What Meat Loaf Meant When He Said He ‘Won’t Do That’

Iconic singer Meat Loaf previously explained one of his most famous and misunderstood lyrics.

His epic rock tracks, often penned by Jim Steinman, have given fans such joy over the years and plenty of iconic lines to listen to throughout a glittering career.

One of the most famous lyrics of his career, ‘I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that’, often repeated in the song I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) on the album Bat out of Hell II: Back Into Hell, has often been discussed by Meat Loaf fans.

Many want to know just what ‘that’ thing Meat Loaf won’t do is, and the singer did once explain the meaning behind the words.

He said: ‘When we were recording it, Jim brings up the thing – he says, “People aren’t gonna know what that is.” I said, “Of course they are. How can they not know?” He goes, “They’re not gonna.”

‘It’s the line before every chorus, there’s nine of them, I think. The problem lies because Jimmy likes to write, so you forget what the line was before you get to “I won’t do that.”‘

Things that Meat Loaf wouldn’t do according to the song include ‘forget the way you feel right now’, ‘forgive myself if we don’t go all the way tonight’, ‘do it better than I do it with you’ and ‘stop dreaming of you every night of my life’.

In the song he is challenged by a female singer, with vocals performed by Lorraine Crosby in the single, that he will ‘see that it’s time to move on’ and ‘be screwing around’, to which Meat Loaf replies ‘I won’t do that’.

So, there you have it. He would do anything for love, but he won’t do anything bad once he’s in the relationship or forget how special it was at the start. It’s really rather sweet when you think about it.