LL Cool J

Released: June 9, 1989

Songwriter: Steve Ett LL Cool J Dwayne Simon

Producer: LL Cool J Dwayne Simon

One shot
Oh lord
You know, it's gonna be a lot of negative things surroundin you
Tryin to pull you down
But what you have to remember is
It's up to you - it's your choice
You only get one shot in life
And you only get one shot at love

Did you ever notice - everytime you fall in love
And it seems like you finally met the perfect match
Everything is perfect, it seems divine
But for some strange reason, there's always a catch
It's a one-way relationship, it hurts inside
One person smirks while the other one cries
Butterflies in the stomach of the one whose in love
It cuts like a knife, the truth mixed with lies

One shot (one shot at love..)
One shot at love, one shot (one shot at love..)
One shot at love, one shot (one shot at love..)
One shot at love, one shot (one shot at love..)
That's all you get

Physical and mental, those are two different loves
Physical's a moment, mental is forever
If the physical fades and gets weak, all of a sudden
Remember, it's the mental love that keeps you together
You gotta be strong and endure the hard times
Cause af-ter hard times, good times, always follow
And when you're kissin and huggin and makin love
Treat that person like there's no tomorrow

One shot (one shot at love..)
One shot at love, one shot (one shot at love..)
That's all you get baby; one shot at love, one shot (one shot at love..)
One shot at love, one.. shot.. (one shot at love..)
That's all you get {*sniff*}

Jealousy - don't let it interfere
Don't let it come in between
The love you two share, cause jealousy's a hateful God
So merciless and mean
And it's only job in life, is to ruin relationships
And pit two people against, one another
And because of this God, the one you love so much
Will no longer be your lover

One shot (one shot at love..)
Aww baby, one shot at love, one shot (one shot at love..)
That's all we get, one shot at love, one shot (one shot at love..)
I mean this baby, one shot at love, one shot (one shot at love..)
That's all..

I hope you understand what I just said
All I'm sayin is that you only get one shot at love in life
And you have to hold on to that shot, take advantage of it
Cause when you lose it, it's gonna hurt real bad
Take it from me
You only get one shot, and I mean that
One shot

You only get you only get you only get one (2X)
One shot at love..
You only get you only get you only get one (2X)
One shot at love..
You only get you only get you only get one (2X)
One shot at love..
You only get you only get you only get one (2X)
One shot at love.. {*fades*}

Deriving his name from the statement “Ladies Love Cool James,” LL Cool J became a superstar rapper after his Def Jam debut in 1984. He mixed a hardcore hip-hop style from songs like “I’m Bad” with R&B style on songs like “I Need Love,” which led him to multi-platinum success and several awards. He would later venture into movies and television, write several books, and start different business ventures.

Born January 14, 1968, Queens, New York native James Todd Smith began rapping at the age of nine and started to seriously pursue rapping when he was 16 years old after his grandfather bought him music equipment, which he used to create a demo tape that was sent to numerous labels. He was signed by upstart independent label Def Jam, working with founders Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin to release his debut single “I Need a Beat” in 1984, which sold over 100,000 copies. This success helped Def Jam secure a distribution deal with Columbia Records.

LL released his debut album Radio in 1985, which achieved platinum status with help from the hit singles “I Can’t Live Without My Radio” and “Rock the Bells.” After working exclusively with Rick Rubin on his debut, LL worked with the West Coast production crew L.A. Posse on his second album Bigger and Deffer, released in 1987. The album featured two of LL’s signature the hard-edged “I’m Bad” and the “rap ballad” “I Need Love,” which was a Top 20 pop hit, helping the album achieve double platinum status.

more tracks from the album

Walking with a Panther

From the album

Walking with a Panther (1989)

LL Cool J popular songs

One Shot at LoveLL Cool J

LL Cool J

Walking with a Panther