Band formation
L.T.D. (which stood for Love, Togetherness and Devotion) was formed in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1968 by keyboardist Jimmie "J.D." Davis and saxophonist Abraham "Onion" Miller. Both were former backing musicians for soul duo Sam and Dave. The band was originally named Love Men, Ltd.
The other members of the band were recruited following the relocation of Jimmie and Abraham to New York City:
Henry Davis, bassist
Johnny McGhee, guitarist
Carle Vickers, trumpeter
Arthur "Lorenzo" Carnegie, saxophonist
Toby Wynn, saxophonist
Jake Riley, Jr., trombonist
Jeffrey Osborne, singer and drummer
The group then settled in Los Angeles, where Osborne's brother, Billy Osborne joined the lineup as the keyboardist.
Discography
L.T.D. signed with the A&M label to issue their 1974 debut Love, Togetherness and Devotion. On their third LP, 1976's Love to the World, the group scored their first Top 20 pop hit, Love Ballad. The follow-up, 1977's Something to Love, included the top five track (Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again. Four years later L.T.D. returned to the Top 40 once again with Shine On.
Holding on
L.T.D. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When love is gone and that's no lie
holding on is very hard to do
When love is gone, hey, hey, hey, yeah
I bet you, you're unhappy
I know you gotta be (I know you gotta be)
'Cause it can drive you out your mind
It's time for you to leave (it's time for you to leave)
Baby, that's the bottom line
(Oh, I) I bet you lie awake at night and never rest a bit
And wish it all would disappear (yeah)
But still the bottom line is you got to deal with it
And to yourself at least be fair
Said, holding on is very hard to do
When love is gone and that's no lie
holding on is very hard to do
When love is gone, hey, hey, hey, yeah
Ha, ha, ha
Who are you kiddin'?
Doo, doo, doo, doo-doo
Ha, ha, ha
Who are you kiddin'?
Doo, doo, doo, doo-doo
Ha, ha, ha
Who are you kiddin'?
Doo, doo, doo, doo-doo
Ha, ha, ha
Who are you kiddin'?
Said, holding on is very hard to do
When love is gone and that's no lie
holding on is very hard to do
When love is gone, hey, hey, hey, yeah
Bet you, you're unhappy
You gotta be (I know you gotta be)
'Cause it can drive you out your mind
There ain't no sense in cryin'
It's time for you to leave (It's time for you to leave)
Baby, that's the bottom line
(Oh, I) I bet you lie awake at nights and never rest a bit
And wish it all would disappear (hey)
But still the bottom line is you got to deal with it
And to yourself at least be fair
Said, holding on is very hard to do
When love is gone and that's no lie
holding on is very hard to do
When love is gone, when love is gone, hey
(Holding on) Hey, hey, hey, yeah, yeah (when love is gone)
Oh, I said, holding on
Is so very hard to do (when love is gone)
Is so very hard to do, yeah
Oh, I said, I said
I said, hey, I said
Listen to me now
When you know when the feeling's gone
Well, you got to stop holdin' on
'Cause that makes it twice as bad
You can't give the love that you don't have
So why drag it on and on and on?
Holding on and on and on, yeah
(When love is gone) Yeah, yeah
Said that I'm holding on
Is so very hard to do when your love is gone
When your love is gone now
Holding on, so very hard to do when your love is gone
Yeah, yeah, oh, yeah
The lyrics of L.T.D.'s song "Holding On" describe the struggle of letting go of a love that is gone. The opening lines repeat the theme, describing the difficulty of holding on when love is no longer present. The singer expresses empathy for the listener, acknowledging their unhappiness and suggesting that they need to move on. The lyrics mention the pointless nature of crying and how it is time to leave. The lines "who are you kiddin'?" suggest that the listener may be denying the reality of their situation. The chorus repeats the difficulty of holding on when love is gone, reinforcing the song's central theme.
The last verse offers advice to the listener: "When you know when the feeling's gone, well you got to stop holdin' on. 'Cause that makes it twice as bad. You can't give the love that you don't have, so why drag it on and on and on?" It suggests that holding onto a lost love only causes more pain and that it is essential to move on and let go.
Overall, "Holding On" is a poignant and relatable song about the difficulty of letting go of a love that is gone.
Line by Line Meaning
holding on is very hard to do
It's difficult to maintain a relationship when the love is gone
When love is gone and that's no lie
Love can fade away, which can be painful
I bet you, you're unhappy
I can sense that you're not content
Cause it can drive you out your mind
It can make you feel crazy
There ain't no sense in cryin
It doesn't make sense to cry over something lost
It's time for you to leave
It's time for you to move on
Baby, that's the bottom line
That's the final verdict
I bet you lie awake at night and never rest a bit
You must stay up at night worrying
And wish it all would disappear
And wish it would all disappear
But still the bottom line is you got to deal with it
You still have to confront it head-on
And to yourself at least be fair
Be honest with yourself
Ha, ha, ha
Who are you kiddin'?
Don't deceive yourself
Said, holding on is very hard to do
Reiterating the difficulty in keeping a relationship going without love
Bet you, you're unhappy
Reiterating that you're not content
It's time for you to leave
Re-emphasizing that it's time to move on
Cause it can drive you out your mind
Re-emphasizing the mental pain of staying in a loveless relationship
I bet you lie awake at nights and never rest a bit
Reiterating that you stay up worrying
And wish it all would disappear
Emphasizing the desire to make it all go away
When love is gone, hey, hey, hey, yeah
Repeating the main message of the song
Listen to me now
Paying attention to the advice that's about to be given
When you know when the feeling's gone
When you realize the love is gone
Well, you got to stop holdin' on
You need to stop clinging to the past
'Cause that makes it twice as bad
Holding on makes it worse
You can't give the love that you don't have
You can't give love that is not there
So why drag it on and on and on?
Why prolong the inevitable?
(When love is gone) Yeah, yeah
Repeating the chorus
Said that I'm holding on
Repeating the main message
When your love is gone
When the love is lost
Yeah, yeah, oh, yeah
Closing out the song
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jeffrey L. Osborne, John Mcghee
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@brazyliaxwynter4959
Holding on... is very hard to do
When love is gone... and that's no lie
Holding on... is very hard to do
When love is gone
I betcha you're unhappy,
I know you gotta be
'Cause it can drive you outcha mind
There ain't no sense in crying
It's time for you to leave
And baby that's the bottom line
I betcha lie awake nights, and never rest a bit
And wish it all would disappear
But still the bottom line is you got to deal with it
And to yourself at least be fair
Holding on... is very hard to do
When love is gone... and that's no lie
Holding on... is very hard to do
When love is gone
Ha, ha, ha, who are you kidding?
Do do do do do
Holding on... is very hard to do
When love is gone... and that's no lie
Holding on... is very hard to do
When love is gone
I betcha you're unhappy
I know you gotta be
'Cause it can drive you outcha mind
There ain't no sense in crying
It's time for you to leave
And baby that's the bottom line
I betcha lie awake at nights, and never rest a bit
And wish it all would disappear
But still the bottom line is you got to deal with it
And to yourself at least be fair
Holding on... is very hard to do
When love is gone... and that's no lie
Holding on... is... very hard to do
When love is gone...
Well you know when the feelings gone
Then you've got to stop holding on
'Cause that makes it twice as bad
You can't give love that you don't have
So why drag it on and on and on
Holding on...
@mr4cccc
The last song me and my mom listened to before she passed. This song means more to me than anyone will ever know 😇😇😇😇
@dannyjohns1795
✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿
@jahkimzion8655
It seems like would only hear this song when me and my Father would be together 🥺 I miss his physical presence.
@morrisparrish76
Wherever your mom is; I hope she’s restin at ease!
@mr4cccc
@@morrisparrish76 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 thanks for the kind words
@morrisparrish76
@@mr4cccc you are welcome!
(Read the words “more than anyone will ever know” in your comment!…& though of the song “more than you know” by Diana Washington; you might want to listen to it!
@stephenord3403
I'm English, nearly 65, I just love 💘 this stuff as much now as way back then. Thanks black America 🇺🇸. Love to all. X
@stephenord3403
God bless you friend. Keep it going
@lomiles83
You're so very welcome❤
@Serge_Jackson
😊good to see someone in a different place appreciates our culture god bless you and may you be well