Almost Persuaded
Etta James Lyrics
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Met a girl with a drink in her hand.
She had ruby red lips, coal black hair
And eyes that would tempt any man.
Then she came and sat down at my table,
And as she placed her soft hands in mine,
I found myself wanting to kiss her
For temptation was flowing like wine.
And I was almost persuaded to strip myself of my pride.
Almost persuaded to push my conscience aside.
Then we danced and she whispered, "I need you!"
"Take me away from here and be my man."
Then I looked into her eyes and I saw it:
The reflection of my wedding band.
And I was almost persuaded to let strange lips lead me on.
Almost persuaded but your sweet love made me stop and go home.
Last night all alone in a barroom
Met a guy with a drink in his hand.
He had bay blue eyes, coal black hair
And a smile that a girl understands.
Then he came and sat down at my table,
And as he placed his hands over mine,
I found my self wanting to kiss him
For temptation was flowing like wine.
And I was almost persuaded to strip myself of my pride.
Almost persuaded to push my conscience aside.
Then we danced and he whispered, "I need you!"
"Let me take you away and be your man."
Then I looked into his eyes and I saw it:
The reflection of my wedding band.
And I was almost persuaded to let strange lips lead me on.
Almost persuaded but your sweet love made me stop and go home.
The lyrics of Almost Persuaded convey a story of temptation and fidelity. It begins with the singer meeting a woman in a bar who, with her physical beauty and allure, entices him. He feels the strong desire to give in to his impulses and abandon his pride and conscience for the woman's pleasure. He describes how their temptation has escalated to the point where he is almost unable to resist giving in to his desire. However, before he can fully give himself over to the woman, he sees the reflection of his wedding band in her eyes, and this moment of realization causes him to pull back from the temptation.
The song then shifts perspectives and tells a story about a woman who meets a man in a bar. The man is similarly attractive and tempting, and she feels the strong desire to give in to him. Yet, ultimately, like the man in the first part of the song, she is stopped by the reflection of her own wedding band.
The song uses the metaphor of wine to describe the fullness and richness of temptation. Interpreted this way, the wine becomes not just physical and emotional temptation but also a drug that induces a sort of trance-like state where personal values and convictions lose their power.
Overall, Almost Persuaded is a powerful exploration of the human struggle between temptation and fidelity, especially in the context of long-term relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night all alone in a barroom
The singer narrates her experience of being alone in a barroom the previous night.
Met a girl with a drink in her hand.
She met a woman, holding a drink in her hand.
She had ruby red lips, coal black hair
The woman had red lips and black hair.
And eyes that would tempt any man.
The woman's eyes were so alluring that they can seduce any man.
Then she came and sat down at my table,
The woman walked up to Etta James and took a seat at her table.
And as she placed her soft hands in mine,
She touched Etta's hand softly with her own hand.
I found myself wanting to kiss her
Etta felt like kissing her due to the charm of the woman.
For temptation was flowing like wine.
The temptation to kiss the woman was strong and intoxicating like wine.
And I was almost persuaded to strip myself of my pride.
Etta felt almost convinced to let go of her pride.
Almost persuaded to push my conscience aside.
She felt almost convinced to ignore her conscience.
Then we danced and she whispered, "I need you!"
The two women danced together while the woman whispered to Etta, expressing her desire for her.
"Take me away from here and be my man."
The woman requested Etta to take her away from the bar and be her partner.
Then I looked into her eyes and I saw it:
Etta looked into the woman's eyes and noticed something.
The reflection of my wedding band.
Etta saw the reflection of her wedding band in the woman's eyes.
And I was almost persuaded to let strange lips lead me on.
Etta almost gave in to the temptation of kissing the woman.
Almost persuaded but your sweet love made me stop and go home.
Etta's love for her partner stopped her from giving in to temptation and made her go home instead.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Billy Sherrill, Glenn Sutton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@danielacaceres7458
Last night all alone in a party
Met a guy with a drink in his hand.
He had soft brown eyes and coal black hair
And a smile that a girl could understand.
Then he came and sat down at my table,
And as placed his warm hands over mine,
I found myself wanting, longing to kiss him
For temptation was flowing like wine.
And I was almost persuaded to strip myself of my pride.
Almost persuaded to push my own aside.
Then we danced and he whispered, "Baby I need you!"
"Let me take you away and be your man."
Then I looked into his eyes and I saw it:
The reflection of my wedding band.
And I was almost persuaded to let strange lips lead me on.
Almost persuaded but your sweet love made me stop and go home.
@merbz6181
Last night all alone in a barroom
Met a girl with a drink in her hand.
She had ruby red lips, coal black hair
And eyes that would tempt any man.
Then she came and sat down at my table,
And as she placed her soft hands in mine,
I found myself wanting to kiss her
For temptation was flowing like wine.
And I was almost persuaded to strip myself of my pride.
Almost persuaded to push my conscience aside.
Then we danced and she whispered, "I need you!"
"Take me away from here and be my man."
Then I looked into her eyes and I saw it:
The reflection of my wedding band.
And I was almost persuaded to let strange lips lead me on.
Almost persuaded but your sweet love made me stop and go home.
Last night all alone in a barroom
Met a guy with a drink in his hand.
He had bay blue eyes, coal black hair
And a smile that a girl understands.
Then he came and sat down at my table,
And as he placed his hands over mine,
I found my self wanting to kiss him
For temptation was flowing like wine.
And I was almost persuaded to strip myself of my pride.
Almost persuaded to push my conscience aside.
Then we danced and he whispered, "I need you!"
"Let me take you away and be your man."
Then I looked into his eyes and I saw it:
The reflection of my wedding band.
And I was almost persuaded to let strange lips lead me on.
Almost persuaded but your sweet love made me stop and go home.
@garysepulvado1040
There is no better female blues singer than Etta James she is simply the best
@Woosterfan1954
the great thing about blues and country is that they both speak to real life by real people. The sound might be different but the message is the same. This is a great version of the great country classic. I am glad I found it.
@Reneep34
I can really feel this song...Etta James was a true original and her voice a treasure!
@carlosmaurice5742
A beautiful woman and beautiful song. Rip Mrs. James thank you for that lovely voice.
@lennybuttz2162
When Etta sings I don't just hear it in my ears, I feel it in my heart.
@liamx6636
Well... that's the whole point of music..
@pamphilyaw4860
I have always known this song by Jim Reeves(country). But I found this one while looking for another song. OMG I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS. The great Ms Etta James did it again
@cluny
I just remember David Houston. Around 1970
@lloydn8537
Etta has that heartbreaking voice like Candi Staton, Aretha Franklin, Bettye Swann, and Gladys Knight. Their stories are our stories, their worries are our worries, their pains mirror ours, and the joys they aspire to are no different. Beautiful is what this is: achingly, heartbreakingly beautiful.
@JC-pr2cp
I haven't heard Anyone sing this song any better than Etta.