Green was born in Forrest City, Arkansas. He started performing at age ten in a Forrest City quartet called the Greene Brothers; he dropped the final "E" from his last name years later as a solo artist. They toured extensively in the mid-1950s in the South until the Greenes moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, when they began to tour around Michigan. His father kicked him out of the group because he caught Green listening to Jackie Wilson.
In 1967 at the age of 16, Al formed an R&B group, Al Green & the Creations, with several of his high-school friends. Two Creation members, Curtis Rogers and Palmer James, founded their own independent record company, Hot Line Music Journal, and had the group record for the label. By that time, the Creations had been re-named the Soul Mates. The group's first single, "Back Up Train," became a surprise hit, climbing to number five on the R&B charts early in 1968. The Soul Mates attempted to record another hit, but all of their subsequent singles failed to find an audience. In 1969, Al Green met bandleader and Hi Records vice president Willie Mitchell while on tour in Midland, Texas. Impressed with Green's voice, he signed the singer to Hi Records, and began collaborating with Al on his debut album
He was perhaps the ideal complement to the orchestral, syrupy, strong soul production work of Hi Records wizard Willie Mitchell, who also helmed 70s classics for Syl Johnson, Ann Peebles, and himself.
On October 18, 1974, Mary Woodson, a woman who was his longtime girlfriend, threw a large pot of sticky boiling grits on him as he was preparing to shower, because he didn't want to get married. She committed suicide in minutes, which deeply affected Green to turn to God and religion. This assault from behind caused third-degree burns on his back, stomach and arm. Deeply shaken, Green continued to reaffirm and grow closer to his deeply held love for God, and became an ordained pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Memphis in 1976.
Continuing to record R&B, Green saw his sales start to slip and drew mixed reviews from critics. 1977's The Belle Album was critically acclaimed but did not regain his former mass audience. In 1979 Green injured himself falling off the stage while performing in Cincinnati and interpreted this as a message from God. He then concentrated his energies towards pastoring his church and gospel singing, also appearing in 1982 with Patti Labelle in the Broadway musical Your Arms Too Short to Box with God. According to Glide Magazine, "by the late 70s, he had begun concentrating almost exclusively on gospel music." His first gospel album was The Lord Will Make a Way. From 1981 to 1989 Green recorded a series of gospel recordings, garnering eight "soul gospel performance" Grammys in that period. In 1985, he reunited with Willie Mitchell along with Angelo Earl for He Is the Light, his first album for A&M Records. In 1984, director Robert Mugge released a documentary film, Gospel According to Al Green, including interviews about his life and footage from his church. In 1989, Green released "I Get Joy", again with producer/guitarist Angelo Earl. In 2001, he appeared in the movie and soundtrack of On the Line featuring Lance Bass.
After spending several years exclusively performing gospel, Green began to return to Rhythm & Blues. First, he released a duet with Annie Lennox, "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" for Scrooged, a 1988 Bill Murray film. In 1989 Green worked with producer Arthur Baker writing and producing the international hit "The Message Is Love". In 1991 he created the introductory theme song for the short-lived television series Good Sports featuring Ryan O'Neal and Farrah Fawcett. In 1992, Green recorded again with Baker, the Fine Young Cannibals, and reunited with his former Memphis mix engineer (this time functioning as producer) Terry Manning, to release the album Don't Look Back. His 1994 duet with country music singer Lyle Lovett blended country with R&B, garnering him his ninth Grammy, this time in a pop music category. Green's first secular album in some time was Your Heart's In Good Hands (1995), released to positive reviews but disappointing sales, the same year Green was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2000, Green published Take Me to the River, a book discussing his career. Green received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.
In 2001, Green's live cover of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" was released on the soundtrack to Will Smith's film Ali (the song plays when Muhammad Ali learns of the death of close friend Malcolm X).
By 2003 Green released a non-religious (secular) album entitled I Can't Stop, his first collaboration with Willie Mitchell since 1985's He is the Light. In March 2005 he issued Everything's OK as the follow-up to I Can't Stop. Green also collaborated with Mitchell on this secular CD.
The title of Al Green's latest album Lay It Down released May, 2008, truly tells it like it is. Conceived as a collaboration between the soul legend and a handful of gifted young admirers from the worlds of contemporary R&B and hip hop, the album is drawn from a series of inspired sessions that yielded the most high-spirited, funky and often lushly romantic songs of Green's latter-day career.
The project features the sophisticated R&B voices of singer-songwriters John Legend, Anthony Hamilton and Corinne Bailey Rae, and it was co-produced with Green by two of hip-hop's most innovative players, drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson from the Roots and keyboardist James Poyser , the go-to guy for high-profile artists ranging from Erykah Badu to Common. Add in Brooklyn's celebrated Dap-King Horns (Sharon Jones, Amy Winehouse), guitarist Chalmers "Spanky" Alford (Mighty Clouds of Joy, Joss Stone) and bassist Adam Blackstone (Jill Scott, DJ Jazzy Jeff), among others, and you've got a modern soul-music dream team, fronted by the most expressive voice in the business.
Are You Lonely Baby
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are you lonely for me, baby?
Oh, it's our last train, baby, to Jacksonville
I'm gonna get on it, baby, you know I will
Will you try? Go ahead and try
To forget all the pain I brought you
I know I'm the one who taught you
Yeah, but I'm lonely, baby
And I'm lonely and blue
Good god, I'm lonely, baby
And I'm lonely for you, all alone
Yeah, I'm lonely
Let me, let me say that I'm lonely, baby
Lord, have mercy rain now
It's our last bus to Jacksonville
My sweet baby, are you still?
Tell your friend, it's the end
I will never, never again desert you
He will laugh
I can hear him laughing, baby
And you'd said that I was wrong to hurt you
Oh, but I'm sorry, baby, I'm sorry about that, baby
I'm lonely, baby
And I'm lonely for you
Are you lonely for me, baby?
Are you lonely for me, baby?
Are you lonely for me, baby?
Are you lonely for me, baby?
Are you lonely for me, baby?
Are you lonely for me, baby?
It's a long ride to Jacksonville
Nobody will ever know the way I feel
Will you be there, will you be there, baby?
When I step down from the train
Will you be there, baby?
You just you got to be there, baby
When it's somebody call my name
Yeah, I'm lonely, baby
I'm lonely and blue
Oh Lord, I'm lonely, baby
And I'm lonely for you
Let me, let me tell you that I'm lonely, baby
I want to [Incomprehensible] all night long
Are you lonely for me baby?
Are you lonely for me baby?
Are you lonely for me baby?
Are you lonely for me baby?
Are you lonely for me baby?
The lyrics to Al Green’s “Are You Lonely for Me Baby” depict a man who has left his lover, but is now regretting his decision and realizing that he still has feelings for her. The song starts with the man asking his lover if she too is lonely for him. He then talks about their journey to Jacksonville, where he acknowledges that he was the cause of her pain, and he asks her to try and forget all the pain he brought her. He then apologizes for his actions and confesses that he is lonely for her, and is constantly thinking about her.
The man begs his lover to be there waiting for him when he arrives in Jacksonville. He desperately needs her to be there to prove her love for him, and he is afraid that she might not be there if he steps down from the train. He conveys that he is lonely and blue, and that he wants to hold her all night long. The chorus of the song reiterates the main question of the song repeatedly, “Are you lonely for me, baby?”
Overall, the lyrics of the song convey the emotions of a regretful man who has realized the value of his lover, and wants to reconcile with her. The song is a classic soul ballad that captures the essence of love, regret, and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you lonely for me, baby?
Asking if you still want me around
Are you lonely for me, baby?
Repeating the same question again
Oh, it's our last train, baby, to Jacksonville
This is our last chance to reconcile and leave town together
I'm gonna get on it, baby, you know I will
I'm committed to leaving with you on this train
Will you try? Go ahead and try
Can you try to forget the pain I caused you?
To forget all the pain I brought you
To erase the memories of the hurt I caused you
Go on and try, go ahead and try, baby
I know it's hard, but try anyway
I know I'm the one who taught you
I'm aware that I'm the one who brought suffering into your life
Yeah, but I'm lonely, baby
I'm feeling alone without you by my side
And I'm lonely and blue
I'm down and blue because you're not here
Good god, I'm lonely, baby
I'm really feeling lonely, my dear
And I'm lonely for you, all alone
I'm yearning for your company, feeling isolated without you here
Yeah, I'm lonely
I can't stop thinking about how lonely I am
Let me, let me say that I'm lonely, baby
I need to express how much I miss you
Lord, have mercy rain now
I need some mercy, some reprieve from the pain
It's our last bus to Jacksonville
This is our final opportunity to escape together
My sweet baby, are you still?
I hope you're still considering coming with me
Tell your friend, it's the end
Tell your friend that this is the end of our relationship
I will never, never again desert you
I promise to never leave you behind again
He will laugh
Others may laugh at us and our situation
I can hear him laughing, baby
I can already hear his laughter
And you'd said that I was wrong to hurt you
You were right to tell me that I had hurt you
Oh, but I'm sorry, baby, I'm sorry about that, baby
I apologize for causing you pain
Yeah, I'm lonely, baby
I'm still feeling really lonely, my dear
And I'm lonely for you
I am specifically lonely for your companionship
It's a long ride to Jacksonville
This journey may take a while
Nobody will ever know the way I feel
No one will fully understand my emotions
Will you be there, will you be there, baby?
I need to know if you'll be with me through this journey
When I step down from the train
When we arrive at our destination, will you be waiting for me?
Will you be there, baby?
Will you join me and stick it out, my love?
You just you got to be there, baby
I need you to be there with me through thick and thin
When it's somebody call my name
When someone calls my name, I hope it's you
Let me, let me tell you that I'm lonely, baby
I need you to know that I'm still feeling lonely and miss you
I want to [Incomprehensible] all night long
I want to hold you close all night long, till the break of dawn
Are you lonely for me baby?
I need to know if you're also missing me
Are you lonely for me baby?
Repeating the same question again
Are you lonely for me baby?
Asking for confirmation one last time
Are you lonely for me baby?
Asserting that I'm still hoping you want me back
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BERT BERNS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ike
THIS IS SOUL,R&B ,AT IT"S BEST! WHAT A KICK ASS SONG!!!SO DAMN GOOD!! SEB SWEDEN
ale Pontes
GÊNIO CANTAR MUITO 🇧🇷👏👏👏
Joseph Porter
Uncle Willie wolf rest in peace
Frederick Ballentine
Love it
grace peynado
Man Al Green is simply the very Best at this particular style
PEDRO GOMEZ
Another 60s Soul classic (originally recorded by Freddie Scott) as only AL GREEN AND HI RECORDS CAN NAIL IT!!!
Eric Talkington
Love Al! Got to see him in concert, only once though and unfortunately it was before I could fully appreciate his music.
Ike
I ENVY YOU,THOUGH! I THINK HE JUST AS GOOD AS OTIS REDDING.AL"S VOICE CARRIES SUCH STRONG FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS AND TOGETHER WITH THE RHYTHM, WELL IT"S JUST MIND BLOWING! SO GOOD!THIS ONE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS. EVEN THOUGH YOU DID NOT APPRECIATE HIM FULLY AT THE TIME OF THE CONCERT YOU CAN ALWAYS COMFORT YOURSELF WITH THE RECORDINGS! THERE ARE WORSE THINGS!!!!SEB SWEDEN
james mckinney
Al you took this song and killed it my homeboy can’t be mad and I’m from Jacksonville too 🦋❤️🦋
John Wayne
I know how you feel Al Green. Not sure I wanna take that train back to duval county right now tho. Time can be a miserable thing yet also a beautiful thing but it always tells all.