For My Lover
Tracy Chapman Lyrics


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Two weeks in a Virginia jail
For my lover for my lover
Twenty thousand dollar bail
For my lover for my lover

And everybody thinks
That I'm the fool
But they don't get
Any love from you
The things we won't do for love
I'd climb a mountain if I had to
And risk my life so I could have you
You, you, you...

Everyday I'm psychoanalyzed
For my lover for my lover
They dope me up and I tell them lies
For my lover for my lover

I follow my heart
And leave my head to ponder
Deep in this love
No man can shake

I follow my heart
And leave my mind to wonder




Is this love worth
The sacrifices I make

Overall Meaning

Tracy Chapman's song For My Lover is a passionate and heartfelt tribute to a lover who has landed the singer in jail and led her to question the sacrifices she is willing to make for love. Throughout the song, Chapman illustrates the extent to which she is willing to go to be with her lover, including spending two weeks in a Virginia jail and posting a twenty thousand dollar bail.


The singer is aware of the judgments that are being made about her, with people thinking that she is a fool. However, Chapman emphasizes the depth of her love by pointing out that "they don't get any love from you." The listener can sense the pain and desperation in her voice as she declares that she would climb a mountain and risk her life to be with her lover.


The second verse reveals that the singer is being psychoanalyzed and doped up with drugs, presumably because of the choices she has made for love. Despite this, she is ready to follow her heart and make sacrifices in deep love that no man can shake. The song's final lines pose a poignant question, "Is this love worth the sacrifices I make?" Chapman's delivery on this line is heart-wrenching, as the listener can sense her struggle and uncertainty.


Overall, For My Lover is a song about the risks and sacrifices that deep love can require, and the emotional turmoil that these choices can cause. Through her powerful lyrics and achingly beautiful voice, Tracy Chapman captures the complexity of love and the lengths we may go to be with the ones we love.


Line by Line Meaning

Two weeks in a Virginia jail
I was willing to endure great hardship by spending two weeks in jail in Virginia for the sake of my lover.


For my lover for my lover
I did it solely for the love I have for my partner.


Twenty thousand dollar bail
The cost of my love for my partner was steep, as seen by the hefty $20,000 bail I had to post.


And everybody thinks
Others have a certain perception of me and my actions.


That I'm the fool
Judgmental individuals see me as someone who's foolish for risking so much for love.


But they don't get
These outsiders don't understand the depth of the love I share with my partner.


Any love from you
My partner doesn't reciprocate their love, only I do.


The things we won't do for love
Love drives us to do incredible, even unthinkable, things for the ones we love.


I'd climb a mountain if I had to
I don't shy away from difficult challenges, and I'll even scale mountains if it means proving my love.


And risk my life so I could have you
I'm willing to put my life on the line for the sake of my partner's love.


You, you, you...
Everything I do, I do for my love for my partner.


Everyday I'm psychoanalyzed
People often scrutinize me and my actions when it comes to my love life and relationship.


For my lover for my lover
Once again, everything I do and say is for my lover's love and affection.


They dope me up and I tell them lies
When people don't understand our love, they try to medicate me, and I often have to lie to them to make them understand that love cannot be quantified or controlled.


I follow my heart
My heart guides my moral compass and the decisions I make for love.


And leave my head to ponder
Though I'm led by my heart, I still find myself caught up in contemplation about whether my love is worth all the sacrifices and pain.


Deep in this love
My love for my partner runs so deep that it defies explanation for outsiders.


No man can shake
Despite any difficulties or opposition, my love for my partner remains steadfast and unbreakable.


Is this love worth
At times, I question whether this all-consuming love is truly worth the sacrifices I make and whether it is truly reciprocated.


The sacrifices I make
No matter what struggles I endure and what sacrifices I make, I am committed to continuing to make them if it means being true to my love and staying with my partner.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TRACY L CHAPMAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@ekateriniioannidou8751

Two weeks in a Virginia jail
For my lover for my lover
Twenty thousand dollar bail
For my lover for my lover
And everybody thinks
That I'm the fool
But they don't get
Any love from you
The things we won't do for love
I'd climb a mountain if I had to
And risk my life so I could have you
You, you, you...
Everyday I'm psychoanalyzed
For my lover for my lover
They dope me up and I tell them lies
For my lover for my lover
I follow my heart
And leave my head to ponder
Deep in this love
No man can shake
I follow my heart
And leave my mind to wonder
Is this love worth
The sacrifices I make



All comments from YouTube:

@wreybies

33 years later and I remain humbled at Tracy's talent, her tenacity, her bravery, her dogged insistence that uncomfortable things don't go away just because we don't talk about them. In fact, the only chance we have IS to address them honestly, plainly, an truthfully.

@maxwellnyoni928

More than a generational talent this

@georgik1963

In 1988 I was a first-year graduate student on a summer work exchange in Ireland. I hitchhiked from Dublin to Galway. This song was in my head the entire long walk along the Liffey, until I reached the outskirts of town and caught a ride. Comes back to me now more than thirty years later, as if it was yesterday ... If there's only one thing to thank God for -- that's for the poets in this world.

@stevedoherty7325

Love this!

@renegaderunner332

They should have released this single on mainstream radio. It would have sold about a many copies as the iconic song, Fast Car! This entire album was a BEAST!!!

@tolubamidele1508

It’s too political and truthful. Mainstream media wants to dumb us down and not wake us up.

@renegaderunner332

Good point!

@dennys82

This entire album is pure magic. A perfect partner for a solitary road trip, discovering ourselves. Like the perfect soundtrack of my life.

@awakeafter163

Great way of hearing / appreciating this artist.

@docindomito3468

There aren't many records like this out there... not so long, but gold all the way through.

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