also produced a now rare album by a group called Appaloosa.
Al Kooper has published a memoir, Backstage Passes: Rock 'n' Roll Life In The Sixties (1977), now available in revised form as Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards: Memoirs of a Rock 'N' Roll Survivor 2007
Kooper currently teaches songwriting and production at Berklee College of Music in Boston and plays weekend concerts with his band Jimmy Vivino and The ReKooperators.
I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know
Al Kooper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can say I told you so
If I ever hurt you babe
You know I hurt myself as well
Is that any way for a man to carry on?
D'you think he wants his little loved one gone?
I love you baby, more than you'll ever know
When I wasn't makin' too much money
You know where my paycheck went
You know I brought it home to baby
And I never spent one red cent
Is that any way for a man to carry on
D'you think he wants his little loved one gone?
I love you baby, more than you'll ever know
More than you'll ever know
I'm not tryin' to be
Any kind of man
I'm tryin' to be somebody
You can love, trust and understand
I know that I can be, yeah yeah
A part of you that no one else could see
I just gotta hear, to hear you say
It's all right, yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm only flesh and blood
But I can be anything that you demand
I could President of General Motors baby, hey
Or just a tiny little grain of sand
Is that any way for a man to carry on
D'you think he wants his little loved one gone?
I love you baby, I love you baby
I love you more than you'll ever know, yeah
I love you baby
If I ever leave you
You can say, I told you so
And if I ever hurt you
You know, I hurt myself as well
Is that any way for a man to carry on
D'you think he wants his little loved one gone?
I tried to tell ya, I love you baby, I love you baby, yeah yeah yeah
I love you more than you'll ever know, yeah yeah yeah
I love you, I love you, I love you baby
Well, all right
I told ya, so many times before
I love you, I love you, I love you
If you don't know, then I'll tell ya one more time
I love you, I love you, I love you, yeah yeah
The lyrics to Al Kooper's "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" tell the story of a man deeply in love with his partner, who vows to always be there for her, even if he hurts himself in the process. The opening lines establish this point, as Kooper sings, "If I ever leave you / You can say I told you so / And if I ever hurt you / You know I hurt myself as well." The song's recurring question, "Is that any way for a man to carry on?" suggests that the singer acknowledges the gravity of his love, but may be uncertain of whether or not it's reciprocated.
The verses that follow provide intimate glimpses into the couple's relationship. Kooper highlights the sacrifices he's made for his partner in the lines, "When I wasn't makin' too much money / You know where my paycheck went / You know I brought it home to baby / And I never spent one red cent." These lyrics reinforce the idea that this love is worth everything to him. As the song progresses, the singer describes his desire to be someone his partner can love, trust and understand, and assures her of his ability to be whatever she needs. The song's overarching message is one of devotion and commitment to a great love, with the final lines serving as a poignant reminder of the singer's feelings: "If you don't know, then I'll tell ya one more time / I love you, I love you, I love you, yeah yeah."
Line by Line Meaning
If I ever leave you
If ever there comes a day when I disappear from your life
You can say I told you so
You can say that you knew this was going to happen
If I ever hurt you babe
If I ever make you feel bad or cause you pain
You know I hurt myself as well
You should know that it hurts me too when I hurt you
Is that any way for a man to carry on?
Is this how a man should treat his partner?
D'you think he wants his little loved one gone?
Do you think he wants to lose his beloved partner?
I love you baby, more than you'll ever know
I love you more than any expression of love can express
When I wasn't makin' too much money
When I was struggling to earn enough money
You know where my paycheck went
You know that I gave all my earnings to you
And I never spent one red cent
I never kept any of the money for myself
I'm not tryin' to be
I'm not attempting to portray myself as someone I'm not
Any kind of man
Not a certain type of man
I'm tryin' to be somebody
I am endeavouring to be a person, acceptable to you
You can love, trust and understand
A person you can love, trust, and comprehend fully
I know that I can be, yeah yeah
I am aware that I have the potential to be
A part of you that no one else could see
A piece of you that no one else can observe
I just gotta hear, to hear you say
I simply need to hear you say
It's all right, yeah, yeah, yeah
That everything is okay
I'm only flesh and blood
I am not perfect, just a human being
But I can be anything that you demand
But I can be anything that you want me to be
I could President of General Motors baby, hey
I could be the President of General Motors, my dear
Or just a tiny little grain of sand
Or something as insignificant as a grain of sand
I love you baby, I love you baby
I am in love with you
I love you more than you'll ever know, yeah
My love for you is indescribable
Well, all right
Okay, that's fine
I told ya, so many times before
I have expressed this to you on numerous occasions
If you don't know, then I'll tell ya one more time
If you are unaware, I will tell you again
I love you, I love you, I love you, yeah yeah
I love you more than anything, absolutely
Contributed by Molly Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Joseph Obenauer
One of the greatest songs EVER.
rockme1492
Yes it is
George Jasper
From the ONLY good BST album. This knocked my socks straight off back when I first heard it.
Bill Kalivas
My favorite version of this great song. You can't beat the great BST horns plus Jimmy Vivinos outstanding guitar playing. The best I've ever heard from Al.
george vasiliou
never fall in love with a person who doesn't love this song
Felix Norman
word
KruNosLaV Lucky Star
Yeah,that would be terrible mistake
DirkjeA
Find yourself another one, you clearly did not make the right choice. Although we are 2 years past your comment, I hope you found the right one after all.❣️
Mario Garcia
April Riddle q
Martha Langston
Luckily, I did fall in love with someone who loves this song as much as I do - we've been together for 53 years and counting . . . . .