Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word

Bob Dylan

About Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word

"Love is Just a Four-Letter Word" is a song written by Bob Dylan, first recorded by Joan Baez, who has recorded and performed the song numerous times throughout her career.


Year:
1967
845 
#16

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Seems like only yesterday
I left my mind behind
Down in the Gypsy Cafe
With a friend of a friend of mine
She sat with a baby heavy on her knee
Yet spoke of life most free from slavery
With eyes that showed no trace of misery
A phrase in connection first with she I heard
That love is just a four-letter word

Outside a rambling store-front window
Cats meowed to the break of day
Me, I kept my mouth shut, too
To you I had no words to say
My experience was limited and underfed
You were talking while I hid
To the one who was the father of your kid
You probably didn't think I did, but I heard
You say that love is just a four-letter word

I said goodbye unnoticed
Pushed towards things in my own games
Drifting in and out of lifetimes
Unmentionable by name
Searching for my double, looking for
Complete evaporation to the core
Though I tried and failed at finding any door
I must have thought that there was nothing more
Absurd than that love is just a four-letter word

Though I never knew just what you meant
When you were speaking to your man
I can only think in terms of me
And now I understand
After waking enough times to think I see
The Holy Kiss that's supposed to last eternity
Blow up in smoke, its destiny
Falls on strangers, travels free
Yes, I know now, traps are only set by me
And I do not really need to be
Assured that love is just a four-letter word

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Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan ( /ˈdɪlən/; born Robert Allen Zimmerman; May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, poet and artist. He has been an influential figure in popular music and culture for more than five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly reluctant figurehead of social unrest. A number of Dylan's early songs, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'", became anthems for the US civil rights and anti-war movements. Leaving his initial base in the culture of folk music behind, Dylan's six-minute single "Like a Rolling Stone" has been described as radically altering the parameters of popular music in … more »

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Written by: Bob Dylan

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


12 facts about this song

Song Composition
"Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word" is a song written by Bob Dylan, and most notably performed by Joan Baez.
Release Date
Joan Baez first recorded the song and released it on her 1968 album "Any Day Now."
Unreleased Original
Despite being the writer of the song, Bob Dylan himself never officially released a studio version of "Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word."
Live Performances
Joan Baez often performed this song in her live concerts and the song has become one of her signature tunes.
Song Creation Story
Baez has often recounted that she was in the room when Dylan completed the writing of this song, and that Dylan dismissed it as an unfinished draft saying it wasn't much, unconcerned about leaving it behind.
Dylan's Recording
Dylan did record a version of the song during the sessions for his album "Another Side of Bob Dylan," but it was not included in the final album.
Interpretation
The enigmatic lyrics of the song have been interpreted in many ways by fans and critics, reflecting both humanistic and cynical views of love.
Critical Response
"Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word" is celebrated for its poetic and complex lyrics, typical of Dylan's work.
Grammy Nomination
Baez's version was nominated for a Grammy award in 1969 for Best Folk Performance.
Popularity
Despite being a "deep cut" and never being a chart-topping single, the song is one of the most beloved tracks in Joan Baez's discography and is often cited as a favorite among her fans.
Live Performances Together
Both Dylan and Baez have performed the song in duet during the Rolling Thunder Revue tour in the mid-1970s.
Song's Cover
Many other artists have also covered "Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word," including Steppenwolf and Stoney LaRue.

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