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.
If I Keep My Heart Out Of Sig
James Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll only start repeating myself
And all I can say is
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.
If I slip and tip my hand,
I'm certain to scare you away,
Then what would I say?
I'd be hurting, I'm certain,
That you're the one,
The fool who jumped the gun.
'Cause I've been advised
By other guys you've left behind,
Your good byes are somewhat unrefined.
But if I play my role just right,
Tonight could be my lucky night
And you could be mine.
If I present it to you with a flower
In the moonlight, shiny and new,
Well, you couldn't say no tonight,
If I keep my heart out of sight.
If I play my role just right,
Tonight could be my lucky night
And you could be mine.
If I present it to you with a flower
In the moonlight, shiny and new,
Well, you couldn't say no tonight,
If I keep my heart out of sight.
The lyrics to James Taylor's song "If I Keep My Heart Out Of Sight" tell a story of a hesitant lover who is afraid to reveal their true feelings for fear of rejection. The singer recognizes that he risks scaring off the object of his affection if he reveals too much too soon, but at the same time, he hopes to win her heart by playing it cool and charming her with a moonlit flower presentation. The repetition of the phrase "I love you" underscores the singer's internal struggle between his desire to express his feelings and his fear of vulnerability. The words "If I keep my heart out of sight" serve as a totem of sorts, suggesting that the singer is willing to play by the rules of the game and hold his emotions in check for the chance at love.
Line by Line Meaning
If I keep on talking now,
If I continue with what I am saying at the moment,
I'll only start repeating myself
I will just end up saying the same things over and over again
And all I can say is
And the only thing that I can say right now is
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.
That I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.
If I slip and tip my hand,
If I reveal my true feelings accidentally,
I'm certain to scare you away,
I am sure that I will scare you off,
Then what would I say?
In that case, I would not know how to react or what to say.
I'd be hurting, I'm certain,
I would be in pain, I am sure of that,
I'd be uncool to let you know
It would not be a cool thing to do to let you know
That you're the one,
That you are the person I am deeply in love with
The fool who jumped the gun.
The one who rushed in too soon and got ahead of themselves.
'Cause I've been advised
Because I have received counsel from others,
By other guys you've left behind,
From other men that you have previously dated,
Your goodbyes are somewhat unrefined.
That your way of saying goodbye is not always polished or tactful.
But if I play my role just right,
However, if I act or behave precisely as I should
Tonight could be my lucky night
Then tonight may turn out to be my fortunate night
And you could be mine.
And you could become mine.
If I present it to you with a flower
If I give it to you with a flower as a symbol of my love,
In the moonlight, shiny and new,
Under the bright light of the moon, fresh and gleaming,
Well, you couldn't say no tonight,
Then there is no way you could decline tonight
If I keep my heart out of sight.
As long as I keep my emotions hidden and not allow them to show too much.
If I play my role just right,
If I get everything just right in the way I behave or act,
Tonight could be my lucky night
Then this could be my night of good fortune
And you could be mine.
And you could become mine.
If I present it to you with a flower
If I offer it to you with a beautiful flower,
In the moonlight, shiny and new,
Under the bright light of the moon, fresh and gleaming,
Well, you couldn't say no tonight,
Then there is no way you could decline tonight
If I keep my heart out of sight.
As long as I keep my emotions hidden and not allow them to show too much.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lanceyt.7619
Just stop your crying
It's a sign of the times
Welcome to the final show
Hope you're wearing your best clothes
You can't bribe the door on your way to the sky
You look pretty good down here
But you ain't really good
If we never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets
We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets
Just stop your crying
It's a sign of the times
We gotta get away from here
We gotta get away from here
Just stop your crying
It'll be alright
They told me that the end is near
We gotta get away from here
Just stop your crying
Have the time of your life
Breaking through the atmosphere
And things are pretty good from here
Remember everything will be alright
We can meet again somewhere
Somewhere far away from here
We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets
We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets
Just stop your crying
It's a sign of the times
We gotta get away from here
We gotta get away from here
Stop your crying
Baby, it'll be alright
They told me that the end is near
We gotta get away from here
We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets
We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets
We don't talk enough
We should open up
Before it's all too much
Will we ever learn?
We've been here before
It's just what we know
Stop your crying, baby
It's a sign of the times
We gotta get away
We got to get away
We got to get away
We got to get away
We got to get away
We got to, we got to, run
We got to, we got to, run
We got to, we got to, run
Edit: Thanks for 587 likes, love u so much❤️
@lizzarinan7286
LYRICS
Just stop your crying
It's a sign of the times
Welcome to the final show
Hope you're wearing your best clothes
You can't bribe the door on your way to the sky
You look pretty good down here
But you ain't really good
If we never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets
We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets
Just stop your crying
It's a sign of the times
We gotta get away from here
We gotta get away from here
Just stop your crying
It'll be alright
They told me that the end is near
We gotta get away from here
Just stop your crying
Have the time of your life
Breaking through the atmosphere
And things are pretty good from here
Remember everything will be alright
We can meet again somewhere
Somewhere far away from here
We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets
We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets
Just stop your crying
It's a sign of the times
We gotta get away from here
We gotta get away from here
Stop your crying
Baby, it'll be alright
They told me that the end is near
We gotta get away from here
We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets
We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets
We don't talk enough
We should open up
Before it's all too much
Will we ever learn?
We've been here before
It's just what we know
Stop your crying, baby
It's a sign of the times
We gotta get away
We got to get away
We got to get away
We got to get away
We got to get away
We got to, we got to, away
We got to, we got to, away
We got to, we got to, away
@jackiechan4318
Lyrics:
Just stop your crying
It's a sign of the times
Welcome to the final show
Hope you're wearing your best clothes
You can't bribe the door on your way to the sky
You look pretty good down here
But you ain't really good
If we never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets
We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets
Just stop your crying
It's a sign of the times
We gotta get away from here
We gotta get away from here
Just stop your crying
It'll be alright
They told me that the end is near
We gotta get away from here
Just stop your crying
Have the time of your life
Breaking through the atmosphere
And things are pretty good from here
Remember everything will be alright
We can meet again somewhere
Somewhere far away from here
We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets
We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets
Just stop your crying
It's a sign of the times
We gotta get away from here
We gotta get away from here
Stop your crying
Baby, it will be alright
They told me that the end is near
We gotta get away from here
We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets
We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets
We don't talk enough
We should open up
Before it's all too much
Will we ever learn?
We've been here before
It's just what we know
Stop your crying, baby
It's a sign of the times
We gotta get away
We got to get away
We got to get away
We got to get away
We got to get away
We got to, we got to (away)
We got to, we got to (away)
We got to, we got to (away)
@emotionallybruised8714
Still mad about the fact that he didn't won a grammy for this song. This is the definition of perfection.
@JimmyDew_
Whatever life is not about awards. Fk it! Just keep living and staying true to yourself. The award crap is all made up.
@paigewilliams7446
He doesn’t need a Grammy he’s too good the we can never deserve him 😂
@darthvader1775
Win* jhit.
@isidoraa7374
Mahir Robi ExpELieRmUs
@sanskriti4100
Grammy's no longer recognize talent. They are a sham now.
@nameless9261
I still consider this one of the greatest songs in history
@tlegeorge
Ophelia why?
@goldenhorde6944
I started 2020 halfway through this song, honestly one of the fondest memories of my whole life.
@thedonutcookie424
I agree