At the Music Hall: If Love Were All, 1929

Image from "When Legends Gather."

I believe in doing what I can
In crying when I must
In laughing when I choose
Hey ho, if love were all
I should be lonely.

I believe the more you love a man,
The more you give your trust,
The more you're bound to lose.

Although when shadows fall
I think if only
Somebody splendid really needed me
Someone affectionate and dear
Cares would be ended if I knew that he
Wanted to have me near.

But I believe that since my life began
The most I've had is just a talent to amuse.
Hey ho, if love were all. 



Noël Coward published “If Love Were All” in 1929. He’d written this self-conscious song of loneliness for the operetta, “Bitter Sweet.” Many feel that the lyrics are somewhat autobiographical and speak of Coward’s thoughts of his own life. The song also had great meaning for Judy Garland who performed it as part of her Carnegie Hall shows.