Sly & the Family Stone were an important and influential band from Vallejo,… Read Full Bio ↴Sly & the Family Stone were an important and influential band from Vallejo, California, United States. Active from 1966 until 1975, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk and psychedelia. Headed by singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone, and containing several of his family members and friends, the band was the first major American rock band to have an integrated lineup in both race and gender.

Brothers Sly Stone and singer/guitarist Freddie Stone combined their bands (Sly & the Stoners and Freddie & the Stone Souls) at the end of 1966. Sly and Freddie Stone, trumpeter Cynthia Robinson, drummer Gregg Errico, saxophonist Jerry Martini, and bassist Larry Graham completed the original lineup; Sly and Freddie's sister, singer/keyboardist Rose Stone, joined within a year. This collective recorded five Top 10 hits and four groundbreaking albums, which greatly influenced the sound of American pop music, soul, R&B, funk, and hip hop music. In the preface of his 1998 book For the Record: Sly and the Family Stone: An Oral History, Joel Selvin sums up the importance of Sly & the Family Stone's influence on African American music by stating "there are two types of black music: black music before Sly Stone, and black music after Sly Stone". The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
During the early 1970s, the band switched to a grittier funk sound, which was as influential on the music industry as their earlier work. The band began to fall apart during this period because of drug abuse and ego clashes; consequently, the fortunes and reliability of the band deteriorated, leading to its dissolution in 1975. Sly Stone continued to record albums and tour with a new rotating lineup under the "Sly & the Family Stone" name from 1975 to 1983. In 1987, Sly Stone was arrested and sentenced for cocaine use, after which he went into effective retirement.

Cynthia Robinson - January 12, 1944 – November 23, 2015

If This Room Could Talk
Sly & The Family Stone Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've made a mistake in this room
I did something I had to do
I wish that I was dreamin'
So, I could wake up and, woo
Wake up and love you, oh yeah

I'm sorry but you pushed me too hard
You walked all over me

It seemed like you were jesting
To see if I could be

If this room could talk
You would know that I love you
I need you
I want you, and furthermore
I got to have you
I got to have you, oh yeah
I got to have you, oh yeah
I got to have you, yeah

I know you don't expect me to call you
If this room won't give me a hand
I would rather be without you
Cause I would be less than a woo
Less than a man, ooh yeah
Less than a man

If this room could talk
You would know that I love you
I need you
I want you, and furthermore
I got to have you, ooh yeah
I got to have you, ooh yeah

I got to have you, ooh yeah
I got to, ooh yeah

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Sly & The Family Stone's song If This Room Could Talk are filled with complex emotions that are easy to relate to. The singer starts by admitting to making a mistake in the room, and doing something that had to be done. The ambiguity of this statement can lead to many different interpretations. It could be anything from admitting to making a mistake in the relationship to something more serious, like a crime or a scandal. Regardless of what it was, the singer wishes that they were dreaming so that they could wake up and love the other person again. This shows a sense of regret and longing that is felt throughout the song.

The singer then goes on to say that the other person pushed them too hard, and that they felt like they were being walked all over. They describe feeling like the other person was testing them to see how much they could take before breaking. This sense of being pushed to the edge is a common theme in the song, and it reflects the tension and frustration that often comes with relationships.

The chorus of the song is where the title comes into play. If this room could talk, the other person would know that the singer loves them, needs them, wants them, and, above all else, has to have them. This repetition highlights the desperation that the singer feels, and it shows how important the other person is to them. However, the last line of the song twists this sentiment around. The singer says that if the room won't give them a hand, they would rather be without the other person. This shows that, despite the deep love and need that the singer feels for the other person, they are willing to give up on the relationship if it becomes too difficult.

Line by Line Meaning

I've made a mistake in this room
I've done something wrong in this room

I did something I had to do
I did something that was necessary

I wish that I was dreamin'
I wish this wasn't happening

So, I could wake up and, woo
So that I could wake up and be with you

Wake up and love you, oh yeah
Wake up and show you how much I love you

I'm sorry but you pushed me too hard
I'm sorry, but you made me do it through your actions

You walked all over me
You treated me badly

It seemed like you were jesting
It seemed like you were joking or playing games

To see if I could be
To see if I would put up with it

If this room could talk
If the walls could speak

You would know that I love you
You would know that I truly love you