What Do You Got?

A song by Bon Jovi with some very strange grammar, which has been getting quite a bit of airplay on Planet Rock recently. It does, however, make a very true observation of human life. It does not matter who you are, rich, poor, famous, anonymous, or anyone in between, we all need love. We need to love and be loved, we have been programmed that way.

I know some people who have had bad experiences of love may well disagree, but I honestly feel love is what makes the world go round. I am lucky in that I have the love of family and good friends to support me. I also have the love of and for God. Even when earthly love lets us down, God still loves us. As the Bible says God gave his only son, even to death on the cross, so we could have eternal life. We were programed to love God and be loved by him. I know that this is not what the band are singing about, but the point is still true none the less.

Every one needs someone to tell them the truth the song says, and so we do. The truth from God is what we need, and his gentle nudges in the right direction. So what do you got if you aint got love - loneliness. With love - happiness. With God's love - eternal happiness. This does not mean the end of trouble or pain, but the knowledge of spending eternity with God.

Bon Jovi
What Do You Got? lyrics

Everybody wants something, just a little more
We're making a living, and what we're living for
A rich man or a poor man, a pawn or a king
You can live on the street, you can rule the whole world
But it don't mean one damn thing

What do you got, if you aint got love?
Whatever you got, it just aint enough
You walk in the road, but you're going nowhere
You're tryin' to find your way home, but there's no one there
Who do you hold, in the dark of night?
You wanna give up, but it's worth the fight
You have all the things, that you've been dreaming of

If you ain't got someone, you're afraid to lose
Everybody needs just one, someone... to tell them the truth
Maybe I'm a dreamer, but I still believe
I believe in hope, I believe the change can get us up off our knees

What do you got, if you aint got love?
Whatever you got, it just aint enough
You walk in the road, but you're going nowhere
You're tryin' to find your way home, but there's no one there
Who do you hold, in the dark of night?
You wanna give up, but it's worth the fight
You have all the things, that you've been dreaming of

If you ain't got love, it's all just keeping score
If you ain't got love, what the hell we doing it for

I don't wanna have to talk about it,
How many songs you gotta sing about it?
How long you gonna live without it?
Why does someone somewhere have to doubt it?
Someday we'll figure it out

What do you got, if you aint got love?
Whatever you got, it just aint enough
You walk in the road, but you're going nowhere
You're tryin' to find your way home, but there's no one there
Who do you hold, in the dark of night?
You wanna give up, but it's worth the fight
You have all the things, that you've been dreaming of

If you ain't got love, it's all just keeping score
If you ain't got love, what the hell we doing it for
Woahhh, I ain't got, if you ain't got love
Woahhh, What do you got if you ain't got love?
Woahhh, What do you got if you ain't got love?