Milton was born James Milton Campbell, Jr., in the Mississippi Delta town of Inverness and raised in Greenville by a farmer and local blues musician.[2] By age twelve he had learned the guitar and was a street musician, chiefly influenced by T-Bone Walker and his blues and rock and roll contemporaries.[2] In 1952, while still a teenager playing in local bars, he caught the attention of Ike Turner, who was at that time a talent scout for Sam Phillips' Sun Records. He signed a contract with the label and recorded a number of singles. None of them broke through onto radio or sold well at record stores, however, and Milton left the Sun label by 1955.[2]
After trying several labels without notable success, including Trumpet Records,[3] Milton set up the St. Louis based Bobbin Records label, which ultimately scored a distribution deal with Leonard Chess' Chess Records.[2] As a record producer, Milton helped bring artists such as Albert King and Fontella Bass to fame, while experiencing his own success for the first time.[2] After a number of small format and regional hits, his 1962 single, "So Mean to Me," broke onto the Billboard R&B chart, eventually peaking at #14.
Following a short break to tour, managing other acts, and spending time recording new material, he returned to music in 1965 with a more polished sound, similar to that of B.B. King. After the ill-received "Blind Man" (R&B: #86), he released back-to-back hit singles. The first, "We're Gonna Make It," a blues-infused soul song, topped the R&B chart and broke through onto Top 40 radio, a format then dominated largely by white artists. He followed the song with #4 R&B hit "Who's Cheating Who?" All three songs were featured on his album, We're Gonna Make It, released that summer.
Throughout the late 1960s Milton released a number of moderately successful singles, but did not issue a further album until 1969, with Grits Ain't Groceries featuring his hit of the same name, as well as "Just a Little Bit" and "Baby, I Love You". With the death of Leonard Chess the same year, Milton's distributor, Checker Records fell into disarray, and Milton joined the Stax label two years later.[2] Adding complex orchestration to his works, Milton scored hits with "That's What Love Will Make You Do" and "What It Is" from his live album, What It Is: Live at Montreux. He appeared in the documentary film, Wattstax, which was released in 1973.[4] Stax, however, had been losing money since late in the previous decade and was forced into bankruptcy in 1975.[2]
After leaving Stax, Milton struggled to maintain a career, moving first to Evidence, then the MCA imprint Mobile Fidelity Records, before finding a home at the independent record label, Malaco Records, where he remained for much of the remainder of his career.[2] His last hit single, "Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number," was released in 1983 from the album of the same name.[2] In 1988, Little Milton was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and won a W.C. Handy Award.[2] His most final album, Think of Me, was released in May 2005 on the Telarc imprint, and included writing and guitar on three songs by Peter Shoulder of the UK-based blues-rock trio Winterville.
The name 'Little Milton' was reused for Gerald Bostock, the fictional boy poet central to Jethro Tull's 1972 record Thick as a Brick.
Milton died on August 4, 2005 from complications following a stroke.
Let Me Down Easy
Little Milton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't you abuse it.
I gave you tender loving care.
Oh baby, don't misuse it.
If you got somebody
You got somebody else on your mind,
I want you to please, oh please baby
Let me down easy.
I've sweated and toiled for you, baby
And I know you know it.
But, if you got any appreciation for me
Oh, you got a sad way of showing it.
If you got somebody
Oh, if you got somebody else on your mind
I want you to please, please baby
Let me down easy.
Oh, you ought to give me credit baby
You ought to give credit where credit is due right now.
Cause I know that you know
Oh, I been so good to you. Hey!
I did everything for you baby, yes I did.
That a man, a man is supposed to do.
But oh, you're taking advantage of me
Cause you know I'm a fool for you.
If you got somebody
Oh, if you got somebody else on your mind
I want you to, to please baby
Let me down easy.
Oh baby
Let me down easy, yeah.
Don't let me go fast, oh no no.
No no oh
Would you let me down easy?
If you let me down easy
It would be alright baby.
You know I don't mind begging you.
Oh oh oh baby
Please...
Oh
Oh yeah
Oh baby
Do you feel it, yeah
In Little Milton's Let Me Down Easy (Live), the singer is pleading with their lover to break up with them gently if they've fallen out of love. The singer stresses how much effort they have put into the relationship and how well they have taken care of their significant other. However, they also reveal doubts about the other person's appreciation for the relationship or the sacrifices they've made. The repetition of "Oh, if you got somebody else on your mind" underlines a certain insecurity and jealousy about the state of their relationship. The singer asks for emotional mercy and hopes to avoid getting hurt further.
Overall, the song captures the frustration, heartache, and vulnerability associated with feeling like an unequal or underappreciated partner. The bluesy, soulful rhythm adds to the sense of agony and lamentation expressed by the singer. Milton's voice conveys both sadness and resilience, as if acknowledging that the best way forward may be to accept the inevitability of heartbreak and move on in a healthier way.
Line by Line Meaning
I gave you all my love.
I loved you deeply, with all my heart and soul.
Don't you abuse it.
Please don't hurt me with your actions.
I gave you tender loving care.
I treated you with kindness and affection.
Oh baby, don't misuse it.
Don't take advantage of my love for you.
If you got somebody
If you're involved with someone else
You got somebody else on your mind,
If there's someone else you're thinking about
I want you to please, oh please baby
Please be honest with me and let me down gently.
Let me down easy.
Please don't break my heart ruthlessly.
I've sweated and toiled for you, baby
I worked hard to make you happy.
And I know you know it.
You're aware of everything I've done for you.
But, if you got any appreciation for me
If you value my presence in your life
Oh, you got a sad way of showing it.
You're not showing it in a way that satisfies me.
Oh, you ought to give me credit baby
You should recognize and appreciate my efforts
You ought to give credit where credit is due right now.
Show appreciation in the appropriate manner.
Cause I know that you know
I'm confident you're aware of my hard work
Oh, I been so good to you. Hey!
I've been nothing but kind and loving to you.
I did everything for you baby, yes I did.
I fulfilled all your needs and wants.
That a man, a man is supposed to do.
I acted like a true gentleman.
But oh, you're taking advantage of me
You're exploiting my love and generosity.
If you got somebody
If there's another person in your life
Oh, if you got somebody else on your mind
If you're thinking about someone else
I want you to, to please baby
I want you to let me know nicely.
Let me down easy.
Please don't hurt me too much.
Oh baby
Sweetheart
Let me down easy, yeah.
Please don't leave me heartbroken.
Don't let me go fast, oh no no.
Don't break up with me abruptly.
No no oh
Oh no
Would you let me down easy?
Please let me know the truth without hurting me too much.
If you let me down easy
If you handle this situation delicately
It would be alright baby.
I would be able to accept it and move on.
You know I don't mind begging you.
I'm willing to plead with you to spare my heart.
Oh oh oh baby
Darling
Please...
Please do the right thing and let me down easily.
Oh
Expressive of emotion
Oh yeah
Absolutely
Oh baby
Oh sweetheart
Do you feel it, yeah
Do you understand my feelings?
Writer(s): Maurice Dollison
Contributed by Vivian V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.