I Wanna Learn A Love Song
Composer(s): Harry Chapin 
Performer(s): Harry Chapin



I come fresh from the street
fast on my feet, kind a lean and lazy
not much meat on my bones, and a whole lot alone
and more than a little bit crazy
The old six string was all I had 
to keep my belly still
and for each full hour lesson I gave 
I got a crisp ten dollar bill

She was married for seven years
to a concrete castle king
She said she wanted to learn to play the guitar
and to hear her children sing
So I'd show up about once a week
in my faded tight-legged jeans
with a backlog full of hobo stories
and dilapidated dreams

She said, "I wanna learn a love song full of happy things"
She said, "I wanna learn a love song; won't you let me hear you sing?"
She said, "I wanna learn a love song, I wanna hear you play"
She said, "I wanna learn a love song before you go away"

So I tried to teach her a couple of chords
and an easy melody
but it always turned out she'd rather listen 
to my guitar and me
I could hear her old man laughing in the den
playing stud poker with the boys
while I sang so soft in the living room
to scared to make much noise
I came one week and the den was dark
and she met me at the door
And we sat on the couch and we sang and talked
till I could not sing no more
The silence kept on building
her eyes grew much too wide
and I could her both of our heartbeats
but there was no place to hide

She said, "I wanna learn a love song full of happy things"
She said, "I wanna learn a love song; won't you let me hear you sing?"
She said, "I wanna learn a love song, I wanna hear you play"
She said, "I wanna learn a love song before you go away"

Well, I guess you know what happened
God, I never been so clean
Yes, I feel like I'm working in a Hollywood movie
or living out a good bad dream
And all them pinup girls in that tinsel world
never touched me like she can
it took another man's wife in the real world life
to make this boy a man

She said, "I wanna learn a love song full of happy things"
She said, "I wanna learn a love song; won't you let me hear you sing?"
She said, "I wanna learn a love song, I wanna hear you play"
She said, "I wanna learn a love song before you go away"
I guess you know I stayed