Labi Siffre (born June 25, 1945) is an English poet, songwriter, and singer… Read Full Bio ↴Labi Siffre (born June 25, 1945) is an English poet, songwriter, and singer. Born the fourth of five children to a Barbadian/Belgian mother and a Nigerian father and raised in Bayswater and Hampstead, London, he was educated at a Catholic monastery school, St Benedict's School in Ealing. His musical influences included Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Charlie Mingus, Jimmy Reed, Wes Montgomery, Billie Holiday, Jimmy Reed, and Mel Tormé. In July 1964, he met his partner Peter Lloyd, and the two officially became partners under the Civil Partnership Act 2004 when the Act entered into force in December 2005.

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," Siffre, who is openly gay, said in an interview that he turned down the offer to approve the song at first until the original sexist and homophobic lyrics were removed: "Dissing the victims of bigotry – women as bitches, homosexuals as faggots – is lazy writing. Diss the bigots not their victims." Siffre eventually allowed its usage when he was sent a censored "clean" version, not realizing that he was also allowing the riffs use on the alternative "dirty" versions with the original lyrics.

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.

Nothing In the World Like Love
Labi Siffre Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There's nothing in the world like love.
It's a feeling you can never get tired of.
If you start right away
well believe what I say
you could brighten your day.

There's nothing in the world like love.
People say it's what the world is made of

well, I don't know about that
but it's a natural fact
that love is where it's at.

Just look atcha now,
you're fighting with your back to the wall
in a great big city that you don't know at all
now you're more than frightened 'cus the city just grew
if you don't find someone
it's quittin's for you.
Let me help ya
Let me try
Let me love ya 'til I die.
That's all I want to do!
If ya love me tell me now
don't be scared I'll show ya how.
That's what I want to do.
Now that we found one another,
oh, how lucky we are.
There are people right here in the city
who will never, never meet
the one they would love
it's more than a pity.

There's nothing in the world like love.
There is nothing that will ever be instead of.

It's more than a fling
more than a ring
it's everything.
There's nothing in the world like love.
It's the sort of thing that make you kind of. uh
huh-uh-huuuuuuh

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Labi Siffre's song "Nothing In the World Like Love" are all about the power of love. The song highlights the fact that nothing in the world can compare to the feeling of love and that it's a feeling that you can never get tired of. The song encourages listeners to start right away with love and that it has the power to brighten their day. Love is described as a natural fact that where it's at and that it's what the world is made of. The lyrics also touch on the fact that love can help you when you're at your lowest point. The singer encourages the listener that he wants to help and try to love them until he dies.

The lyrics also convey that finding love is not always easy, but once you find it, it's worth cherishing. It's easy to feel lost in a big city, but with the power of love, you can find your way. The singer encourages the listener to not be scared and that he will show them how to love. The song concludes with the statement that love is more than just a fling, more than just a ring; it's everything. The singer emphasizes that love is a powerful feeling that should be appreciated and cherished.

Line by Line Meaning

There's nothing in the world like love.
Love is a unique and unparalleled feeling.

It's a feeling you can never get tired of.
Love is a feeling that never fades or exhausts.

If you start right away well believe what I say you could brighten your day.
Love can make your day better if you pursue it immediately.

People say it's what the world is made of well, I don't know about that but it's a natural fact that love is where it's at.
Although it may not be what the world is made of, love is a natural fact that should not be ignored.

Just look atcha now, you're fighting with your back to the wall in a great big city that you don't know at all now you're more than frightened 'cus the city just grew if you don't find someone it's quittin's for you. Let me help ya Let me try Let me love ya 'til I die. That's all I want to do!
When you're lost in a big city, love can help you survive and thrive. Let me love you to make things better.

If ya love me tell me now don't be scared I'll show ya how. That's what I want to do.
If you love me, don't be afraid to express it. I want to love and show you how much I care.

Now that we found one another, oh, how lucky we are. There are people right here in the city who will never, never meet the one they would love it's more than a pity.
Finding love is a stroke of luck, and many others may never experience it. It is an unfortunate circumstance.

There's nothing in the world like love.
Love is an unmatched feeling.

There is nothing that will ever be instead of. It's more than a fling more than a ring it's everything.
Love surpasses anything that may be presented as an alternative. It is more than just a passing attraction or a physical symbol such as a ring, it's everything.

There's nothing in the world like love. It's the sort of thing that make you kind of. uh huh-uh-huuuuuuh
There is no other feeling in the world like love that leaves you speechless and humbled.

Writer(s): Labi Siffre

Contributed by Kaelyn I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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