John Barrowman was born in Scotland (March 11, 1967), and moved to America … Read Full Bio ↴John Barrowman was born in Scotland (March 11, 1967), and moved to America as a child. In 1989 he returned to the UK to play the role of Billy Crocker in 'Anything Goes' on London's West End.

In the 1990s Barrowman appeared on the BBC children's Saturday morning variety show 'Live & Kicking', as host of the 'Electric Circus' segment, reporting on technology news. He then moved on to 'The Movie Game', a children's television game show. In the late 1990s he was one of the regular presenters on Five's afternoon show 'Five's Company'. (Wikipedia)

He is probably most famous for playing the role of Captain Jack Harkness on the hit BBC series 'Doctor Who,' as well as in its spin-off 'Torchwood.'

John has an extensive musical theatre resume, having appeared in 'Anything Goes', 'Beauty and the Beast', 'Phantom of the Opera', 'Sunset Boulevard', and 'Miss Saigon', among many other West End Shows. He has also appeared on Broadway in 'Sunset Boulevard' (his broadway debut) and the Stephen Sondheim revue 'Putting It Together.'

He's also known for being a judge on shows like 'How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria' (both the UK and Canadian versions), 'I'd Do Anything' and 'Any Dream Will Do.' he will also be hosting a new BBC talent show in 2009 called, 'Tonight's the Night.'

He has recorded three pop albums for Sony: 'Another Side' (2007), 'Music Music Music' (2008) and 'John Barrowman' (2010).

All I Ask of You
John Barrowman Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

No more talk of darkness,
Forget these wide-eyed fears;
I'm here, nothing can harm you,
My words will warm and calm you.

Let me be your freedom,
Let daylight dry your tears;
I'm here, with you, beside you,

To guard you and to guide you.

Say you love me every waking moment,
Turn my head with talk of summertime.
Say you need me with you now and always;
Promise me that all you say is true,
That's all I ask of you.

Let me be your shelter,
Let me be your light;
You're safe, no one will find you,
Your fears are far behind you.

All I want is freedom,
A world with no more night;
And you, always beside me,
To hold me and to hide me.

Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime;
Let me lead you from your solitude.
Say you need me with you, here beside you,
Anywhere you go, let me go too,
Christine, that's all I ask of you

Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime;
Say the word and I will follow you.

Share each day with me,
Each night, each morning.

Say you love me!
RAOUL
You know I do.

Anywhere you go, let me go to
Love me, that's all I ask of you.
(they kiss)

I must go
They'll wonder where I am
Wait for me Raoul!

Christine I love you!

Order your fine horses!
Be with them at the door!

And soon you'll be beside me!

You'll guard me and you'll guide me
(they hurry off and the phantom emerges from behind the statue)

I gave you my music
Made your song take wing
And now how you've repaid me
Denied me and betrayed me
He was bound to love you when he heard you sing
Christine
Christine

Say you'll share with me one love,
One lifetime say the word and I will follow you
Share each day with me, each night, each morning

You will curse the day you did not do
All that the Phantom asked of you!

Go!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to John Barrowman & Claire Moore's song "All I Ask of You" is a duet between two characters - Raoul and Christine - from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, The Phantom of the Opera. The song is a declaration of love between the two characters with Raoul promising to protect and guide Christine. He urges her to forget about her fears and let him be her freedom. Raoul tells her to speak of love and sunshine to turn his head from a world of darkness. He promises to be her shelter and light, to keep her safe and away from harm. All he asks of her is to love him and share one lifetime with him.

In the latter part of the lyrics, as Raoul and Christine leave, the phantom emerges and sings that he gave Christine the gift of music and made her song take wing. But now, she denies and betrays him, falling in love with Raoul instead. He warns her that she will curse the day she did not do all that he asked of her. This intensifies the storyline, as the phantom becomes more desperate and sinister.

Line by Line Meaning

No more talk of darkness,
Stop dwelling on negative thoughts.

Forget these wide-eyed fears;
Stop fearing the unknown and unseeable.

I'm here, nothing can harm you,
I will protect you from harm.

My words will warm and calm you.
My words will provide comfort and ease your anxieties.

Let me be your freedom,
Allow me to be the one who liberates you.

Let daylight dry your tears;
Let a new day bring a fresh start, leaving your sorrows behind.

I'm here, with you, beside you,
I am here to provide unwavering support and companionship.

To guard you and to guide you.
To protect you from the world and provide direction to lead you to your goals.

Say you love me every waking moment,
Express your love for me every moment when you are awake.

Turn my head with talk of summertime.
Take my mind off the present, and share hopeful ideas of a bright and beautiful future.

Say you need me with you now and always;
Promise that you will always value my presence and support in your life.

Promise me that all you say is true,
Make a promise that everything you say is genuine and sincere.

That's all I ask of you.
These are my only requests.

Let me be your shelter,
Let me protect and provide you warmth and safety.

Let me be your light;
Let me guide you, so you never lose your way in the dark.

You're safe, no one will find you,
Rest assured that no harm will come your way.

Your fears are far behind you.
Leave your fears in the past, and embrace the present with hope and courage.

All I want is freedom,
All I desire is complete liberation and independence.

A world with no more night;
A perfect world, free of darkness and pain.

And you, always beside me,
Have you always as a constant and devoted companion.

To hold me and to hide me.
To protect me and keep me safe from the world.

Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime;
Promise to share your life and love with me until the end of time.

Let me lead you from your solitude.
I want to help you emerge from your loneliness and find joy in life.

Say you need me with you, here beside you,
Express that you need my company and support in every aspect of your life.

Anywhere you go, let me go too,
I want to be there with you, no matter where your journey takes you.

Christine, that's all I ask of you
Christine, these are my only requests.

Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime;
Promise to unite with me for life, sharing only love and understanding.

Say the word and I will follow you.
If you want me, I am willing to follow and support you anywhere.

Share each day with me,
Spend every day with me.

Each night, each morning.
Spend every night and morning with me too.

Say you love me!
Verbally express your passionate love towards me.

RAOUL
Raoul speaks.

You know I do.
Raoul affirms that he does love Christine.

Anywhere you go, let me go to
Raoul tells Christine he wants to be with her no matter where she goes.

Love me, that's all I ask of you.
Just love me, that is my only request.

(they kiss)
Raoul and Christine kiss.

I must go
Christine announces that she must leave.

They'll wonder where I am
Christine says that someone will come looking for her.

Wait for me Raoul!
Christine tells Raoul to wait for her.

Christine I love you!
Raoul tells Christine that he loves her.

Order your fine horses!
The Phantom speaks, ordering Christine to leave on her horse.

Be with them at the door!
The Phantom orders Christine to leave immediately.

And soon you'll be beside me!
The Phantom is confident that Christine will return to be with him soon.

You'll guard me and you'll guide me
The Phantom expects Christine to be with him to protect and guide him.

(they hurry off and the phantom emerges from behind the statue)
Raoul and Christine leave and the Phantom reveals himself from his hiding spot.

I gave you my music
The Phantom reminds Christine how much he has done for her, with his music.

Made your song take wing
He helped to develop Christine's talent to its fullest potential.

And now how you've repaid me
The Phantom is disappointed by how Christine treats him now.

Denied me and betrayed me
He feels hurt and betrayed by her actions.

He was bound to love you when he heard you sing
The Phantom is resentful towards Raoul for receiving Christine's love, just because he was the first person to listen to her sing.

Christine
The Phantom addresses Christine.

Christine
The Phantom addresses Christine once more.

Say you'll share with me one love,
The Phantom pleads with Christine to share her love exclusively with him.

One lifetime say the word and I will follow you
The Phantom assures Christine that he will follow her anywhere and promises exclusivity in their love.

You will curse the day you did not do
The Phantom threatens Christine with regret if she does not change her course of action.

All that the Phantom asked of you!
The Phantom reiterates that all he has asked for is her love and loyalty.

Go!
The Phantom orders Christine to leave immediately.

Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Charles Hart, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Richard Stilgoe

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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