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BREAD
EVERYTHING I OWN
Guitar 1: Acoustic Rhythm
About the Track
Song: Everything I Own
Artist: Bread
Album: Baby, I'm-a Want You
Released: January, 1972
Writer: David Gates
Chart Performance
Released: January 1972
Billboard Hot 100: #5
Easy Listening chart (U.S.): #1
UK Singles Chart (as covered by Ken Boothe): #1 in 1974
The Song
“Everything I Own” is a soft rock ballad by the American band Bread, written by David Gates, and released in 1972 on their album Baby I'm-a Want You. Although the lyrics sound like a romantic love song, the true inspiration behind it is far more personal and emotional.
Songwriting Background
& Meaning
David Gates wrote “Everything I Own” as a tribute to his late father, who had died several years earlier. Gates said in interviews that while the lyrics are often interpreted as being about a romantic partner, they were actually meant to express the deep appreciation and grief he felt for his father’s quiet sacrifices and unwavering support.
“My father was someone I really looked up to and admired,” Gates shared in an interview. “Everything I did, he supported me. When I lost him, I felt like I would’ve given everything I owned just to have him back.”
This hidden meaning makes the lyrics—"I would give everything I own / Just to have you back again"—especially poignant, adding depth to a song often mistaken as purely about heartbreak or lost love.
Patrick Jones - Course author
STAYCE ROBERTS
With over 40 years of dedication to the instrument, Stayce has taken his love of songwriting, guitar playing and producing that allows him to bring a fresh, professional style to his Online Instructional Videos, making him a top tier instructor in song and lesson tutorials.