Love is the Ritual [Glen Burtnik]

Love Is The Ritual
Written by Glen Burtnik, Plinky
Lead Vocals by Glen Burtnik

Little sister
She got a lot of time she got a lot of money
Don't you know that ain't enough
Pretty thing
All dressed up for the main attraction
Like a baby doll looking for love

And she doesn't need a reason
She just hears a calling to the wild

God gave man the breath of life
To grow up strong to take a wife
To change the world and love is the ritual
You learn to walk & talk & laugh & cry
Heart & soul til the day you die
And above it all love is the ritual

Little man
Beating his chest & flexing his muscles
Gun for hire, he shoots for a star
Like a handsome prince
Walking down the streen in his shining armor
Romeo in search of his heart

There's a method to this madness
And a message calling to the wild

God gave man the breath of life
To grow up strong to take a wife
To change the world and love is the ritual
You learn to walk & talk & laugh & cry
Work your fingers to the bone til the day you die
And above it all love is the ritual

Come on dance little sister, little sister wants to dance
All night looking for true romance
When in a black leather jacket walks little brother
To rock her world, to be her lover

So signal all the children
Send a message calling to the wild

Also recorded by Styx for the 1990 album Edge of the Century.

Interpretation

Girls will dress up to look nice. They will fix their hair and put on makeup until they look like perfect baby dolls. They can't help wanting to be noticed.

Boys will work out to build muscle so they can show off for the girls. They will dress up and go out looking for love.

This goes back to the dawn of humanity.  In the Bible, one of the first things God did after creating man (Genesis 2:7) was to create woman and establish marriage (Genesis 2:24). 

Whether beating his chest like an ape (or Tarzan), strutting about as medieval prince or knight in shining armor, or showing his marksman skills in the Old West, there have always been mating rituals. Today, girls may swoon for a tough guy in a leather jacket.

Romeo and Juliet is a tragic tale of love, and stories of love have dominated literature and music for ages.

As we grow up we learn to walk and talk, we experience laughter and tears. Eventually we have jobs and work all day until exhausted, but the rituals of finding a lover are at the heart of life's experiences.