If Ever I Would Leave You Lyrics
If Ever I Would Leave You
If ever I would leave youIt wouldn't be in summer.
Seeing you in summer I never would go.
Your hair streaked with sun-light,
Your lips red as flame,
Your face witha lustre
that puts gold to shame!
But if I'd ever leave you,
It couldn't be in autumn.
How I'd leave in autumn I never will know.
I've seen how you sparkle
When fall nips the air.
I know you in autumn
And I must be there.
And could I leave you
running merrily through the snow?
Or on a wintry evening
when you catch the fire's glow?
If ever I would leave you,
How could it be in spring-time?
Knowing how in spring I'm bewitched by you so?
Oh, no! not in spring-time!
Summer, winter or fall!
No, never could I leave you at all!
Song Overview
Song Credits
- Producer: Goddard Lieberson
- Writers: Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe
- Recorded At: CBS 30th Street Studio
- Release Date: 1960-12-12
- Genre: Broadway, Musicals, Pop
- Album: Camelot (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
- Language: English
- Style: Romantic, Orchestral, Theatrical
Song Meaning and Annotations
In the canon of Broadway declarations of love, Robert Goulet’s rendition of If Ever I Would Leave You sits in rarefied air — a soaring, velvet-lined testament to absolute romantic devotion. This isn’t a promise made with crossed fingers behind the back. It’s devotion etched across the calendar of seasons, set to a lush Frederick Loewe melody that never quite lets go.
The Language of Love and the Passing of Time
Each verse uses a season not as mere scenery, but as a metaphor:
Your hair streaked with sunlight, your lips red as flameGoulet, as Lancelot, delivers a pledge with knightly grandeur — not in combat but in constancy. Summer dazzles with brightness, fall brings sparkling air and golden tones, winter offers firelight and snow — and through it all, his love is the only unchanged element.
Oh, no, not in springtime, summer, winter, or fall / No, never could I leave you at allBy the time the refrain circles back, it’s less repetition and more reaffirmation. The seasons cycle, the world turns, but his heart — immovable. It’s love that defies weather, fashion, or fleeting emotion. In Broadway terms, that’s about as eternal as it gets.
Romantic Archetype and Vocal Bravado
Goulet’s voice, a velvet tsunami of baritone, is as much a character here as the lyrics. He doesn’t just sing Lancelot — he embodies a kind of mythic masculinity, filled with noble yearning and passionate restraint. There’s no winking irony here. It’s earnest, classic, and utterly theatrical.
The musical phrasing echoes a waltz with the divine. It rises, swells, dips — like a dance made for declaring undying affection at the edge of some windswept cliff. In short: Broadway doesn’t get much more sweepingly serious than this.
Similar Songs
- "Some Enchanted Evening" – Ezio Pinza (from South Pacific)
Another titan of musical romance, this song carries the same gravity and poetic wonder. Both tracks feature deep male vocals pledging devotion in timeless, picturesque terms — framed around the impossibility of letting go. - "On the Street Where You Live" – John Michael King (from My Fair Lady)
This Lerner and Loewe song is brighter, more infatuated, but shares the motif of presence — the overwhelming desire to be near a beloved no matter the consequence. It’s more youthful, but cut from the same silk cloth of romantic longing. - "This Nearly Was Mine" – Brian Stokes Mitchell (from South Pacific)
If "If Ever I Would Leave You" is about a love so strong you can’t leave, this is the companion piece about love just out of reach. Same emotional register — different outcome. Both ache, but from opposite directions.
Questions and Answers
- What is the meaning of "If Ever I Would Leave You"?
- It expresses unwavering love and devotion across all seasons — a poetic way of saying the narrator could never bear to leave his beloved, no matter the time of year.
- Who sings "If Ever I Would Leave You" in Camelot?
- Robert Goulet, playing Lancelot in the original Broadway cast, sings it as a romantic ode to Guenevere.
- Is this considered a love song?
- Absolutely. It's one of Broadway’s quintessential love songs — earnest, lyrical, and rich with poetic imagery.
- Why is the song structured around the seasons?
- Each season serves as a metaphor for reasons to stay — showcasing the beloved's beauty and the emotions they evoke throughout the year. It emphasizes constancy and timeless affection.
- What vocal style is used in this performance?
- Robert Goulet uses a classic baritone with operatic phrasing, lending a regal and dramatic weight to every line. It’s deeply expressive and technically refined.
Fan and Media Reactions
"His voice is like molten gold poured over a love letter." – YouTube user @BroadwaySoul
"The most elegant way to say 'I’m not going anywhere' ever written." – YouTube user @StagedRomance
"This song made me fall in love with musical theater." – YouTube user @CurtainCallForever
"Every time I hear Goulet sing this, I want to get married in autumn just to prove him wrong." – YouTube user @BaritoneDreams
"A love song wrapped in silk and sunshine. Just beautiful." – YouTube user @VintageVinylLover
If Ever I Would Leave You has become a romantic anthem, covered by jazz legends, divas, and crooners alike. But it’s Goulet’s original version — bold, sincere, and touched with Arthurian drama — that remains the definitive version. The Broadway baritone never had a finer moment.