If I Should Die Tonight Lyrics
Oh, If I should die tonight, oh baby
Though it be far before my time
I won't die blue, sugar, yeah
'Cause I've known you
[Verse]
Ooh, oh, how many eyes have seen their dream?
Oh, how many arms have felt their dream?
How many hearts, baby
Have felt their world stand still? Ooh
[Pre-Chorus]
Millions never
They never, never
And millions never will, baby
They never will, woo
[Chorus]
If I should die tonight, love
Darlin', far before my time
I won't die blue
'Cause I've known you, ooh
[Bridge]
I'm so grateful, baby, grateful that you're loving me, my desire
Is to love you 'til I'm no longer here and never tire
Love has been so good to me, me now
I'm so thankful, ooh-ooh
How many eyes have seen their dream?
How many arms have felt their dream?
How many hearts, oh darling
Have felt their world stand still? Oh, Lord
[Pre-Chorus]
Oh, millions never
No, never never
And millions never will, sugar
They never will
[Outro]
If I should die tonight, oh, baby
I just want you to keep this one thought in mind
That I will never die blue
'Cause I've known you
Ooh-ooh
About
“If I Should Die Tonight” is the third track off of the classic ‘73 Marvin Gaye album Let’s Get It On. The song is written and produced by Marvin Gaye himself and producer Ed Townsend.
Townsend notes that initially Gaye couldn’t wrap his mind around the idea of loving a woman so much, that he could accept a premature death simply because he had known her in the biblical sense.
But after meeting Janis Hunter, Gaye purportedly told Townsend, “Get that tape. I can sing that son of a bitch now” (linear notes Let’s Get It On Deluxe Edition). In the initial mastering of Let’s Get It On, the final verse of “If I Should Die Tonight” was “accidentally” deleted. The original version of the song stood on its own for more than twenty years until, the deleted verse was re-inserted in a re-mastered CD of the recording in 1994. – Mark Anthony Neal
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 3.If I Should Die Tonight