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.
Stay With Me
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Not for just right now but all the time
Your sweet ways I cannot forget
Are the only things that you said on the day we met
This love I try to fight but I couldn't know love too long
And I knew the way that I was, I wouldn't be round too long
Your sweet ways I cannot forget
To help me through my days
Now I need you more desperately than I ever did
All the things we've done, all the things you say
Just drives me outta my head
So baby, please, please, won't you stay with me forever?
I want you to stay with me, baby, yeah
Please, please, won't you stay with me forever?
Please take my love, that's all I have to give
Just right now you're giving me a reason to live
Help me understand what I feel is real
For no love has meant this much to me
In the past couple of years
And if you let me there is nothing I wouldn't do for you
And if you trust me with your love
Then I will make your dreams come true
So baby, please, please, won't you stay with me forever?
I just want you to stay a while with me, baby
Please, please, won't you stay with me forever?
C'mon and stay
Oh, c'mon take me by the hand, oh
Heaven, I want you to cherish me c'mon, c'mon
The lyrics to Al Green's song "Stay With Me" speak of his longing for a deep, meaningful connection with his lover, one that will last forever. Throughout the song, Green expresses his desperation and desire for his partner to stay with him not just for a fleeting moment but for a lifetime. He acknowledges how much his lover's sweet ways of speaking to him and helping him through tough times have impacted his life. Green knows that he needs his partner more than ever, and he is ready to do whatever it takes to make her dreams come true if she trusts him with her love.
The lyrics show Green's vulnerability and honesty in expressing his feelings towards his lover. He acknowledges that he was not always the best partner to have, but he has changed and is now willing to give everything he has to make his partner happy. The phrases "please stay with me forever" and "c'mon and stay" convey Green's desire for his partner to never leave him and always be by his side.
In conclusion, the lyrics to "Stay With Me" are a poignant expression of love and commitment, showcasing the lengths that Green is willing to go to keep his relationship thriving. It is a song that can resonate with many people who have experienced deep passion and a need for a lasting connection with their significant other.
Line by Line Meaning
Darling you must know that you are only mine
I want you to know that you belong to me and me alone.
Not for just right now but all the time
I want to be with you forever, not just for a little while.
Your sweet ways I cannot forget
I remember all the nice things you said to me when we first met.
Are the only things that you said on the day we met
All the kind words you said to me when we first met are still in my mind.
This love I try to fight but I couldn't know love too long
I've tried to resist my feelings for you, but I can't avoid love forever.
And I knew the way that I was, I wouldn't be round too long
I realized that my past behavior could drive people away, but I want to change for you.
When I think about all the things you said
Your words of encouragement are what keep me going each day.
To help me through my days
You've been a source of strength for me during tough times.
Now I need you more desperately than I ever did
I need you now more than ever before.
All the things we've done, all the things you say
All the things we've done together and everything you've said to me mean so much.
Just drives me outta my head
It's hard for me to think clearly when you're not around.
So baby, please, please, won't you stay with me forever?
I'm begging you to stay with me for the rest of our lives.
I want you to stay with me, baby, yeah
I really want you to stay with me, my love.
Please, please, won't you stay with me forever?
I really want you to stay with me forever, please.
Please take my love, that's all I have to give
All I can offer you is my love, but it's all I have.
Just right now you're giving me a reason to live
You are my reason for staying alive right now.
Help me understand what I feel is real
I need your help to understand if my feelings for you are genuine and true.
For no love has meant this much to me
I've never felt as strongly about someone as I do for you.
In the past couple of years
In the recent years of my life.
And if you let me there is nothing I wouldn't do for you
I would do anything for you if you let me.
And if you trust me with your love
If you trust me with your heart and your affection.
Then I will make your dreams come true
I will do everything in my power to make sure all your dreams come true.
I just want you to stay a while with me, baby
I just want us to spend more time together, my love.
C'mon and stay
Please stay with me.
Oh, c'mon take me by the hand, oh
Take my hand and never let go.
Heaven, I want you to cherish me c'mon, c'mon
I want you to love me and treat me like I'm something special.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AL L. GREEN, ANN SANDERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind