Lyrics to
What’s It Take?

This version of What’S It Take? was released by Robert Palmer in 1979.

Our About Robert Palmer page at Decade Lyrics includes the lyrics for What’S It Take? from 1979 as well as all of the other lyrics from Robert Palmer that we have in our lyrics database.

Here's more interesting things in songs and lyrics tied to Robert Palmer or about the 1970s in general.

Youre lonely can I see you
I hire a private red-eye rocket
But when I walk in here
You wanna go through all my pockets

Whats it take?
Mamma whats it take?

Ive known you all these years
And still you overhaul my letters
They dont confirm your fears
But when Im dead youll know me better

Whats it take?
Mamma whats it take?

My mistake was thinking I had it covered
I havent made the first move
Whats it take to get it through to you mamma?
What does it take to love you?

I take you out to dinner
You ask me why Im acting guilty
I thought Id backed a winner
This love affair is gonna kill me

Whats it take?

Mamma whats it take?

You say youre only teasing
I wanna try a new position
You wanna know the reason
Ive got a spanish inquisition

Whats it take?
Mamma whats it take?

My mistake was thinking I had it covered
I havent made the first move
Whats it take to get it through to you mamma?
What does it take to love you?

I wanna hear the gossip
You say I like a real ambition
I ask you if youve got it
You document my inhibitions

Whats it take?
Mamma whats it take?
Mamma whats it take?
Whats it take?

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Want more lyrics and songs by Robert Palmer?

Robert Palmer has released many songs over the years besides What’S It Take?. Robert Palmer released songs from 1974 to 2003 spanning across albums like Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley, Pressure Drop, Some People Can Do What They Like, Double Fun, Secrets, Clues, Pride, Riptide, Heavy Nova, Don't Explain, Ridin' High, Honey, Rhythm & Blues, and Drive. Decade Lyrics has over lyrics & songs by Robert Palmer.

If you're a fan of the music of the 1970s looking for more songs from 1979 or the 1970s overall, you've come to the right place!

About Lyrics and What’S It Take? by Robert Palmer

The lyrics to What’S It Take? are just the words, phrases, verses and chorus that Robert Palmer used when the song was created in 1979. The lyrics to What’S It Take? have both easy-to-spot meanings and hidden metaphors that have been discussed by the music press and fans, but only Robert Palmer and any collaborators know all of the inspirations for the song.

If you like etymology or breaking apart phrases and words, it is easy to understand the lyrics to What’S It Take? by Robert Palmer. The word "lyric" itself derives from the Latin word lyricus, with the actual English word lyrics applied to the definition "words set to music" listed in Stainer and Barrett's 1876 Dictionary of Musical Terms. Continuing the chain, the Latin word lyricus derives from the Greek word λυρικός or lyrikós. This somewhat means "poetry accompanied by the lyre" or "words set to music." You can easily see that by looking at the background of the word lyric, that the "lyrics to What’S It Take?" means the words set to the music of What’S It Take?, or poetry accompanied by the lyre played by Robert Palmer. The singular form "lyric" is still used to mean the complete words to a song. However, the singular form lyric is also commonly used to refer to a specific line (or phrase) within a song's lyrics. Hence, by this analysis of word structure, you could say that the lyric to What’S It Take? and the lyrics to What’S It Take? are both one and the same thing. None of this talk about the word Lyrics is really relevant to fans of Robert Palmer who came here looking just for the lyrics to What’S It Take?, but we feel it is still fun to learn what's behind commonly used words and lyrics in songs.

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