If You Can't Be With The One You Love... Love The One You're With

[arwalden]

I've always disliked that line because it appears to be an endorsement of infidelity. Am I interpreting it incorrectly?

Another way you could look at it is... the song appears to be suggesting that if you can't actually ATTAIN the person of your desires (the one you 'love') then you should SETTLE for the one you're with.

Maybe... it's not about "settling for less" as much as it is about BEING REALISTIC and not letting life pass you by because you set your goals too high.

OR... a naive interpretation could be that it's merely suggesting that we love-one-another (in a non-sexual way)?

-- Allen


P.S. GOPisEvil suggested that it's about the need for us to love ourselves before we're able to fully love someone else... so I added that as an option after fewer than 10 votes.

[THUNDER HANDS]

1. I think its about

Not chasing after unobtainable goals and finding out that you have everything you could ask for right in front of you.

Either that or its the most famous anti-booty-call song of all time. :D

[GOPisEvil]

2. It could be about looking from within. Because until we love ourselves,

we really aren't free to love another. :-)

Did I ever tell you that I had dinner with C, S and N? Well, not really, but we were eating at the same restaurant at the same time. Stills was toasted. :D

[arwalden]

4. Excellent! I'll Add That To The Poll ...

... thanks for the input.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

3. It's about loving people, instead of illusions

I mean, if you're not with the one you love, you're in love with an memory, not the person you aren't with. If you can't love the people around you, what good are you?

I'm not a big CSN fan, but I really like this song.

Eh, that's the sappiest thing I've ever written on DU.

[ProfessorGAC]

5. I Feel The Same As U

I think it's about cheating on one's SO, because it's convenient.
The Professor

[matcom]

6. its about loving EVERYBODY

communal love
loving your neighbor
loving your family
loving yourself
loving your fellow human
loving the earth
loving everything

PEACE :smoke:

[tjdee]

7. For Free Love. Basically getting your rocks off.

If I remember the lyrics right, I interpret that as the Free Love singsong.

Just have sex with whoever's there, just because they're there and the one you *really* love isn't. The melody of the song is alright, and I'll sing to it if it comes on, but it never sits right with me.

[mac56]

8. lyrics

If you’re down and confused
And you don’t remember who you’re talkin’ to
Concentration slip away
‘Cause your baby is so far away

Well there’s a rose in the fisted glove
And the eagle flies with the dove
And if you can’t be with the one you love, honey
Love the one you’re with

Don’t be angry, don’t be sad
And don’t sit cryin’ over good times you’ve had
There’s a girl right next to you
And she’s just waitin’ for something to do

And there’s a rose in the fisted glove
And the eagle flies with the dove
And if you can’t be with the one you love, honey
Love the one you’re with

(Dit dit dit dit dit dit dit dit
Dit dit dit dit dit dit dit dit
Dit dit dit dit dit dit dit dit
Dit dit dit
Dit dit dit)

Turn your heartache right into joy
She’s a girl and you’re a boy
Get it together, make it nice
You ain’t gonna need any more advice

And there’s a rose in the fisted glove
And the eagle flies with the dove
And if you can’t be with the one you love, honey
Love the one you’re with

(Dit dit dit dit dit dit dit dit....etc.)

[DemExpat]

9. From this line.....

Don’t be angry, don’t be sad
And don’t sit cryin’ over good times you’ve had

I always felt it was about not wallowing in the pain of a broken relationship....to start looking for something new, a new love.

DemEx

[KinkyDem]

10. I'd have to agree with this

on the other hand I'm all for the indicriminate sex with strangers thing ...

[arwalden]

12. That's Very Optimistic. I missed it entirely...

... thanks for pointing it out.

[arwalden]

11. The Tune Is Stuck In Your Head Now....

isn't it?

Mine too. Sorry.

-- Allen

[trof]

13. the lyrics

14.When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love

Oh my heart is beating wildly
And it's all because you're here.
When I'm not near the girl I love,
I love the girl I'm near.
Ev'ry femme that flutters by me
Is a flame that must be fanned.
When I can't fondle the hand I'm fond of,
I fondle the hand at hand.
My heart's in a pickle,
It's constantly fickle
And not too partickle, I fear.
When I'm not near the girl I love,
I love the girl I'm near.

I'm confessing a confession
And I hope I'm not verbose
When I'm not close to the kiss that I cling to,
I cling to the kiss that's close
As I'm more and more a mortal
I am more and more a case.
When I'm not facing the face that I fancy.
I fancy the face I face.
For Sharon I'm carin',
But Susan I'm choosin'
I'm faithful to whos'n is here.
When I'm not near the girl I love,
I love the girl I'm near.

And MY SENTIMENTS, eggzackly!
trof

[arwalden]

14. You Sure Know How To Make A Man Lonesome

(One of my favorite Clay Walker songs.)

Three weeks in phoenix one night to go
You´re lookin?too good and you´re standing to close
That song on the jukebox
Your dance-with-me smile
Has got me thinkin?of someone
I haven´t seen in a while

You sure know how to make a man lonesome
I see so much of my woman in you
You sure know how to make a man lonesome
But she knows how to keep her man true

Yes, i know that it´s early
Why am i leaving so soon
Well, it´s too warm in here
And it´s me not the room
And the way that you´re starin?
I´ve seen that look before
You´re makin me want her all that much more

You sure know how to make a man lonesome
I see so much of my woman in you
You sure know how to make a man lonesome
But she knows how to keep her man true

You sure know how to make a man lonesome
But she knows how to keep her man true

[Feanorcurufinwe]

15. Great poetry and songwriting connects on multiple levels

[mitchum]

16. It's an incredibly sleazy line by an creepy blowhound

[populistmom]

17. I definately think it's about settling or making the best of reality

Sometimes in life people can't be together for whatever reasons or perhaps there's a one-sided unrequited love thing going on and sometimes you just have to make the best of what's really going on with who you're with.

[Bucky]

18. It means to be about love, but the real message is "settle"

I keep getting this image of them singing this song at Woodstock and some dude is puffin' on a reefer and griping about how he's got the hots for some hippie chick, only she's off boinking the drummer from the last band up, so he like turns to the ugly girl right next to him and says "hey baby, ya wanna get it on?" and she's like all stoned and stuff and shrugs & goes, "groovy" and then they make flabby nasty hippie love right out in the middle of the mudpuddle.

But that's just my take on it.

[geniph]

19. It's about not chasing after illusions

but loving the person who's there for you, right there with you, instead of carrying a torch for some imaginary person that doesn't exist.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

20. A more practical message would be:

If you can't be with the one you love, honey,
Love someone who's rich. :evilgrin: