Dutton, born in Philadelphia, began playing guitar at age 8. He wrote his first song by the time he was in the 9th grade and began playing harmonica in a wire rack. Dutton credits Bob Dylan and John Hammond Jr., as well as then-contemporary "old school" hip-hop sounds of Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys, and Philadelphia's own Schooly D as influences.
Dutton, still in high school at Germantown Friends School, began playing solo on the streets of Philadelphia. After a year of college, he relocated to Boston, working as a fundraiser for Peace Action and playing wherever and whenever he could. One of his few indoor gigs at this time was a Boston bar called The Tam O'Shanter, where he met drummer Jeffrey "The Houseman" Clemens in January 1993. Dutton and Clemens began working as a duo, they were joined a few months later by bassist Jim "Jimi Jazz" Prescott and became the house band on Mondays at The Plough and Stars in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The name G. Love doesn't really have that much of a story to it. The 'G' stands for Good as said in many radio interviews. He said in an interview that the 'Love' was just there because it sounded right.
G. Love featured Jack Johnson on his 1999 LP Philadelphonic playing an early version of Jack Johnson's "Rodeo Clowns" when Jack was an unknown artist. Jack later featured the song on his 2003 LP On and On.
Known nowadays for his excellent live shows, he is often seen touring with Jack Johnson, who signed G. Love to his record label Brushfire Records. He has made appearances on the records of artists such as Slightly Stoopid and Donavon Frankenreiter.
Give It to You
G. Love Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I only care about you
And I don't care what you say
Are you coming my way
And I don't care what your mama say
And I don't care what your papa say
And I don't care what your friends say
I'm gonna love you anyway
Come on and take a ride
Come on and take a ride
I got to give it to you
I got to give it to you
I got to give it to you
I got to give it to you
And I was all out of luck
You brought me the jackpot
All out of luck
The kissing and the hugging
On a nervous breakdown
I tell you a little something
I want to thank you babe
You kept me from buggin
Na na na na... (X4)
Well let me tell you about a girl I met one time
She got the looks and the books gotta make her mine
She told me things that nobody ever told me
And if she taught me well I learned that I loved
All the time we would spend in the night just talking
The morning I would leave her, then I'd come back knocking
For you girl
Always looking for you girl
Always looking for you girl
I got to give it to you
All of my loving
I got to give it to you
All my kissing and hugging
I got to give it to you
Don't you know I got to give it
I got to give it to you
So pretty mema come on with it
And I was all out of luck
You brought me the jackpot
All out of luck
The kissing and the hugging
On a nervous breakdown
I tell you a little something
I want to thank you babe
You kept me from buggin
Na na na na... (X4)
The lyrics of "Give It to You" by G. Love revolve around the theme of love and how the singer is willing to go to any lengths for his beloved. The opening lines of the song seemingly indicate the singer's indifference to his love interest's actions and thoughts, as long as she reciprocates his feelings. This line emphasizes the song's focus on the power dynamics of love where the singer appears to be giving more than he receives. The chorus, "I got to give it to you," reinforces this notion of desperation and persistent pursuit of his love interest, which is especially evident in the lines "Always looking for you girl."
The next verse delves deeper into the singer's relationship with the woman he has met. He describes her as someone who taught him things no one else did and played a crucial role in his life, as seen in the line "You kept me from buggin." These lyrics depict the depth of the singer's feelings as he expresses how he would spend the night talking to her and would come back knocking on her door in the morning.
Overall, the song alludes to the complexities of relationships and how they can be tumultuous and emotional for those involved. G. Love uses a combination of lyrics and soulful melodies to capture the essence of how love can bring someone to their knees and the extremes they are willing to go for it.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't care what you do
It doesn't matter what you do as long as I have you.
I only care about you
You are the only thing I care about.
And I don't care what you say
You can say anything as long as you're coming my way.
Are you coming my way
Are you going to be with me?
And I don't care what your mama say
Your mother's opinion doesn't matter to me.
And I don't care what your papa say
Your father's opinion doesn't matter to me.
And I don't care what your friends say
Your friends' opinions don't matter to me.
I'm gonna love you anyway
Despite what anyone else thinks, I will always love you.
Come on and take a ride
Let's go on an adventure together.
I got to give it to you
I have to show you how much I love you.
And I was all out of luck
I was having a rough time until I met you.
You brought me the jackpot
You are the best thing that's ever happened to me.
The kissing and the hugging
The physical affection we share is important to me.
On a nervous breakdown
When I'm feeling anxious, you're there for me.
I tell you a little something
I want to share something with you.
I want to thank you babe
I want to express my gratitude to you.
You kept me from buggin
You helped me stay calm and focused.
Well let me tell you about a girl I met one time
I want to share a story about a girl I met.
She got the looks and the books gotta make her mine
She's beautiful and smart, and I want to be with her.
She told me things that nobody ever told me
She opened up to me in a way that no one else ever has.
And if she taught me well I learned that I loved
I realized that I love her because of the things she taught me.
All the time we would spend in the night just talking
We would spend hours talking and enjoying each other's company.
The morning I would leave her, then I'd come back knocking
After spending time apart, I would come back to see her again.
Always looking for you girl
I will always search for you because you mean so much to me.
Don't you know I got to give it
I have to show you how much you mean to me.
So pretty mema come on with it
You are beautiful and I want you to come be with me.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, O/B/O DistroKid, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Jack Hody Johnson, Garrett Dutton, James H. Prescott
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind