Lydia Loveless (born September 4, 1990; as Lydia Ankrom) is an American alt… Read Full Bio ↴Lydia Loveless (born September 4, 1990; as Lydia Ankrom) is an American alternative country singer-songwriter from Columbus, Ohio.

Blessed with a commanding, blast-it-to-the-back-of-the room voice, Loveless was raised on a family farm in Coshocton, Ohio, US—a small weird town with nothing to do but make music. With a dad who owned a country music bar, Loveless often woke up with a house full of touring musicians scattered on couches and floors.

When she got older, in the time-honored traditions of teenage rebellion, she turned her back on these roots, moved to the city (Columbus, OH) and immersed herself in the punk scene, soaking up the musical and attitudinal influences of everyone from Charles Bukowski to Richard Hell to Hank III.

"An old soul in a 21 year-old’s body, Lydia Loveless sings about the kind of heartache usually reserved for someone working on her third marriage." - The Charleston Gazette

"Manages to conjure up both Exene and Neko Case." --Washington Post

"All of 21, she's got the songwriting soul of someone twice her age and a voice to die for. Her appearance at the recent SXSW made us full-on believers." --Boudin Barndance

"Heir apparent of Loretta Lynn" --Twangville

"Commands the stage from tune-up to the final bow, with a voice that carries to every ear, no matter how intoxicated the owner."-- The Noise

"Her name is Lydia Loveless and she is like nothing I've ever heard before. Looks a little like Pink, with just the right amount of fucked up like Shane MacGowen . . . It was one of those night where I looked around and couldn't believe there weren't more people there to witness such an amazing show." --Midwest Music

"The energy, for the listener, comes not just from what we hear now from Loveless, but also from the expectations and anticipation around what her future discontented experiences may bring to the next song we hear." --Columbus Indie

"I hope you’ll forgive the hyperbole when I tell you that she ought to be a big star"--Razing the Bar

Verlaine Shot Rimbaud
Lydia Loveless Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well Verlaine shot Rimbaud 'cause he loved him so
And honey, that's how I love you
Well Verlaine shot Rimbaud 'cause he loved him so
And honey, that's how I wanna go

I wanna love you like a father loves his son
Tell you a song if you were to lie to me
Honey, after everything I did for you

Don't have to kick nobody out of the house
They can stick around and watch us duke it out
I just like you so much better when we're comin' to goals

Well Verlaine shot Rimbaud 'cause he loved him so
And honey, that's how I love you
Well Verlaine shot Rimbaud 'cause he loved him so
And honey, that's how I wanna go

I don't care if I feel - half alive
I'd waste away with you a sumpter unless you die
Just wanna know that I'm the one that makes you write that shit

Yeah, that should make you so angry that you leave
And you come crawling back to me down on your knees
And you're beggin' me, "I just wanna be the one you love!"

Well I just wanna be the one you love
I just wanna be the one you love

Well Verlaine shot Rimbaud
Ohh, Verlaine shot Rimbaud
That's how I wanna go
Verlaine shot Rimbaud
That's how I wanna go

And I just wanna be the one you love
Honey, I just wanna be the one you love
I just wanna be the one you love
No, I wanna be the only one you love

So take me home

That's where I wanna go with you
So take me home

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Lydia Loveless's song Verlaine Shot Rimbaud tell the story of the tumultuous relationship between French poets Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud. Verlaine, who was married at the time, fell in love with Rimbaud and the two became involved in a passionate and destructive affair. The chorus of the song refers to the famous incident when Verlaine shot Rimbaud in the wrist during an argument, which ultimately led to Verlaine's imprisonment and a permanent rift between the two poets.

The verses of the song express Loveless's similar feelings of intense love and desire for someone, even if it means experiencing pain and destruction. She compares her love to that of a father for his son, which may seem strange and inappropriate, but speaks to the intensity and depth of her emotions. She also admits that she would let herself waste away with this person, even if it means experiencing half-life or death.

The song ends with Loveless pleading to be the only one her love interest loves, and begging to be taken home with them. Overall, the song speaks to the complex and often destructive nature of intense love and desire.

Line by Line Meaning

Well Verlaine shot Rimbaud 'cause he loved him so
Like Verlaine loved Rimbaud, I love you so much that I would do anything for you.

And honey, that's how I love you
I am expressing my love for you when I say that I would do anything to be with you.

I wanna love you like a father loves his son
I want to be protective and caring toward you like a father is toward his son.

Tell you a song if you were to lie to me
If you were to lie to me, I would tell you a song to express my disappointment and sadness.

Honey, after everything I did for you
I have done so much for you and shown you so much love, so why would you ever lie to me?

Don't have to kick nobody out of the house
We don't have to kick anyone out of the house because they can watch us fight and make up.

They can stick around and watch us duke it out
The people around us can observe our arguments and how we eventually come to a resolution.

I just like you so much better when we're comin' to goals
I love it when we work together and achieve our goals as a team.

I don't care if I feel - half alive
I am willing to sacrifice for you - even if I feel like I am only halfway alive.

I'd waste away with you a sumpter unless you die
I would spend the rest of my life with you and waste away by your side, even if it means that I may die sooner because of it.

Just wanna know that I'm the one that makes you write that shit
I want to be the inspiration behind your creativity and be the reason that you produce great things.

Yeah, that should make you so angry that you leave
If you don't feel the same way about me, it would make sense for you to be angry and leave.

And you come crawling back to me down on your knees
But in the end, I know that you will come back to me and beg for my love.

And you're beggin' me, "I just wanna be the one you love!"
You will plead with me and tell me that you just want to be the one I love.

Well I just wanna be the one you love
And I just want to be the one you love.

No, I wanna be the only one you love
Actually, I don't just want to be the one you love, I want to be the only one you love.

So take me home
Let's go home together.

That's where I wanna go with you
Home is where I want to be with you.

Honey, I just wanna be the one you love
Once again, I want to be the only one you love.

Contributed by Landon W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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