Their best known songs include "Summer In The City", "Do You Believe In Magic?", "Darling Be Home Soon", and "Daydream". The band reunited in 1991 and continue to perform without Sebastian, who has declined to participate, and Yanovsky, who died in 2002.
The band's name was inspired by lyrics from Mississippi John Hurt's "Coffee Blues" and drew influence from contemporary folk and psychedelic music while also inspiring later rock bands.
A more complete history of this seminal New York band can be found on their official site: lovinspoonful.com
Full Measure
The Lovin' Spoonful Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You don't yet understand
A cupful of living
That you hold in your hand
The full weight of your loving
Makes me lighter than air
The tax I'm receiving
It started off just sticking around
That wonderful feeling from you
Now there's finally someone telling me
I can really give too
I know you know the feeling
That getting something for nothing is wrong
Getting love is so easy
Giving love takes so long
It started out just sticking around
With that wonderful feeling from you
Now there's finally someone telling me
I can really give too
I've heard them say it at Christmas
Now I can say it too
The feeling of giving
It's as good as I'm getting from you
It's as good as I'm getting from you
It's as good as I'm getting from you
It's as good as I'm getting from you
The first verse of The Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Full Measure” conveys the idea that the gift of love and life is immeasurable in value. The singer encourages his partner that she has yet to comprehend the extent of her generosity. He compares her current grasp to merely holding a small cupful when in actuality, she posses is an entire life full of happiness and love. In the second verse, the singer acknowledges the weight of his partner’s love, how it makes him light as a feather. He also mentions a tax he's receiving, which is perhaps a metaphor used to signify that he's learning to appreciate the blessings that he had taken for granted.
The chorus talks about the joy of giving and how it's as good as receiving. It reiterates that the wonderful feeling of giving is just as important as the feeling of receiving. The singer also acknowledges the feeling of guilt that people feel when they get something for nothing but proclaims how effortless it is to receive love. However, it is not easy to give love and that it takes a long time.
Line by Line Meaning
The full measure of your giving
The amount of love you give is immeasurable.
You don't yet understand
You don't realize how much love you have to offer.
A cupful of living
The small amount of love you're sharing can make a big difference.
That you hold in your hand
You have the power to give love and make someone's life better.
The full weight of your loving
Your love is so powerful that it affects me deeply.
Makes me lighter than air
Your love brings me joy and lifts me up.
The tax I'm receiving
The love I'm getting from you is so good that it feels too good to be true.
Now I know that it never was there
I realize now that I didn't have to pay a price for your love - it was freely given.
It started off just sticking around
At first, I was just hanging out with you.
That wonderful feeling from you
Your love made me feel happy and content.
Now there's finally someone telling me
Someone has encouraged me to give love as well.
I can really give too
I have my own love to give, and I can make a positive impact on others.
I know you know the feeling
You understand how good it feels to get something without expecting it.
That getting something for nothing is wrong
You believe that you should always work for what you get.
Getting love is so easy
Love is freely given, and it's easy to receive it if you're open to it.
Giving love takes so long
It can take a long time to cultivate the kind of love that you can give freely.
I've heard them say it at Christmas
People often talk about the joy of giving during the holiday season.
Now I can say it too
Now I understand the importance of giving and can appreciate it as well.
The feeling of giving
The joy you get from giving to others.
It's as good as I'm getting from you
The joy of giving is just as satisfying as the love you give me.
It's as good as I'm getting from you
The joy of giving is just as satisfying as the love you give me.
It's as good as I'm getting from you
The joy of giving is just as satisfying as the love you give me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN SEBASTIAN, STEVE BOONE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rorick Sellers
on 4 Eyes
4 Eyes: After "Mister up in middle classes" is the line: LET YOUR BABY CHOOSE HIS GLASSES ... [for some reason, this line in all caps is omitted ON EVERY WEBSITE that has the lyrics to this song. Weird.]