To Keep My Love Alive
Anita O’Day Lyrics
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"I'm never a bridesmaid, I'm always a bride"
I never divorced them, I hadn't the heart
Yet remember these sweet words, "`till death do us part"
I married many men, a ton of them
Because I was untrue to none of them
To keep my love alive
Sir Paul was frail, he looked a wreck to me
At night he was a horse's neck to me
So I performed an appendectomy
To keep my love alive
Sir Thomas had insomnia, he couldn't sleep at night
I bought a little arsenic, he's sleeping now all right
Sir Philip played the harp, I cussed the thing
I crowned him with his harp to bust the thing
And now he plays where harps are just the thing
To keep my love alive
To keep my love alive
I thought Sir George had possibilities
But his flirtations made me ill at ease
And when I'm ill at ease, I kill at ease
To keep my love alive
Sir Charles came from a sanitorium
And yelled for drinks in my emporium
I mixed one drink, he's in memorium
To keep my love alive
Sir Francis was a singing bird, a nightingale, that's why
I tossed him off my balcony, to see if he, could fly
Sir Atherton indulged in fratricide,
He killed his dad and that was patricide
One night I stabbed him by my mattress-side
To keep my love alive
To keep my love alive
To keep my love alive
The song "To Keep My Love Alive" by Anita O'Day is a playful and satirical take on marriage and relationships. In the song, the singer lightheartedly admits to having been married multiple times and shares her unconventional methods of dealing with her husbands.
The first verse sets the tone as the singer mentions being married many times but never being a bridesmaid, always the bride. This line suggests a pattern of continuously entering into new marriages without divorcing the previous husbands. It hints at the singer's insatiable desire for love and commitment.
The second verse introduces a series of comical events where the singer takes extreme measures to "keep her love alive" with each husband. For example, she performs an appendectomy on one of her husbands named Sir Paul because he was a source of annoyance or discomfort. She goes to great lengths to maintain the appearance of love and commitment, even if it means resorting to drastic actions.
The third verse continues with a similar pattern. The singer reveals that another husband, Sir Thomas, suffers from insomnia, so she administers arsenic to help him sleep. This extreme measure leads to his demise and gives her the peace she desires.
In the fourth verse, the singer describes her interaction with Sir Philip, who plays the harp. However, her frustration with the instrument leads her to crown him with it, essentially destroying it. She implies that her husbands' quirks or actions became unbearable for her, leading to drastic measures to ensure her love stayed alive.
Overall, the lyrics of "To Keep My Love Alive" portray the singer as a serial monogamist who goes to great lengths, even committing murder, to maintain the appearance of love and commitment. The song employs dark humor and satire to highlight the singer's unconventional and sometimes extreme approach to relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been married, and married, and often I've sighed
I have been through multiple marriages and often felt disheartened
"I'm never a bridesmaid, I'm always a bride"
"I never get to be a bridesmaid, always the one getting married"
I never divorced them, I hadn't the heart
I never had the courage to divorce them
Yet remember these sweet words, `till death do us part"
But I always remember the promise of staying together until death
I married many men, a ton of them
I married a large number of men
Because I was untrue to none of them
Because I was never unfaithful to any of them
Because I bumped off every one of them
Because I purposely caused the death of each one of them
To keep my love alive
To ensure that my love life stays active and interesting
Sir Paul was frail, he looked a wreck to me
Sir Paul appeared weak and unattractive
At night he was a horse's neck to me
At night, he was unbearable to be with
So I performed an appendectomy
So I figuratively removed the burden of Sir Paul from my life
To keep my love alive
To maintain the excitement and vitality of my love life
Sir Thomas had insomnia, he couldn't sleep at night
Sir Thomas suffered from insomnia and had difficulty sleeping
I bought a little arsenic, he's sleeping now all right
I administered some arsenic to help him sleep peacefully
Sir Philip played the harp, I cussed the thing
Sir Philip played the harp, which irritated me
I crowned him with his harp to bust the thing
I hit him on the head with his own harp to destroy it
And now he plays where harps are just the thing
And now he plays in a place where harps are more fitting
To keep my love alive
To maintain the excitement and vitality of my love life
I thought Sir George had possibilities
I believed Sir George had potential as a partner
But his flirtations made me ill at ease
But his tendency to flirt made me uncomfortable
And when I'm ill at ease, I kill at ease
And when I feel uneasy, I easily choose to end the relationship
To keep my love alive
To ensure that my love life stays active and interesting
Sir Charles came from a sanitorium
Sir Charles came from a mental institution
And yelled for drinks in my emporium
And he loudly demanded drinks in my establishment
I mixed one drink, he's in memorium
I mixed him a lethal drink, and now he's remembered only in memory
To keep my love alive
To maintain the excitement and vitality of my love life
Sir Francis was a singing bird, a nightingale, that's why
Sir Francis had a beautiful singing voice, like a nightingale
I tossed him off my balcony, to see if he, could fly
I threw him off my balcony to test if he could survive or escape
Sir Atherton indulged in fratricide
Sir Atherton committed the act of killing his own brother
He killed his dad and that was patricide
He also killed his father, which is called patricide
One night I stabbed him by my mattress-side
One night I stabbed him next to my bed
To keep my love alive
To ensure that my love life stays active and interesting
To keep my love alive
To maintain the excitement and vitality of my love life
To keep my love alive
To ensure that my love life stays active and interesting
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind