About The Song
“If” is a song written by David Gates and popularized by his group Bread in 1971. Produced by David Gates and co-written with Waleen Johnson, “If” followed the success of Bread’s earlier hits, maintaining their reputation for heartfelt ballads. Originally released in 1971, “If” reached No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, No. 6 in Canada, and spent three weeks atop the U.S. Easy Listening chart.
Bread’s “If” is more than a love song; it encapsulates the essence of the human experience, emphasizing the importance of love, relationships, compromise, and sacrifice. The lyrics are simple yet profound, expressing deep love and devotion. They reflect on the limitations of words and imagery in conveying true emotions. The song poses rhetorical questions about the power of imagery and emotions, exploring the depth of love and longing.
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Lyrics
If a picture paints a thousand words
Then why can’t I paint you?
The words will never show
The you I’ve come to know
If a face could launch a thousand ships
Then where am I to go?
There’s no one home but you
You’re all that’s left me too
And when my love for life is running dry
You come and pour yourself on me
If a man could be two places at one time
I’d be with you
Tomorrow and today
Beside you all the way
If the world should stop revolving
Spinning slowly down to die
I’d spend the end with you
And when the world was through
Then one by one the stars would all go out
Then you and I would simply fly away