Silverstein's passion for music was clear early on as he studied for a while at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. As a songwriter, Silverstein kept a low profile but cast a long shadow. He tended to shun publicity and even photographers. Nonetheless, his musical output included many songs which were hits for other artists. Most notably, he wrote the music and lyrics for "A Boy Named Sue" that was performed by Johnny Cash (for which he won a Grammy in 1970); "One's on the Way" (which was a hit for Loretta Lynn), and "The Unicorn Song" which, despite having nothing to do with Ireland nor Irish culture, became the signature piece for The Irish Rovers in 1968 and is popular in pubs all over the world to this day. He wrote the lyrics and music for most of the Dr. Hook songs, including "Cover of the Rolling Stone", "Freakin' at the Freakers' Ball", "Sylvia's Mother", and the cautionary song about VD, "Don't Give a Dose to the One You Love Most". He also wrote many of the songs performed by Bobby Bare, including "Marie Laveau", "Rosalie's Good Eats Cafe", "The Mermaid", "The Winner", and "Tequila Sheila". The song "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan",] recorded in 1979 by Marianne Faithfull and later featured in the films Montenegro and Thelma & Louise, was also by Silverstein.
Don't Give A Dose To The One You Love The Most
Shel Silverstein Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(And if you grow wiser for me experience)
Yes my dear I grew wiser in many ways and the thing I learned most
Is don't give a dose to the one you love most
No don't give a dose to the one you love most
Give her some marmelade give her some toast
You can give her the willings or give her the blues
I once had a lady as sweet as a song she was my darlin' and she was my dear
But she had a dose and she passed it along
Now she's gone but the dose is still here
So don't give a dose to the one you love most
Giver her some marmelade give her some toast
You can give her a partridge up in a pear tree
But the dose that you give her might get back to me
If you've got an itchin' if you've got a drip don't sit there wishin' for it to go way
Cause it won't if there's a thing on the tip of your thing or your lip
Run down to the clinic today and say
I won't give a dose
Shel Silverstein's song "Don't Give A Dose To The One You Love The Most" is a humorous cautionary tale about the dangers of sexually transmitted infections and the importance of being responsible in one's sexual behavior. The lyrics describe the singer's regretful experience of passing on an infection to his beloved, and the resulting loss that he experienced. The refrain, "Don't give a dose to the one you love most," emphasizes the central point of the song, which is that one should take care not to infect those closest to us.
The song also contains imagery that is both comical and tragic, such as the line "You can give her a partridge up in a pear tree / But the dose that you give her might get back to me." This line highlights the interconnectedness of sexual relationships and the fact that taking risks in one's sexual behavior can have unintended consequences beyond one's immediate partner.
Line by Line Meaning
Yes my dear I must admit that one time I might did
I confess that I made a mistake in the past.
Yes my dear I grew wiser in many ways and the thing I learned most
However, I learned from my experience and became wiser. And the most important thing I learned was
Is don't give a dose to the one you love most
Never give a sexually transmitted infection to the one you love the most.
No don't give a dose to the one you love most
I repeat, never give an STI to the one you love the most.
Give her some marmelade give her some toast
Instead of a disease, give her something sweet, like jam or toast.
You can give her the willings or give her the blues
You can give her romantic feelings or even make her sad by telling her the truth about how you feel.
But the dose that you give her will get back to you
But an STI that you give her will come back to haunt you as well.
I once had a lady as sweet as a song she was my darlin' and she was my dear
Once, I had a very sweet lady in my life who I dearly loved.
But she had a dose and she passed it along
However, she had an STI and she passed it to me.
Now she's gone but the dose is still here
Although she's no longer with me, I still have the STI that she gave me.
So don't give a dose to the one you love most
Therefore, it's important not to give an STI to the one you love the most.
Giver her some marmelade give her some toast
Instead, just give her something sweet, like jam or toast.
You can give her a partridge up in a pear tree
You can even give her an extravagant gift, like a partridge in a pear tree.
But the dose that you give her might get back to me
Just remember that an STI you give her could end up coming back to me.
If you've got an itchin' if you've got a drip don't sit there wishin' for it to go way
If you have symptoms like itching or a discharge, don't just hope it goes away.
Cause it won't if there's a thing on the tip of your thing or your lip
Ignoring the symptoms won't make them disappear, especially if they're on your genitals or mouth.
Run down to the clinic today and say
Instead, go to a clinic to get tested and seek treatment.
I won't give a dose
Make a commitment to yourself that you won't give an STI to anyone.
Contributed by Violet P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.