… Read Full Bio ↴Ian Dury (1942-2000) was an English singer, songwriter, and bandleader.
Born on 12th May 1942, he is best known as founder and lead singer of the British band Ian Dury and the Blockheads, though he began his musical career in pub-rock act Kilburn & the High Roads. He wrote many famous songs including "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick", "What a Waste", and "Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll". He died on 27th March 2000.
At the age of seven, Dury contracted polio; very likely, he believed, from a swimming pool at Southend on Sea during the 1949 polio epidemic. After six weeks in a full plaster cast in Truro hospital, he was moved to Black Notley Hospital, Braintree, Essex, where he spent a year and a half before going to Chailey Heritage Craft School, East Sussex, in 1951. Chailey was a school and hospital for disabled children, and believed in toughening them up, contributing to the observant and determined person Dury became.
Love Is All
Ian Dury Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I fell into an agony of bliss
I've never heard a person talk like this
I hope you don't think you can take the piss
The exhilaration of your touch
Ensnares my heart within its vice-like clutch
Now that may be a compliment as such
Come to my arms
So put your hands
Oh, cherished love
Where they belong
As spirits soar
Although it's cruel
To worlds above
You must be strong
And while we play
Stop talking bullshit
Our hearts be true
In my ear
This perfect dream
You're not my cup
Of me and you
Of tea I fear
Cos love is all
Oh no it ain't
Love is all
The sweet unbridled urges you evoke
My fevered brow is bursting till I choke
Although you seem to think you're quite a bloke
I wouldn't want you - even for a joke
Come to my arms
So put your hands
Oh, cherished love
Where they belong
As spirits soar
Although it's cruel
To worlds above
You must be strong
And while we play
Stop talking bollocks
Our hearts be true
In my ear
This perfect dream
You're not my cup
Of me and you
Of tea I fear
Cos love is all
Oh no it ain't
Love is all
Love is all
Oh no it ain't
Love is all
I've just this minute got out of the mood
I wonder, could you show me to the Tube?
The understanding, it is just because
The Underground is where it always was
Come to my arms
Seeing it's you
My new-found love
I might as well
As spirits soar
You're all I've got
To worlds above
So what the hell
And while we play
In you or me
Our hearts be true
To hold you near
This perfect dream
Stop talking bullshit
Of me and you
In my ear
Love is all
Love is all
Love is all...
Ian Dury's song "Love Is All" is a humorous and sarcastic take on the clichéd and exaggerated expressions of love that people often use to impress each other. In the first verse, Dury describes the intense feeling of falling in love that makes him speechless and helpless. He acknowledges the absurdity of his own words and tries to protect himself from being mocked by his lover. In the second verse, Dury confesses that his passion for his lover is overwhelming but also admits that he has doubts about the authenticity of the love they share. He playfully mocks the traditional romantic ways of expressing love and emphasizes the importance of being truthful and honest in relationships. In the chorus, Dury ironically declares that love is all, while contradicting his own statement with the following lines "Oh no it ain't love is all."
Overall, the song is a lighthearted commentary on the unrealistic expectations and clichés associated with love. Through his playful use of language, Dury challenges the conventional ideas of love and encourages people to be authentic in their expressions of affection.
Line by Line Meaning
When ecstasy ennobled our first kiss
I felt amazing when we first kissed
I fell into an agony of bliss
It was so good it hurt
I've never heard a person talk like this
You're being really weird
I hope you don't think you can take the piss
Don't mess around with me
The exhilaration of your touch
Your touch is so exciting
Ensnares my heart within its vice-like clutch
It's hard to resist your touch
Now that may be a compliment as such
I guess that's a good thing
I'm not sure that I like you very much
But I don't know if I trust you
Come to my arms
Hug me
So put your hands
Hold my hands
Oh, cherished love
My beloved
Where they belong
We fit together
As spirits soar
We feel so happy
Although it's cruel
But it's tough
To worlds above
To the high heavens
You must be strong
Stay strong
And while we play
While we're together
Stop talking bullshit
Quit the nonsense
Our hearts be true
Let's be honest
In my ear
Whisper to me
This perfect dream
Our beautiful fantasy
You're not my cup
You're not for me
Of me and you
As a couple
Of tea I fear
I'm afraid I'm not interested
Cos love is all
Love is everything
Oh no it ain't
No it's not
The sweet unbridled urges you evoke
You make me feel passionate
My fevered brow is bursting till I choke
You make me feel overwhelmed
Although you seem to think you're quite a bloke
But I don't think you're that great
I wouldn't want you - even for a joke
I wouldn't date you even as a joke
I've just this minute got out of the mood
I'm not feeling it anymore
I wonder, could you show me to the Tube?
Can you show me how to get to the subway?
The understanding, it is just because
Just so you know
The Underground is where it always was
The subway is in the same place it's always been
Seeing it's you
Since it's you
My new-found love
My latest interest
I might as well
I might as well
You're all I've got
You're all I have
So what the hell
So why not
In you or me
In one of us
To hold you near
To be close to you
Love is all
Love is everything
Love is all
Love is everything
Love is all...
Love is everything
Contributed by Nathaniel K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.