What does this song mean: "Oh I would do anything for love..."?

Question

"Oh I would do ANY-THING for love, yes I would do ANY-THING for love, oh I would do ANY-THING for love...but I won't do THAT...no I won't do THAT...."

What the heck does this mean? If he would do ANYTHING for love, what is it that she's asking him to do that he WON'T DO, carry out the trash or something? Any ideas?

Some of these songs are mindless. And people will pay hard-earned money to listen them.

Answer 1

In the song she says, "sooner or later, you'll be screwing around", and he says, "I won't do that". Read the lyrics:

i would do anything for love, i'd run right into hell and back
i would do anything for love, i'll never lie to you and that's a fact

but i'll never forget the way you feel right now, oh no, no way
and i would do anything for love, but i won't do that, i won't do that
anything for love, oh i would do anything for love
i would do anything for love, but i won't do that, oh i won't do that

some days it don't come easy, and some days it don't come hard
some days it don't come at all, and these are the days that never end
some nights you're breathing fire, and some nights you're carved in ice
some nights you're like nothing i've ever seen before or will again

maybe i'm crazy, but it's crazy and it's true
i know you can save me, no one else can save me now but you

as long as the planets are turning, as long as the stars are burning
as long as your dreams are coming true, you'd better believe it

that i would do anything for love, and i'll be there 'til the final act
i would do anything for love, and i'll take a vow and seal a pact

but i'll never forgive myself if we don't go all the way tonight
and i would do anything for love, oh i would do anything for love
oh i would do anything for love, but i won't do that, no i won't do that

i would do anything for love, anything you've been dreaming of
but i just won't do that
(repeats 3x)

(solo)

some days i pray for silence, and somedays i pray for soul
some days i just pray to the god of sex and drums and rock 'n roll
some nights i lose the feeling, and some nights i lose control
some nights i just lose it all when i watch you dance and the thunder rolls

maybe i'm lonely. that's all i'm qualified to be
there's just one and only, the one and only promise i can keep:

as long as the wheels are turning, as long as the fires are burning
as long as your prayers are coming true, you better believe it

that i would do anything for love, and you know it's true and that's a fact
i would do anything for love, and there'll never be no turning back

but i'll never do it better than i do it with you, so long, so long
and i would do anything for love, oh i would do anything for love
i would do anything for love, but i won't do that, no no no i won't do that

i would do anything for love, anything you've been dreaming of
but i just won't do that
(repeats 7x)

but i'll never stop dreaming of you every night of my life, no way

and i would do anything for love, oh i would do anything for love
i would do anything for love, but i won't do that, no i won't do that

[girl:] will you raise me up, will you help me down?
will you get me right out of this godforsaken town?
will you make it all a little less cold?

[boy:] i can do that! i can do that!

[girl:] will you hold me sacred? will you hold me tight?
can you colorize my life, i'm so sick of black and white?
can you make it all a little less old?

[boy:] i can do that! i can do that!

[girl:] will you make me some magic, with your own two hands?
can you build an emerald city with these grains of sand?
can you give me something i can take home?

[boy:] i can do that! i can do that!

[girl:] will you cater to every fantasy i got?
will ya hose me down with holy water, if i get too hot?
will you take me places i've never known?

[boy:] i can do that! oh oh now, i can do that!

[girl:] after a while you'll forget everything
it was a brief interlude and a midsummer night's fling
and you'll see that it's time to move on

[boy:] i won't do that! no i won't do that!

[girl:] i know the territory, i've been around
it'll all turn to dust and we'll all fall down
and sooner or later, you'll be screwing around

Answer 2

The song is by Meatloaf, one of his few hits. And he's purposefully vague about what IT (the thing he won't do) is. I think it kinda leaves it open to the listener to ask themselves, what's the one thing *I* wouldn't do for love? What's the one thing you wouldn't give up, even for the love of your life? Everyone might have a different answer - their honor, their life, their religion, their freedom, etc.
So the true message is more about YOUR response than the singer's.

Answer 3

He's trying to talk a chick into sleeping with him. He says he'll never forgive himself if they don't do it tonight.

Basically, he meets all her challenges (you'll forget me, etc.) with the answer that he won't do that.

He's b-s-ing her.

The song is a CLASSIC, about 25 years old, maybe more. It's part of a larger work, almost like an opera. And just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it's garbage.

Answer 4

I heard it on a Dr. Pepper commercial. I think they were using to say that he would do anything except share his soda. I don't really get the song because if he would do anything, there shouldn't be anything that he wouldn't do. If he won't do that one thing, he should say "almost anything" instead.

Answer 5

Listen at the very end ,when she sings the last verse about the bad things he might do. Those are the things that meatloaf explained about not doing.

Answer 6

Interpret it how you like. No-one knows, or is supposed to know what it is that he won't do. Yeah, not everything makes perfect sense, but it doesn't necessarily have to be perfectly logical - it's pop music - if everyone used plain english it'd be boring. I'm not fussed about that song either though...

Answer 7

the name of the song is i will do anything but that!
yes the chick is asking him to cheat on her friend but he loves this chick so much he want's no other!
if you look slightly deeper then the words that were displayed you would get more then your moneys worth!
try deep converstations too!
the fact that your only looking for instant gradifacation worries me!
and that fact that you are only skimming the surface of what the song says worries me!
look inside
DEEPER!

Answer 8

According to the song the lady says he will leave her and he says he will do anything but he won't do that.

Answer 9

Sounds to me like she will do anything for love, but when her boyfriend told her, baby if you love me, lets do it, so she is making a super ultra wise decision by keeping herself for marriage.

Answer 10

I always wonder about some song lyrics too, it's best to check out
www.songmeanings.net
You'll find your answer there!