You've Been In Love Too Long
Bonnie Raitt Lyrics


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Girls, you've been in love too long
(You're a fool for your baby)
Don't you know, girls
You've been in love too long
(You're a fool for your baby)

When just his smile takes all your pain away
And you find yourself believing whatever he may say
Now when he keeps you cryin'
But your heart tells you, Girl, keep right on tryin'
Girls, you've been in love too long
(You're a fool for your baby)
Don't you know, girls? You've been in love too long
(You're a fool for your baby)

When you accept his wrongs just to share his kiss
And even though lonely nights are filled with happiness
Now girl, you're in trouble; you know your heart is seein' double
When your head tells you to run
But your heart says he's your only one
Girls, you've been in love too long
You're a fool for your baby)

(Girl, you've been in love too long)
You're a fool
'Cause when a week of loneliness
Can be erased with just one sweet caress
Girls, you've been in love too long
(You're a fool for your baby)
I say girls, oh yeah, you're a fool
When his wrong looks right 'cause he always treats you bad
When you find little excuses for all the sadness & abuses
Don't you know, girls, you're in love
You're just a fool for your baby




Girls, you've been in love too long
You're just a fool

Overall Meaning

Bonnie Raitt's "You've Been In Love Too Long" is a song about the pain and trouble that love can bring. The first verse of the song suggests that the girls who are blinded by love have been in it for too long, causing them to lose sight of their own worth, making them fools for their baby. The lyrics go on to talk about how the girls in the song can't seem to let go of their love interest, despite his wrongs, and how they are accepting his bad treatment under the belief that they are in love.


The second verse describes how the girls cannot resist the power of love: their heart overrides their head, making them turn a blind eye to their partner's misdeeds. They find happiness even in lonely nights and crave their partner's touch to take away the pain. The chorus reminds the girls that they are being foolish by accepting the bad treatment, and that they have been in love for too long. The song ends on a note of warning, telling the girls that they are heading towards trouble and that they need to see the truth before it's too late.


"You've Been In Love Too Long" is a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of extreme love. It warns listeners of being blinded by emotions and rationalizing all the wrongdoings of their love interest. It also emphasizes the importance of recognizing one's self-worth and not allowing others to treat us badly. The lyrics suggest that the longer one stays in the wrong relationship, the more difficult it becomes to extricate oneself from it.


Line by Line Meaning

Girls, you've been in love too long
Ladies, you have been in love with your partner for too long


(You're a fool for your baby)
You are blinded by your love and are making foolish decisions for your partner


Don't you know, girls
Do not you understand, ladies


When just his smile takes all your pain away
When his smile just makes you forget all your troubles


And you find yourself believing whatever he may say
You trust your partner blindly and believe whatever he says


Now when he keeps you cryin'
When your partner makes you cry


But your heart tells you, Girl, keep right on tryin'
Your heart is telling you to keep pursuing the relationship


When you accept his wrongs just to share his kiss
When you overlook your partner's wrongdoing just for a kiss


And even though lonely nights are filled with happiness
Even though lonely nights bring you joy because you think about your partner


Now girl, you're in trouble; you know your heart is seein' double
Now, you are in trouble since you are not thinking straight about the relationship


When your head tells you to run
When your mind tells you to leave the relationship


But your heart says he's your only one
But your heart says that he is the only one for you


You're a fool
You are a fool


'Cause when a week of loneliness
Because when a week of loneliness


Can be erased with just one sweet caress
Can be forgotten with one kind or loving gesture from your partner


I say girls, oh yeah, you're a fool
I am telling you, ladies, that you are making unwise decisions


When his wrong looks right 'cause he always treats you bad
When you justify your partner's bad behavior and think it is acceptable


When you find little excuses for all the sadness & abuses
When you make excuses for your partner's mistreatment or abuse towards you


Don't you know, girls, you're in love
Do not you understand, ladies, that you are in love


You're just a fool for your baby
You are making foolish decisions for your partner


Girls, you've been in love too long
Ladies, you have been in love with your partner for too long


You're just a fool
You are making foolish decisions for your partner




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CLARENCE O. PAUL, IVY JO HUNTER, WILLIAM STEVENSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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