Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the No. 3 single "Fire and Rain" and had his first No. 1 hit the following year with "You've Got a Friend", a recording of Carole King's classic song. His 1976 Greatest Hits album was certified Diamond and has sold 12 million US copies. Following his 1977 album, JT, he has retained a large audience over the decades. Every album that he released from 1977 to 2007 sold over 1 million copies. He enjoyed a resurgence in chart performance during the late 1990s and 2000s, when he recorded some of his most-awarded work (including Hourglass, October Road, and Covers). He achieved his first number-one album in the US in 2015 with his recording Before This World.
He is known for his popular covers of other people's songs, such as "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" and the aforementioned "You've Got A Friend", as well as originals such as "Fire and Rain".
Taylor's four siblings (Alex, Livingston, Hugh, and Kate) have also been musicians with recorded albums. Livingston is still an active musician; Kate was active in the 1970s but did not record another album until 2003; Hugh operates a bed-and-breakfast with his wife, The Outermost Inn in Aquinnah on Martha's Vineyard; and Alex died in 1993 on James's birthday.
After his divorce from Carly Simon in 1983, Taylor married actress Kathryn Walker on December 14, 1985 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. She had helped him get off heroin, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1996.
On February 18, 2001, at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Boston, Taylor wed for the third time, marrying Caroline ("Kim") Smedvig, the director of public relations and marketing for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.[81] They had begun dating in 1995, when they met as he appeared with John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra. Part of their relationship was worked into the album October Road, on the song "On the 4th of July". The couple reside in the town of Washington, Massachusetts, with their twin boys, Rufus and Henry, born in April 2001. Henry shares James' intrest and talents.
Sally and Ben, his children with Carly Simon, have also embarked on musical careers. After they were born, Taylor moved with his family to Lenox, Massachusetts.
I Will Not Lie for You
James Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every time I see you fooling around on him,
I can't help but remember that he calls me his friend.
It's only right for me to tell you when it's the wrong thing to do.
It's only right that you should know
If he comes to me, I will not lie for you, no, I won't lie for you.
I refuse to see him lose you and me at the same time.
It's only right for me to tell you when it's the wrong thing to do.
It's only right that you should know
If he comes to me, I will not lie for you, no, I won't lie for you.
To come here as your friend and have you come on like my lover,
like to bring things to an end between myself and my brother.
If it was any other man I would not interfere
But if you come on to me again, I don't see how to stand clear.
It's only right for me to tell you when it's the wrong thing to do.
It's only right that you should know-
if he asks me, I will not lie for you, mama, I won't lie for you.
If it was any other man I would not interfere
But if you come on to me again, I don't see how to stand clear.
It's only right for me to tell you when it's the wrong thing to do.
It's only right that you should know
If he asks me, I will not lie, I will not lie, I will not lie, I will not lie for you.
No, I won't lie for you, little girl, I won't lie for you.
No, I won't lie to him for you, I will not lie for you.
The lyrics to James Taylor's "I Will Not Lie for You" speak to the conflict and internal struggle of a man who finds himself in the middle of a love triangle. He is torn between his loyalty to his friend, who is in a relationship with the woman in question, and his desire to do the right thing by speaking up about her infidelity. The repetition of the line "I will not lie for you" underscores his strong conviction to be truthful and honest, even if it means risking his friendship.
The first verse sets the scene with the singer witnessing the woman cheating on his friend, and feeling a sense of duty to intervene. However, he acknowledges that it's a difficult situation, and that he must balance his loyalty to his friend with the need to speak the truth. In the second verse, he makes it clear that he won't be a part of any further deception, even if it means losing the woman's affection. The final verse includes a warning that he won't be able to resist her advances forever, but that he will always choose honesty over betrayal.
Overall, the lyrics to "I Will Not Lie for You" convey a powerful message about the importance of integrity and honesty in relationships, and the difficulty of maintaining those values in the face of temptation.
Line by Line Meaning
I will not lie, I will not lie.
I want to make it clear that I will not deceive or be dishonest in any way.
Every time I see you fooling around on him,
Whenever I catch you being unfaithful to him,
I can't help but remember that he calls me his friend.
It reminds me that he trusts me and confides in me as his friend.
It's only right for me to tell you when it's the wrong thing to do.
I have a moral obligation to let you know when you're doing something that is morally wrong.
It's only right that you should know
It is appropriate and necessary for you to be aware of the consequences of your actions.
If he comes to me, I will not lie for you, no, I won't lie for you.
If he confronts me about your infidelity, I will not cover it up or lie for you.
It's hard enough to see him stumbling blind,
It's already difficult to watch him struggle and make poor decisions.
I refuse to see him lose you and me at the same time.
I don't want our friendship to be destroyed along with his relationship.
To come here as your friend and have you come on like my lover,
I came to you as a friend, but you're giving me romantic signals.
like to bring things to an end between myself and my brother.
If we were to become involved romantically, it would jeopardize my friendship with him.
But if you come on to me again, I don't see how to stand clear.
If you continue to tempt me, I'm not sure how to maintain my integrity and not give in.
If he asks me, I will not lie for you, mama, I won't lie for you.
If he questions me about your infidelity, I won't cover for you even if you are like family to me.
No, I won't lie for you, little girl, I won't lie for you.
I won't deceive or lie for you, even if you try to act innocent or cute.
No, I won't lie to him for you, I will not lie for you.
I won't be untruthful to him, no matter how much you pressure me to do so.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind