Shai is an Pop/R&B/Soul quartet debuted in 1992. Their biggest hit in the m… Read Full Bio ↴Shai is an Pop/R&B/Soul quartet debuted in 1992. Their biggest hit in the mainstream is an a capella single, "If I Ever Fall in Love," which made #2 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

Shai was formed at Howard University in Washington D.C. Three of the four members, Marc Gray, Carl Martin, and Darnell Van Rensalier, belonged to the same fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, and along with good friend, Garfield A. Bright, decided to take a chance at turning their hobby of singing into a career. Moving to New York City, New York, the foursome tried to secure a record deal, but they couldn't find any takers. With their money running out and their future looking bleak, the members of Shai took a chance on a radio contest that radio station WPGC was sponsoring. They chose to perform a song that Carl Martin wrote, "If I Ever Fall in Love," which they sang a cappella. The song won the contest and began finding airplay on WPGC. Other stations soon followed, and suddenly the record labels came calling. After signing with Gasoline Alley, Shai began putting together its debut album.

"If I Ever Fall in Love" was the first single and peaked at #2 in the U.S. The next two releases from the double-platinum album, "Comforter" and "Baby I'm Yours" both reached #10. The group's next CD was a remix album largely consisting of new versions of their previous hits, which resulted in a revised version of the song "Baby I'm Yours" simply titled "Yours" which peaked at #63. Future efforts fell shy of the Top 40 although the group did briefly reappear there in 1994 with the #34 "The Place Where You Belong" from the Beverly Hills Cop III soundtrack. The group's last charting single was 1996's #89 single "I Don't Wanna Be Alone". Shai is still active releasing such albums as "Destiny" (1999), "Back From The Mystery System: The Love Cycle" (2004), "Love Cycle: Back From The Mystery System" (2007) and "Worldwide (as D-n-G of Shai" (2009). Visit http://www.myspace.com/shaimusicworld their official MySpace.

If I gave
Shai Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ooh, ooh, if I, if I gave
Gave you my heart
And my soul to you
Oh, then I, I would have
Nothing to give

Let you've given me
So I pray to you Lord

That you'll understand
For you supply all my needs

Mm, mm, and if I, if I gave
Gave you the trust
And my mind to choose
Then I, I would have
Nothing to fear

Just to believe in ourselves
It will guide us to victory

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Shai's song "If I Gave In" suggest a sense of vulnerability and surrender. The singer appears to be grappling with the decision of whether to give their heart and soul to someone, acknowledging that doing so would leave them with nothing to offer in return. They pray to the Lord for guidance, hoping they will understand the situation, implying that the decision to give in is not an easy one. The second verse centers on trust, suggesting the choice could be one of deciding to trust someone with their well-being.

Overall, the song seems to rely on themes of faith and inner strength. The singer seems to be acknowledging that they ultimately have a choice to make, but turning to faith for guidance and support in making that decision.

Line by Line Meaning

Ooh, ooh, if I, if I gave
The singer is contemplating the idea of giving something

Gave you my heart
The singer is considering giving their heart to the recipient

And my soul to you
In addition to their heart, the singer is also considering giving their soul to the recipient

Oh, then I, I would have
If the artist were to give away their heart and soul, they would be left with nothing

Nothing to give
The artist realizes that giving everything to the recipient would leave them with nothing else to offer

Let you've given me
The recipient has given the singer something in return

So I pray to you Lord
The singer is asking for help from a higher power

That you'll understand
The artist hopes that their request will be comprehended

For you supply all my needs
The artist acknowledges that the higher power can meet all their needs

Mm, mm, and if I, if I gave
The artist is still contemplating the idea of giving something

Gave you the trust
The singer is now considering giving the recipient their trust

And my mind to choose
In addition to trust, the artist is also considering giving their mind, or the power to choose, to the recipient

Then I, I would have
If the singer were to give away their trust and mind, they would have nothing to be afraid of

Nothing to fear
The singer realizes that giving away trust and the power to choose would lead to a state of fearlessness

Just to believe in ourselves
The singer encourages belief in oneself

It will guide us to victory
By having faith in oneself, success can be achieved

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CARL E. MARTIN, DARNELL ANDRE VAN RENSALIER, GARFIELD R. BRIGHT JR., MARC D. GAY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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