All You Get From Love Is A Love Song
Carpenters Lyrics


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Like sailin' on a sailin' ship to nowhere
Love took over my heart like an ocean breeze
As seagulls fly I knew that I was losin'
Love was washed away with the driftin' tide

Oh it's a dirty old shame
When all you get from love is a love song
That's got you layin' up nights just waitin'
For the music to start
It's such a dirty old shame when you got to
Take the blame for a love song
Because the best love songs are written
With a broken heart

And now the tears in my eyes are ever blinding
The future that lies before me I cannot see
Although tomorrow I know the sun is rising
Lighting up the world for everyone, but not for me

Oh it's a dirty old shame
When all you get from love is a love song
That's got you layin' up nights just waitin'
For the music to start
It's such a dirty old shame when you got to
Take the blame for a love song
Because the best love songs are written
With a broken heart

(Look at, look at, the future I cannot see)

Oh it's a dirty old shame
When all you get from love is a love song
That's got you layin' up nights just waitin'
For the music to start
It's such a dirty old shame when you got to
Take the blame for a love song
Because the best love songs are written
With a broken heart

It's a dirty old shame
When all you get from love is a love song
That's got you layin' up nights just waitin'
For the music to start





Oh it's a dirty old shame
When all you get from love is a love song

Overall Meaning

The Carpenters’ song “All You Get From Love is a Love Song” laments the heartbreak of love and the disappointment of relying on love to fulfill one’s life. In the opening line, Karen Carpenter sings of the aimlessness of love, comparing it to sailing on a ship to nowhere. The metaphor continues with the idea of love being as unpredictable as an ocean breeze, taking over one’s heart without warning. However, just as suddenly as love comes into one’s life, it can disappear just as quickly. Karen sings of losing love as seagulls fly away and as the tide washes it away.


The chorus emphasizes the frustration and disappointment of relying on love to bring happiness. The “dirty old shame” of love is that all one can get from it is a love song, which may give temporary comfort but ultimately leaves one longing for more. The best love songs are written with a broken heart because heartbreak is an essential component of love. The final verse is a poignant reflection on the future and how it may seem bleak after a heartbreak. The tears in one’s eyes blind them from seeing the future, and even though the world may be lighting up for other people, it is not visible to the heartbroken one.


Line by Line Meaning

Like sailin' on a sailin' ship to nowhere
Love felt aimless, like sailing on a ship without a destination.


Love took over my heart like an ocean breeze
Love entered my heart with ease, like a gentle ocean breeze.


As seagulls fly I knew that I was losin'
As I watched seagulls fly, I realized that I was losing love.


Love was washed away with the driftin' tide
Love faded away like a tide that drifted out to sea.


Oh it's a dirty old shame When all you get from love is a love song That's got you layin' up nights just waitin' For the music to start It's such a dirty old shame when you got to Take the blame for a love song Because the best love songs are written With a broken heart
It's a sad reality when love only gives you a song that keeps you up at night, waiting for the music to start. It's even worse when you have to take responsibility for that love song, because the best ones are written with a broken heart.


And now the tears in my eyes are ever blinding
My eyes are constantly blinded by tears now.


The future that lies before me I cannot see
I can't see my future anymore.


Although tomorrow I know the sun is rising Lighting up the world for everyone, but not for me
Despite knowing that the sun will rise tomorrow, bringing light to everyone else, I feel like it won't shine for me.


(Look at, look at, the future I cannot see)
I can't help but think about the future I can't see.


It's a dirty old shame When all you get from love is a love song That's got you layin' up nights just waitin' For the music to start
It's heartbreaking when the only thing love gives you is a song that keeps you up at night, waiting for it to start playing.


Oh it's a dirty old shame When all you get from love is a love song That's got you layin' up nights just waitin' For the music to start It's such a dirty old shame when you got to Take the blame for a love song Because the best love songs are written With a broken heart
The repeated chorus emphasizes the sad truth that getting just a love song out of a relationship is a dirty, shameful thing. And the pain is only compounded when you have to take responsibility for that song because, as the song says, the best love songs always come from a broken heart.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEVEN PAUL EATON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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J Parker


on Happy

As we eyeThe blue horizon's bendEarth and skyAppear to meet and endBut it's merely an illusionLike your heart and mineThere is no sweet conclusionI can seeNo matter how near you'll beYou'll never belong to meBut I can dreamCan't ICan't I pretendThat I'm locked in the bendOf your embraceFor dreamsAre just like wine,And I am drunkWith mine(*) I'm awareMy heart is a sad affairThere's much disillusion thereBut I can dreamCan't I(**) can't I adore youAlthough we are oceans apartI can't make you open your heartBut I can dreamCan't ICan't I pretendThat I'm locked in the bendOf your embraceFor dreamsAre just like wine,And I am drunkWith mineRepeat (*)Repeat (**)Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLCWritten by: Irving Kahal, Sammy Fain

Wrong lyrics shown. Correct ones --- Happy by Carpenters

I've played the game of love before.
Too young to know
How hard the fall could be;
I never thought I'd try again.
Somehow you brought
The gambler out in me.

You can deal me in this time around.
Even though the odds are high,
We'll play them down.
You may be a chance I need to take,
And the hand I'm holdin' says it's no mistake.

Happy is the way I'm feelin',
And I know it comes from being with you.
All at once my life is changin',
And I know it's 'cause I'm fallin' in love with you.
Fallin' in love with you.
Fallin' in love.
Fallin' in love with you.

If this is luck then let it ride.
If it's the starts,
They're surely on my side.
I've never been so safisfied
By love before;
For all the times I've tried.

These beginnings could mean more
Than the brief affair I bargained for.
Little did I know, when we began,
That my time had come to win a hand.

Happy is the way I'm feelin',
And I know it comes from being with you.
All at once my life is changin',
And I know it's 'cause I'm fallin' in love with you.
Fallin' in love with you.
Fallin' in love.
Fallin' in love with you.

Please forgive me if I seem
To be walking through a waking dream.
Laughter never came so easily;
There's a freedom here that's new to me.

Happy is the way I'm feelin',
And I know it comes from being with you.
All at once my life is changin',
And I know it's 'cause I'm fallin' in love with you.
Fallin' in love with you.
Fallin' in love.
Fallin' in love with you.

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