How Long Will I Love You by The Waterboys is a simple, poetic love song about promising lifelong, almost timeless devotion to someone you love. It uses nature and time imagery to say “I’ll love you as long as things in the universe keep existing” – and even longer if possible.

What the song is about

  • The lyrics describe a love that lasts “as long as there are stars above you,” tying love to the lifespan of the cosmos, not just a human lifetime.
  • Lines about seasons following their plan and the sea washing upon the sand connect love to steady, inevitable natural cycles.
  • The overall feel is tender and reassuring, like a vow: the singer will love, need, hold, and give to the other person for as long as they live – and beyond, if they could.

Key lyric that confuses people

One line many listeners ask about is: “How long will I hold you? As long as your father told you, as long as you are.”

  • In the original Waterboys lyric, “as long as you are” can be read both as “for as long as you exist” and as a playful nod to a child’s height/size – a kind of subtle “dad joke.”
  • Some listeners interpret it as the singer promising to hold and protect their loved one for at least as long as a caring father would, reinforcing love as safe and protective.

Versions and later popularity

  • How Long Will I Love You was written and performed by The Waterboys; the song has since been covered by other artists, the most famous being Ellie Goulding, which helped bring it to a newer, wider audience in the 2010s.
  • Some covers slightly change the wording of certain lines, which is why online discussions often compare the Waterboys’ original lyric to Ellie Goulding’s version when debating the meaning of that “father told you” line.

Simple emotional takeaway

At its core, the song is about promising someone:

  • I’ll love you for as long as I live.
  • My love is as constant as stars, seasons, and the sea.
  • My care for you is deep, protective, and enduring, like the love of a devoted parent or lifelong partner.

TL;DR: How Long Will I Love You by The Waterboys is a heartfelt declaration of eternal love, using nature and time to say “I will love you for as long as anything lasts – and longer if I can.”

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.