Pain in my heart
Is treating me cold
Where can my baby be?
Lord no one knows

Pain in my heart
Just won't let me sleep
Where can my baby be?
Lord where can she be?

And now the days
Has began to get tough
Said I want you to come back, come back
Come back baby
I had enough, oh

A little pain in my heart
Just won't let me be
Wake up restless nights
Lord, and I can't even sleep

Hmm, yeah
Stop this little pain in my heart

And now the days
Has began to get rough
Said I want you to love me, love me, love me baby
Till I get enough, oh

Pain in my heart
Little pain in my heart
Stop this little pain in my heart
Stop this little pain in my heart

Someone stop this pain
Someone stop this pain, oh

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Otis Redding's "Pain In My Heart" convey the anguish and yearning of someone who has lost their loved one. The first two lines establish the pain that is consuming the singer, and the following two express the desperation and feeling of uncertainty for their lost love. The line "where can my baby be?" repeats in each verse, highlighting the singer's obsession with finding their lover, and the line "Lord no one knows" adds a touch of hopelessness to the lyrics as if the singer feels helpless in their search.

The second stanza has a more feverish urgency to it. The line "just won't let me sleep" expresses an inability to rest and suggests that the singer's mind is overtaken by thoughts of their lover. The repetition of the line "Where can she be?" emphasizes the frustration and longing that the singer feels. The line "I had enough," reveals the exhaustion and finality of the singer's search for their lost love. The final chorus is a plea to end the pain that has engulfed the singer and highlights the powerlessness that they feel as they plead for help in ending their suffering.

Line by Line Meaning

Pain in my heart
I feel a deep emotional discomfort

Is treating me cold
It's making me feel lonely and isolated

Where can my baby be?
I am missing my loved one and wondering where they are

Lord no one knows
I feel helpless and hopeless because I don't know where my loved one is

Just won't let me sleep
It's keeping me awake at night

Where can my baby be?
I am still missing my loved one

Lord where can she be?
I am feeling even more desperate and sad

And now the days
As time goes on

Has began to get tough
It's getting harder to deal with the pain

Said I want you to come back, come back
I am begging my loved one to return

Come back baby
I miss you so much