Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. (2 April 1939 - 1 April 1984) was an American soul an… Read Full Bio ↴Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. (2 April 1939 - 1 April 1984) was an American soul and rnb singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, known as "The Prince of Soul", or "The Prince of Motown." Originally a member of the doo-wop group The Moonglows, he pursued a solo career after the group disbanded and released many successful solo hits including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "Let's Get It On" and "What's Going On". His best albums are still held in extremely high regard, and he is often cited as one of the finest singers of his era.

Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. was born in 1939 to Marvin Gay, Sr. and Alberta Gay in Washington, D.C.. Gaye began his career in Motown in 1958, and soon became Motown's top solo male artist. He scored numerous hits during the 1960s, among them "Ain't That Peculiar", "Stubborn Kind of Fellow", and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)", as well as several hit duets with Tammi Terrell, including "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"" and "You're All I Need to Get By", before moving on to his own form of musical self-expression.

Along with Stevie Wonder, Gaye is notable for fighting the hit-making—but creatively restrictive—Motown record-making process, in which performers, songwriters and record producers were generally kept in separate camps. Gaye forced Motown to release his 1971 album What's Going On, which is today hailed as one of the best albums of all time. Subsequent releases proved that Gaye, who had been a part-time songwriter for Motown artists during his early years with the label, could write and produce his own singles without having to rely on the Motown system. This achievement would pave the way for the successes of later self-sufficient singer-songwriter-producers in African American music, such as Luther Vandross and Babyface.

During the 1970s, Gaye would release several other notable albums, including Let's Get It On and I Want You, and released several successful singles such as "Come Get to This", "Got to Give It Up" and "Sexual Healing". By the time of his shooting death in 1984, at the hands of his clergyman father, Gaye had become one of the most influential artists of the soul music era.

Your Unchanging Love
Marvin Gaye Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm gonna hold on (hold on)
Hold on (hold on)to your unchanging love
I'm gonna hold on (hold on)
Hold on (hold on) to your unchanging love
I need ya baby
Baby, I need you right now
Darling there comes a time in everybody's life
They may learn as I've learned

That being loved is more important
Than paintin' the town
Morning, noon and night
'Cause night life may have bright lights
But I've learned in time they go dim

But your love and tender arms
I can always come home to them
And I'm gonna hold on(hold on)
Hold on(hold on) to your unchanging love
I'm gonna hold on(hold on)
Hold on to your unchanging love
I need ya baby
Baby I need you right now
I used to have more friends that I can count
But now all of my so called friends are gone
Since I lost everything in my bank account
Darling I'm tired of running 'round
So in your arms I'm gonna settle down
'Cause if I don't have a dime
I know your love is mine

And I'm gonna hold on (hold on)
Hold on (hold on)to your unchanging love
Hey, so I'll hold on,(hold on) hold on to (hold on)
Your unchanging love
I need ya baby
Baby, I need you right now
Darling, everybody needs somebody too
I need you, I know now
Nobody really loves me
Honey, honey, honey
The way you do

One more thing
I've changed girls in my life
As often as I changed my suit
Only to learn the only true happiness
Is being, honey, being loved by you

That's why I'm gonna hold on (hold on)

Hold on (hold on)to your unchanging love
I'm gonna hold (hold on) on baby to your unchanging love

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Marvin Gaye's song "Your Unchanging Love" express the singer's desire to hold on to the love of his partner. He explains that he's learned that being loved is more important than partying and living a wild life. He acknowledges that the bright lights of the night world can go dim, but the love of his partner will never change. He uses the metaphor of his bank account being emptied to convey how he has lost all his friends and needs a stable relationship. Despite being unreliable in his past relationships, he admits that the only true happiness he has found is in the love of his current partner.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm gonna hold on (hold on)
I am determined to cling to you

Hold on (hold on)to your unchanging love
I will keep holding onto your consistent, unwavering love

I need ya baby
I am dependent on you, my love

Baby, I need you right now
I need you more than ever, at this moment

Darling there comes a time in everybody's life
There is a point in everyone's life when they realize something important

They may learn as I've learned
They may have experienced what I am experiencing

That being loved is more important
Receiving love from others is more significant

Than paintin' the town
Than spending time out and about

Morning, noon and night
Throughout each day

'Cause night life may have bright lights
The excitement of the nightlife can be alluring

But I've learned in time they go dim
But I have discovered that eventually, the allure fades away

But your love and tender arms
However, your love and affection are different

I can always come home to them
I can always rely on returning to your loving embrace

I used to have more friends that I can count
I used to have countless friends

But now all of my so called friends are gone
But now, none of them seem to be around

Since I lost everything in my bank account
Since I became broke

Darling I'm tired of running 'round
I am exhausted from chasing superficial things

So in your arms I'm gonna settle down
I intend to find comfort in your embrace

'Cause if I don't have a dime
Even if I am penniless

I know your love is mine
I am sure of your love for me

Hey, so I'll hold on,(hold on) hold on to (hold on)
Therefore, I am determined to hold on to you

Darling, everybody needs somebody too
Each person needs someone special in their life

I need you, I know now
I have come to understand how much I need you

Nobody really loves me
I feel as if nobody truly loves me

Honey, honey, honey
My dear, my dear, my dear

The way you do
Not in the same manner that you do

One more thing
One final point to make

I've changed girls in my life
I have been with different women in my life

As often as I changed my suit
As frequently as I changed my clothing

Only to learn the only true happiness
Only to realize that real happiness

Is being, honey, being loved by you
Is simply being loved by you, my dear

I'm gonna hold (hold on) on baby to your unchanging love
I am going to maintain my grip on your constant love, my love

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JR., BRIAN HOLLAND, EDWARD HOLLAND, EDWARD, JR. HOLLAND, LAMONT DOZIER, LAMONT HERBERT DOZIER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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