Love for Sale
Cannonball Adderley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why I'm so in love with you
No one else in this world will do
Darling please save your love for me
Run away
If I were wise I'd run away
But like a fool in love I stay
I can feel it
Even when you're not here
Can't conceal it
I really love you my dear
And though I know no good
Can come from loving you
I can't do a thing I'm so in love with you
So darling
Help me please
Have mercy on a fool like me
I know I'm lost but still I plead
Darling please save you love for me
You can have fun with the crowd
But for crying out loud
Darling please save your love for me
In the song "Love for Sale," Cannonball Adderley sings about the commodification of love in a way that's both sultry and cynical. He describes young, fresh love that's being sold to the highest bidder, only slightly soiled and ready for consumption. He challenges the listener, asking who will buy and who's prepared to pay the price for a trip to paradise.
Adderley also calls out the poets who write about love in a childish way, claiming that he knows every type of love better than they do. He's been through the mill of love and experienced it all - old love, new love, and every love but true love. And yet, love is still for sale, as if it's a commodity that can be bought and sold like any other.
In many ways, "Love for Sale" is a commentary on the nature of love and relationships in the modern world. It suggests that love has become something that can be purchased, rather than something that's freely given or earned. It's a cynical take on a subject that's often romanticized, and Adderley delivers it with his trademark blend of soulful swagger and biting social commentary.
Line by Line Meaning
Love for sale
Offering love in exchange for money
Appetizing young love for sale
Selling love that appears desirable and appealing to potential buyers
Love that's fresh and still unspoiled
Selling love that is new and not yet corrupted
Love that's only slightly soiled
Offering love that has been used before, but not significantly tainted
Who will buy? Come on now
Asking who is interested in purchasing love
Who would like to sample my supply?
Asking who wants to test and evaluate the quality of the love being sold
Who's prepared to pay the price?
Asking who is willing to pay the cost for love
For a trip to paradise?
Implying that buying love is equivalent to experiencing a heavenly experience
Let the poets pipe off love, in their childish way
Dismissing the romantic musings of poets as simplistic and naive compared to the true nature of buying and selling love
You know, I know every type of love, Better far than they
Claiming to have experienced all kinds of love, including those that the poets could not even imagine
If you want the thrill of love, I've been through the mill of love, Old love, new love, every love but true love
Promising buyers that they will experience the excitement of love, with the singer having gone through many experiences but never finding true love
Love for sale
Reiterating the main message of the song
Appetizing young, young love for sale
Emphasizing that young love is what is being sold
If you want to buy my wares, Follow me, climb the stairs
Directing potential buyers to follow the singer and proceed to where the love is sold
Love, love, love for sale
Repeating the main message in a rhythmic and catchy manner
Love, love, love for sale
Continuing the repetition to emphasize the central theme of the song
Love, love, love for sale
Reinforcing the message one more time
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: BUDDY JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Luxgoods
One of the greatest albums ever created...coming from a metalhead!
Silly Pickle
Same!!
Ad supermusone
For sure is amoung the top, along with Kind of Blue
R2 D2
Ce disque - il y a bien longtemps - m’a fait aimer le jazz.
Respect aux musiciens qui jouaient pour la musique par pour eux
Ray Carroll
Love for Sale is one my favorite compositions. It has an unusual form. Adderley blows through the changes as effortlessly as a knife slicing butter.
pretorious700
my favorite version of this song-Miles and Cannon just have so much feeling.
bill parsons
One of my favorite Cannonball lines: the bridge of his second chorus (4:25).
bob gould
It's nothing less than pure exuberance distiled into music!
Bueckert Speed and Chassisworks
really broke out the thesaurus for that one
Jasper Chance
Hank Jones was known as the Rolls Royce of Piano players, the introduction states it well.