never can say goodbye
) Jackson 5 Lyrics


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I never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, now
Never can say goodbye

Even though the pain and heartache
Seem to follow me wherever I go
Though I try and try to hide my feelings
They always seem to show,
Then you try to say you're leaving me
And I always have to say no
Tell me why is it so

That I never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, now
Never can say goodbye

Every time I think I've had enough
And start heading for the door
There's a very strange vibration
Piercing me right through the core
It says, turn around, you fool
You know you love him more and more
Tell me why is it so

Don't wanna let you go
I never can say goodbye girl
Ooh ooh baby (don't wanna let you go girl)
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no
Ooh, oh I never can say goodbye girl
Ooh ooh ooh (don't wanna let you go girl)
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no, ooh

Never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, now
Never can say goodbye

I keep thinking that our problems
Soon are all gonna work out
But there's that same unhappy feeling
There's that anguish, there's that doubt
It's the same old dizzy hangup
Can't do with you or without
Tell me why is it so
Don't wanna let you go

I never can say goodbye girl
Ooh ooh baby (hey baby)
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no
Ooh, oh I never can say goodbye girl
Ooh oh (hey baby)
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no, ooh
I never can say goodbye girl
Ooh ooh baby (hey baby)
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no




Ooh, oh I never can say goodbye girl
Ooh oh (hey baby)

Overall Meaning

"Never Can Say Goodbye" by the Jackson 5 is a song about a person who cannot bring themselves to say goodbye to their lover. The lyrics suggest that despite the pain and heartache caused by the relationship, the person cannot let go of their lover. The lyrics describe a constant battle between the desire to leave and the desire to stay. Whenever the person tries to leave, they feel a strange vibration that urges them to turn around and stay. The song implies that it is difficult to let go of someone you love, even when you know it is the right thing to do.


The song was released in 1971 and became a hit in the United States, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was written and produced by Clifton Davis, who originally wrote it for the Motown group, The Supremes. However, the Jackson 5 recorded it before The Supremes had a chance to do so. "Never Can Say Goodbye" was the Jackson 5's first single to be released under the name "The Jackson 5," rather than "Jackson 5."


Line by Line Meaning

I never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, now
I find it hard to let go and say goodbye to someone, even if it's necessary.


Never can say goodbye
I am always struggling with the idea of moving on from this person.


Even though the pain and heartache Seem to follow me wherever I go Though I try and try to hide my feelings They always seem to show,
Even though I try to hide the pain that this person causes me, it doesn't help, as it continues to affect me wherever I go.


Then you try to say you're leaving me And I always have to say no Tell me why is it so
Whenever you try to leave me, I always refuse to say goodbye. I am unsure why I cannot let go.


Every time I think I've had enough And start heading for the door There's a very strange vibration Piercing me right through the core It says, turn around, you fool You know you love him more and more Tell me why is it so
Whenever I try to leave, something inside me tells me that I still love this person and should turn back. I am unsure why I feel this way.


Don't wanna let you go I never can say goodbye girl Ooh ooh baby (don't wanna let you go girl) I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no Ooh, oh I never can say goodbye girl Ooh ooh ooh (don't wanna let you go girl) I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no, ooh
I don't want to let go of you and even saying goodbye to you is difficult for me.


I keep thinking that our problems Soon are all gonna work out But there's that same unhappy feeling There's that anguish, there's that doubt It's the same old dizzy hangup Can't do with you or without Tell me why is it so Don't wanna let you go
I keep holding onto the hope that our problems will be resolved, but there's always that feeling of unhappiness and doubt lingering within me. I am stuck in this situation and can't seem to decide whether I should stay or leave.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS

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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@MrRockyVega

This was easily one of the hardest songs to listen to when he left us.
I remember it like it was yesterday.

I had heard the news on CNN and I just sat there quietly the rest of the day. I got into a car with some friends the next day who were also big time fans and we were just quiet as we listened to the radio as they were playing "Dont Stop Til You Get Enough".

One of them put in the History album and played "Stranger In Moscow". I cried like he was one of my own family members when the chorus came on and he asked "How Does It Feel?".

It was the one question I couldn't bare to answer because of how much love and respect had for him and what he did during his time here. Hearing this song, "Earth Song" and "I'll Be There" were always the hardest ones along with "Stranger In Moscow".

There will never be another like you, Michael. Thank you for sharing your gift with us so selflessly.



@fostermac7170

We had it good and didnt realize it.

It helped that ADULTS were writing the music. They arranged the vocals. They wrote the chord progressions. They learned how to write about sex or taboo subjects using techniques like double entendre that allowed the listener to take the message where he or she wanted it. None of that in your face bullshit. We didnt have songs named "panty dropper", even if it was a panty dropper. All of the singers today say things like "you gon' think I invented sex". Of course, the singer is usually a 5'2" kid looking so-called thug that ain't invented nothing.

This song, of course was written by Clifton Davis of "That's My Mama, and Amen". The Jacksons recorded it after he presented it to Motown on a spec.

All of us ought to write some songs and present them to well, who? Cash Money Records?; Bad Boy Records?, Ruthless this? Murder this?

Look this industry is f'd up, and we ought to be shamed of ourselves watching it happen and not coming up with solution to fix it.

Thanks. I've been wanting to say that for a long time.



All comments from YouTube:

@iamtheglow

My mom died yesterday and this song popped into my head. I’ll miss her forever. 💔

@SwedeProof

I'm terribly sorry that you lost your mom so recently 😔.

@iamtheglow

@@SwedeProof Thank you 🙏🏾

@tinydancer62

I'm very sorry for your loss. 🙏

@mikemurphy1472

God bless you 🙏🏽

@iamtheglow

@@mikemurphy1472 Thank you. You as well. 🙏🏾

259 More Replies...

@fredo4070

How did a little kid sing with that much heart?
Surreal. Michael Jackson is a true giant. Timeless

@detetiveluke

I fell always impressed too, it feels like his soul came and hug my soul everytime I hear him singing

@musizlovva1570

It's called being Gifted and Annoited.

@jonathanvijongarth

He was gifted.

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