Siffre released his first six albums of songs between 1970 and 1975, and a further three albums between 1988 and 1998. During this period he had several solo hits, including "It Must Be Love" (No. 14, 1971) (later covered by and a No. 4 hit for Madness, for which Siffre himself appeared in the video); "Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying" (No. 11, 1972); and "Watch Me" (No. 29, 1972). In 1978 two of his songs, "Solid Love" (performed by Siffre) and "We Got It Bad" (co-written and performed by Bob James) reached the UK finals of the BBC's A Song for Europe. His 1987 hit "(Something Inside) So Strong", which reached No. 4, was an anti-Apartheid anthem that won the Ivor Novello Award for "Best Song Musically and Lyrically", and has since been used in Amnesty International campaigns, a television advertisement and Alice Walker's film against female genital mutilation: Warrior Marks.
In 1997, Siffre's play "DeathWrite" was staged at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff and later televised. His song "I Got The..." was sampled in rapper Eminem's hit single "My Name Is," though Siffre objected to what he described as "lazy writing" and it had to be edited to get the sample cleared.
In 1984 Siffre began writing poetry and has since released three books of poetry: "Blood on the Page" 1995 and "Monument" 1997. His poetry addresses a variety of themes, from theology and childhood to sociology, love, hate, language, critical thinking, and communication. In 2006, he released a new album, The Last Songs.
I Will Always Love You
Labi Siffre Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And diving in your sea
Burning with desire
You're the honey to the bee
Whenever you're in trouble
Whenever you're in doubt
You don't have to worry
The world is full of strangers searching for a friend
The world is full of sadness
And we must learn to smile
'Cause sadness never ends
I, I will always love you
Darling can't you tell
I will be your champion
Through heaven and through hell
Good fortune may desert you
People can be unkind
The world may turn and hurt you
And I, I will always love you.
We may be separated
We'll never be apart
We'll be dedicated
I'm gonna love you with every beat of my heart
Giving it all is the secret of life
Taking no chances when I'm with you tonight.
Thinking the hands of time won't stop
And my devotion won't even remove
You got it, you got it yeah
I, I will always love you
Darling can't you tell
I will be your champion
Through heaven and through hell
Good fortune may desert you
People can be unkind
The world may turn and hurt you
And I, I will always love you.
I will always love you
Nothing's gonna stop us,
Nothing's gonna keep us apart
You'll be my lover
And I'll keep you here in my heart
No matter where you are, you're here in my heart
Never, forever can't keep us apart
'Cause I love you
The lyrics of Labi Siffre's song "I Will Always Love You" express an unbreakable bond between two people, where they are willing to go through any obstacle, swim through any sea or walk through any fire to be together. The song is an ode to love that is unwavering, where the one who is in love will stand by their partner even when they are alone in a world of strangers searching for a friend. The singer reassures his lover that no matter what life throws at them, he will always be there. He acknowledges that good fortune may desert her, people can be unkind, and the world may turn and hurt her, but his love for her will never change.
The song talks about the secret of love being giving it all, taking no chances, and being devoted wholly. It stresses the importance of living in the present, not thinking about the hands of time that won't stop and focusing solely on the person one loves. The lyrics also showcase the depth of the singer's love where he believes that no matter where his lover is, she will be with him in his heart forever.
Overall, the song is a beautiful expression of an unbreakable bond that two people share, where love surpasses time and distance, and the world can't keep them apart.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm walking in your fire
I'm facing all the heat you're throwing at me
And diving in your sea
I'm diving deep into your emotions
Burning with desire
I can't help but feel extremely attracted to you
You're the honey to the bee
You're the perfect match for me
Whenever you're in trouble
Whenever you need help
Whenever you're in doubt
Whenever you need someone to believe in you
You don't have to worry
You can always count on me
No, you don't even have to shout
You don't have to demand my attention
The world is full of strangers searching for a friend
The world is full of people who are lonely and looking for someone to connect with
The world is full of sadness
The world has a lot of sadness and pain
And we must learn to smile
We need to find joy and happiness in our lives
'Cause sadness never ends
Sadness is constantly present in the world
I, I will always love you
I will love you forever
Darling can't you tell
I hope you can see how much I love you
I will be your champion
I will fight for you
Through heaven and through hell
I will be there for you, no matter what
Good fortune may desert you
You may experience bad luck and hardship
People can be unkind
People can be cruel and hurtful
The world may turn and hurt you
The world can be a harsh and unforgiving place
And I, I will always love you.
But despite all of that, I will always love you
We may be separated
We may have to be apart
We'll never be apart
Even if we have to be physically separated, we will always be together in our hearts
We'll be dedicated
We will be committed to each other
I'm gonna love you with every beat of my heart
I will love you with all my heart and soul
Giving it all is the secret of life
The key to a fulfilling life is giving everything you have to the people you love
Taking no chances when I'm with you tonight.
I won't take any risks when I'm with you
Thinking the hands of time won't stop
Hoping that our time together will last forever
And my devotion won't even remove
My love and commitment to you will never fade away
You got it, you got it yeah
I know that you understand and feel the same way
Nothing's gonna stop us,
Nothing can come between us
Nothing's gonna keep us apart
No matter what happens, we will always be together
You'll be my lover
You will always be my partner
And I'll keep you here in my heart
I will hold you in my heart forever
No matter where you are, you're here in my heart
Even if we're miles apart, I will always feel your presence
Never, forever can't keep us apart
Nothing can ever separate us for good
'Cause I love you
Because my love for you is unconditional and everlasting
Contributed by Dominic M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mandy Bower
I got married to this song as my husband had battled cancer. And 13 years later I played it at his funeral... Having discussed it with him.... Our all time favourite.... I still cry everytime I hear it x
George Stacey
Mandy Bower it is nice that you two talked about that and you played it and so shared in it and through it something beautiful. I like it when favorite songs our shared between people at those moments, how sweet to do that for one another.
Sam Lucia
Hey Mandy, My sincerest condolences, sry for my writing, I'm from Belgium, Europe. I've liked this song since I was 15 yrs old (nobody ever heard of it at all not then or later in life) I think like we all do, it's only for people that really understand, and comprehend... I truly don't understand why it never was a TOP song, anyway, I can imagine that this song at your wedding was the most beautiful song ever, but later on the most sad song ever. I wish you all the best in the world, and no matter what good health, I hope you may find lots of luck on your way X
makhido khaka
@George Stacey tru that ti',s an all time love song
Absa Sparton
I heard this song for the first time today on radio 2000 & I downloaded it the same time...can't get enough of this song
Pinini braun
Wow...first time I heard this song was when my former boyfriend sang it for me...I melt into his hands today we are happily married...Thank you Mr Siffre, this song is fantastic ....!!!!!
Letsosa Charles Michael Lesala
"former" 🤣🤣🤣🤣you are so respectful
Andre Dos Santos
Dear Lord... how will the new generation hear this classics? I need them to feel this sensation
Maferehla Bopape
Oh what a classic. I fell in love with this song more than 30 years, introduced to me on Metro FM, by one of my personal favourite presenters Mr Wilson B Nkosi.
Rosetta Munyi
@ Maferehla Bopape....he played it this morning again that's why I'm here....too beautiful 😍