Can I Get A Witness
Marvin Gaye Lyrics
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Is it right to be left alone
When the one you love is never home
I love too hard my friends sometimes say
But I believe I believe that a woman should be loved that way
But it hurts me so inside to see you treat me so unkind
Somebody somewhere tell her it's unfair
Can I get a witness
Can I get a witness
Somebody
Is it right to be treated so bad
When you give her everything you had
Keep on talking in my sleep
'cause I haven't seen my baby all week
Now you kids you agree that
This ain't the way love's supposed to be
Let me hear you, let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah
Up early in the morning with her on my mind
Took to find it out all night I been cryin'
But I believe a woman's a man's best friend
I'm gonna stick by her till the very end
Well she causes so much misery
That I forgot how love's supposed to be
Somebody somewhere tell her it ain't fair
Can I get a witness
Can I get a witness
I want a witness
Witness, witness
Witness, witness
Everybody knows especially you girls
That a love can be sad
But I have a love that's twice as bad
Now all you chicks agree
That this ain't the way it's supposed to be
Let me hear you, let me hear you say yeah, yeah
I want a witness
I want a witness
I want a witness
I want a witness
Just a little bit louder
Louder yeah, oh yeah
Marvin Gaye's "Can I Get A Witness" is a plea for help and understanding from a man who is disenchanted with his romantic relationship. In the song, Marvin sings to anyone who will listen, particularly the girls, asking if it is right to be left alone when the one he loves is never home. He expresses the pain he feels inside from being treated unkindly by his lover and being given everything he had yet treated so badly. Despite this, he continues to believe in loving a woman hard and that a woman is a man's best friend, and he is willing to stick by her till the very end.
The repeated refrain of "Can I Get A Witness" becomes the plea of the song, asking for anyone to bear witness to his struggle. As the song progresses, Marvin implores those listening to agree that "this ain't the way love's supposed to be" and to support him to fight for a better relationship. Ultimately, the song is one of hopeful desperation, with Marvin asking for someone to stand beside him and bear witness to his struggle so he knows that he isn't alone.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah listen everybody, specially you girls
Hey, listen up everyone, particularly you ladies
Is it right to be left alone
Is it fair to be abandoned
When the one you love is never home
When your beloved is constantly absent
I love too hard my friends sometimes say
My friends tell me that I love too deeply
But I believe I believe that a woman should be loved that way
But I'm convinced that a woman deserves to be loved that much
But it hurts me so inside to see you treat me so unkind
But it pains me to see you treat me so poorly
Somebody somewhere tell her it's unfair
Someone, somewhere, please tell her that it's not right
Can I get a witness
Can someone testify for me
Can I get a witness
Can someone speak up for me
Can I get a witness
Can someone bear witness for me
Somebody
Anyone
Is it right to be treated so bad
Is it reasonable to be treated so poorly
When you give her everything you had
When you give her your all
Keep on talking in my sleep
I keep talking about it in my sleep
'cause I haven't seen my baby all week
Because I haven't seen my sweetheart all week
Now you kids you agree that
Now you youngsters, agree that
This ain't the way love's supposed to be
This isn't how love should be
Let me hear you, let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah
Let me hear you all say 'Yeah, Yeah, Yeah'
Up early in the morning with her on my mind
Thinking of her early in the morning
Took to find it out all night I been cryin'
Took me all night to figure it out, and I've been crying
But I believe a woman's a man's best friend
But I think that a woman is a man's closest companion
I'm gonna stick by her till the very end
I'll stay with her until the very end
Well she causes so much misery
She causes me so much pain
That I forgot how love's supposed to be
That I forgot what love is supposed to feel like
Somebody somewhere tell her it ain't fair
Someone, somewhere, tell her that it's not right
I want a witness
I need someone to testify
I want a witness
I need someone to confirm
I want a witness
I need someone to bear witness
Witness, witness
Testify, testify
Witness, witness
Bear witness, bear witness
Everybody knows especially you girls
Everyone, particularly you ladies, knows
That a love can be sad
That love can be sorrowful
But I have a love that's twice as bad
But I have a love that's twice as troublesome
Now all you chicks agree
Now all you gals agree
That this ain't the way it's supposed to be
This isn't how things should be
Let me hear you, let me hear you say yeah, yeah
Say 'Yeah, Yeah' for me
I want a witness
I need someone to testify
I want a witness
I need someone to confirm
I want a witness
I need someone to bear witness
I want a witness
I need someone to testify a bit louder
Louder yeah, oh yeah
A bit louder, yeah ― oh yeah
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edward Jr. Holland, Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind