Love Not War
Joe Cocker Lyrics


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Just 24 hours ago the sound my heart made as it broke
Echoed across the room and cut right through the words you spoke
I don't wanna fight till 3 a.m., wake up red eyed and start again
My tears won't solve a thing, oh baby

Do you even know what you're fighting for?
Baby 'cause I can't take it anymore, let's make love not war
We can get it back like it used to be
Lay down your arms, baby, come to me, let's make love not war

Let's make love not war

If love is oxygen we're cutting off the air supply
You sting and I can't breathe, I need to know the reason why
If I've been hard to handle, I'm the first to apologize
'Cause baby this goes both ways, ooh

Do you even know what you're fighting for?
Baby, 'cause I can't take it anymore, let's make love not war
We can get it back like it used to be
Lay down your arms, baby, come to me, let's make love not war

Let's make love not war

Just 24 hours ago
My heart broke as you spoke
I don't wanna fight till 3 a.m.
Wake up and start again

Let's make love
I can't take anymore
Love not war
Ohh, yes love

Do you even know what you're fighting for?
Baby, 'cause I can't take it anymore, let's make love not war
We can get it back like it used to be
Lay down your arms, baby, come to me, let's make love not war

Do you even know what you're fighting for?
Baby, 'cause I can't take it anymore, let's make love not war




We can get it back like it used to be
Lay down your arms, baby, come to me, let's make love not war

Overall Meaning

In Love Not War, Joe Cocker sings about the endless cycle of arguing and fighting in a relationship and how it can be tiring and detrimental to the overall health of the relationship. The song begins with the singer talking about how their heart was broken 24 hours ago and how the pain still echoes. The constant fighting and arguing until the early hours of the morning is tiring and doesn't resolve any issues.


Cocker then poses the question to their partner - "Do you even know what you're fighting for?" - pointing out that without a clear understanding of the problem, fighting only creates more problems. Instead, the singer suggests making love instead of war. They want to go back to how things used to be and lay down their arms and come together.


Throughout the song, Cocker emphasizes the importance of communication in a relationship. If something is bothering the other person, they should be able to talk about it instead of fighting. The focus on the relationship should be on love and not negativity, and if both partners work towards that then the relationship will thrive.


Overall, Love Not War is a powerful reminder that any relationship can experience conflict, but the key to maintaining it is communication, empathy, and a shared focus on love.


Line by Line Meaning

Just 24 hours ago
It was recently when my heart was broken


My heart broke as you spoke
Your words hurt me deeply


I don't wanna fight till 3 a.m.
I don't want to argue and stay up late


Wake up and start again
Only to wake up and repeat the same fight


Let's make love
We should show affection and love towards each other


I can't take anymore
I can't handle this fighting and tension anymore


Love not war
Let's choose love over conflict


Do you even know what you're fighting for?
Do you even know why we're arguing in the first place?


We can get it back like it used to be
We can restore our loving relationship to what it once was


Lay down your arms, baby, come to me
Stop fighting and come to me with love




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, KAREN SCHAUBEN PUBLISHING ADMINISTRATION
Written by: BARBARA GRIFFIN, TOM SNOW

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Chai'naMarie03

Hey Cocker's a genius--loved him when I was real young and still do!

Statelesslife Lyn's Empowering Bootcamp

Great song!

CratzenVideoLine

In this days of terror, suicide attacks and rampages the right message!!

Mario Jaar

What concert was this? Binge listening to this song lately

Bronze cat

42000 visualizations and despacito 2.500.000?? this world go to the shit.... What a SONG!!! this is music in pure state!! hats off!! you got reggae, rock, gospel... wowww, i get so hard!

Bobbys Backing Tracks

The REAL Deal.

Allan Deny Bozzi Maciel

Big Joe Cocker, very large!

The Gunslinger

@rickysbestgirl Maxine Green, Amy Keys. Bass guitar Oneida James.

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