Meatloaf's song?

Question

"I would do anything for love, but I wont do that"

What is it that he won't do?

Answer 1

In the line, "I will do anything for love, but I won't do that," the "that" is whatever he said just before that. For example... "But I'll never forget the way you feel right now-- Oh no--no way-- I would do anything for love, But I won't do that" - The "that" in this particular verse is "forget the way you feel right now." Meat Loaf said this himself on his StoryTellers episode on VH1.

Answer 2

Interpretation:
Jerry: Darryl, I recently heard this song and was filled with instant dread. The reason I felt dread was not because it was a Meat Loaf song. I think Meat Loaf is an excellent artist and I quite enjoy his music. The reason I felt dread was because I expected to hear the inevitable stupid question, "What won't he do?!!". Shortly after this song was released it became popular amongst all the morons of the world to ask, "What won't he do?" The song couldn't be more clear as to what he "wouldn't" do for love. Leave it to some jackass to only listen to the chorus and think they were being clever by asking that annoying question... Lets clear this up RIGHT NOW.

Darryl: Jerry, I can't agree with you more. Like so many other rock artists (and men in general) Meat Loaf has only one primary goal in life: to get laid. What won't he do? He won't give it a rest! He won't treat women with an ounce of respect! He won't think about anyone other than himself! What will he do? He will lie to get sex. He will think only with his genitals. He will use and abuse fragile women and then leave them shattered and broken. Is that clear enough?

Jerry: Darryl, you are a genius just because of the mere fact that you can be so right and so wrong all at the same time. I've never seen anyone successfully and repeatedly accomplish such a feat. Kudos to you sir.

You were right in the fact that when Meat Loaf speaks of love he's not speaking of the mental and spiritual relationship two people share. He's strictly talking about fornication. That is not to say that the mental, spiritual and emotional attachments aren't involved. He is firmly monogamous with his woman.

You better bet he'll do anything his woman wants him to just as long as he gets to get his rocks off. In fact there is only one thing that Meat Loaf won't do. He will not screw around behind her back to get some nookie on the side. That is the ONLY thing he won't do for 'love'.

Darryl: There is no "ONLY" thing he won't do for love. Let me list the things he claims he won't do.

1) "I'll never forget the way you feel right now"
2) "I'll never forgive myself if we don't go all the way tonight"
3) "I'll never do it better than I do it with you, so long, so long"
4) "I'll never stop dreaming of you every night of my life, no way"
5) [Girl:] "After a while you'll forget everything" "And you'll see that it's time to move on" [Boy:] "I won't do that!"
6) [Girl:] "sooner or later, you'll be screwing around" [Boy:] "I won't do that!"

Yes, he does say he won't screw around on her, but by that time he's saying "I won't do that" to anything and everything she's afraid he'll do. You can almost see him frothing at the mouth at that point, fighting off the urge to just force her down to the ground and take her whether she wants it or not!

Jerry: Alright, first of all one through four in your list have nothing to do with what he would or would not do for love. Those are just things he will never do. I can see how you would be confused by numbers five and six. Those two parts were actually meant to be one continual thought by the girl but Meat Loaf simply interrupts her trying to preempt her 'pitty party'.

I never insinuated that Meat Loaf wasn't foaming at the mouth and wanting to throw here on the ground and make not so sweet love to her but he is a gentleman. What he is saying to her is simply, "Sugar Pea, I'm not going to leave you so I can go sleep around with other women so you have nothing to worry about. Now open up and let the Wookie play with the Ewok."

He will most literally do anything for her 'love'. For example, he would go to the store and buy her feminine hygiene products, he would dress in a French Maid outfit and clean the house, or he would lather himself in miracle whip and let her play slip-and-slide. Lets face it. If you are willing to go to the store to buy feminine hygiene products, that is some serious devotion. The ONLY thing he won't do for sweet love is sleep around.

Darryl: What song are you listening to? Mr. Loaf clearly says "I won't do that" after each of items one through four. You can pretend he doesn't if you like, but the rest of us don't live in your reality. Face it. "Meat" is a man-slut. He'll sleep with anyone and anything. And do I even want to know why you're using the terms "Ewok" and "Wookie"? Do you personally know something about Meat Loaf's profusion of pubic hair? Never mind. Don't answer that. And just to clarify, when someone runs "right into hell and back", there's no requirement that they stop and grab some tampons.

Jerry: There I may have been confused. I thought "right into hell and back" was direct symbolism of going to the store to grab tampons. Confused or not about that part I stand firm to my statement. You have to look past the lyrics and into the inflections on the words. Yeah, he says "I won't do that." at first but when she says he is going to leave her his tone is totally different. He wants her to know that that he's telling the truth. It's very possible telling white lies is something he would do for love but he would most definitely not leaving her and sleep around.

Darryl - Summary: Well, I'll have to take your word for it. Anyone who's that familiar with his private bushiness is way more familiar with Meat than I EVER want to be!

Answer 3

check out wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_would_do_anything_for_love#Perceived_ambiguity_of_.22that.22

they have a very good explanation about it

Answer 4

Her: "Sooner or later, you'll be screwing around"
Him: "I won't do THAT"