Love as an Imperfect Masterpiece: The Unvarnished Truth of the Human Heart
A stark, poetic testament to love’s resilience, enduring not because of perfection, but in spite of life’s daily bruises.
When the subject turns to genuine American songwriting, to the architects of the craft whose words are worn smooth by the truth of life, the name Guy Clark rings out like the clear, low chime of a well-tuned acoustic guitar. A true titan of the Outlaw Country and Americana movements, Clark wasn’t interested in pop charts; he was interested in reality—the kind of reality you can smell on the wind and taste in the bottom of a cheap cup of coffee. “Anyhow, I Love You,” released in 1976 on his second studio album, Texas Cookin’, is perhaps the ultimate example of his genius. As an album track on a foundational record for the genre, it never chased a high chart position, existing instead as a deep-cut classic that became beloved by songwriters and discerning listeners alike.
The story woven into the fabric of this song is arguably one of the most romantic in modern music history: it is a direct and unvarnished portrait of his famously complex and artistic marriage to his wife, the painter and songwriter Susanna Clark. The lyrics are a tender, warts-and-all love letter, acknowledging the “bad times” and the “pain” that naturally accumulates in any profound, long-term relationship. The famous inspiration comes from an actual photograph—one Guy took of Susanna when she was “pissed” at him and his friend Townes Van Zandt for being “drunk a**holes.”
Guy Clark captured that moment of beautiful, imperfect fury. He sings about a photograph of his love, arms crossed, mad at him, yet he concludes with the perfect, disarming truth: “The camera loves you / And so do I.” It is the most beautiful kind of love song because it is utterly un-romanticized.
The meaning of “Anyhow, I Love You” is a masterclass in mature commitment. It’s the antithesis of fleeting passion; it’s a celebration of anyhow love—the kind that persists despite the flaws, the arguments, the times when “all you can recall is the pain.” The song’s central message offers profound comfort to older readers who understand that enduring love is less about starry-eyed fantasy and more about waking up every morning to a flawed, magnificent human being and choosing to stay. The promise in the chorus—”Just you wait until tomorrow when you wake up / with me at your side and find I haven’t lied about nothin’ / I wouldn’t trade a tree for the way I feel about you in the morning’ / anyhow I love you”—is a powerful assurance of fidelity and depth. This song doesn’t just ask you to swoon; it asks you to commit.
The recording features the unmistakable sound of the burgeoning Texas Country scene, with backing vocals from giants like Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, and Rodney Crowell, all lending their voices to this hymn of imperfect devotion, cementing its status not just as a song, but as a monument to the honest, beautiful chaos of a creative life well-shared.