Joseph Amos Milburn, Jr., one of thirteen children, was playing tunes on the piano by the age of five years. He enlisted in the United States Navy when he was fifteen and earned thirteen battle stars in the Philippines, before returning to Houston and organizing a sixteen-piece band playing in Houston clubs and was Managed by William & Geneva Church. Milburn participated with the Houston jazz and blues musicians. He was a polished pianist and performer and during 1946 attracted the attention of a woman who arranged a recording session with Aladdin Records in Los Angeles, California. Milburn's relationship with Aladdin lasted eight years during which he produced more than 75 sides. His cover version of "Down the Road a Piece" (1946) was a blues song with a Texas boogie beat that was similar in many respects to rock music. However, none became popular until 1949 when seven of his singles got the attention of the R&B audience. "Hold Me Baby" and "Chicken Shack Boogie" landed numbers eight and nine on Billboard's survey of 1949's R&B Bestsellers. He became one of the main performers associated with the Central Avenue music scene in Los Angeles. He was also a popular touring artist, and won awards from both Down Beat magazine (Best Blues and Jazz Star) and Billboard magazine (Top R&B Artist). Among his best-known songs was "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer". During 1950 Milburn's "Bad, Bad, Whiskey" scored the top of the R&B record chart and began a series of drinking songs (none written by Milburn, but several composed by Rudy Toombs). However, there is not any evidence that Milburn had an alcohol problem.
Milburn continued his successful drinking songs through 1952 ("Thinking and Drinking", "Trouble in Mind") and was by now touring the country playing clubs. While touring the Midwest that summer, he announced that he would disband his combo team and continue as a solo act and that autumn he joined Charles Brown for a Southern concert tour. For the next few years each of his tours was composed of a series of one-nighters. After three years of solo performing he returned to Houston during 1956 to reform his band. During 1957 Milburn's releases with Aladdin Records did not sell well, and the record label, having its own problems, terminated. He tried to regain commercial success with a few more releases with Ace Records but his time had passed. Radio airplay was emphasizing on the teenage market.
Milburn contributed to the R&B Yuletide canon twice. The first was in 1949, with "Let's Make Christmas Merry, Baby", on Aladdin Records, and then again during 1960 with "Christmas (Comes but Once a Year)" for King Records. The song appeared as the b-side of Brown's holiday classic "Please Come Home for Christmas".
Milburn's final recording was for an album by Johnny Otis. This was during 1972 after he had been incapacitated by a stroke, so much so that Otis had to play the left-hand piano parts for his enfeebled old friend. His second stroke resulted in amputation of a leg because of circulatory problems. He died soon after at the age of 52 years from a third stroke.
The Texan boogie-woogie pianist and singer was an important performer of blues music during the years immediately after World War II. Milburn was one of the first performers to switch from sophisticated jazz arrangements to a louder "jump" blues. He began to emphasize rhythm and technical qualities of voice and instrumentation second. His energetic songs, about getting "high", were admired by fellow musicians, such as Little Willie Littlefield, Floyd Dixon and his prime disciple, Fats Domino.
He was a commercial success for eleven years and influenced many performers. Fats Domino credited Milburn consistently as an influence on his music.
One commentator noted, "Milburn excelled at good-natured, upbeat romps about booze and partying, imbued with a vibrant sense of humour and double entendre, as well as vivid, down-home imagery in his lyrics."
Tears Tears Tears
Amos Milburn Lyrics
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Just had another woman walk out on me
But I will keep on trying
I'll find my true true love somewhere
Someone to love me like I love her
And always treat me fair and square
I fell so hard, thought it was real
But I'll keep on trying
With tears out strolling from my eyes
Well I believed her when she told me
She told me such sweet sweet lovely lies
Wish I could laugh, wish I could cry
Got so tired of living, do not wanna die
But I'll keep on trying
No, I'll never be the same
People say the sun is shining
But I'm still walking in the rain
Tears in my eyes, blue as I can be
Just had another woman walk out on me
But I will keep on trying
I'll find my real true love somewhere
Someone to love me like I love her
Always treat me so fair and square
And where your mother's violence
Sent your soul underground
Where tears roll down
Where tears roll down
Got fed on tea and sympathy
Blew the sail like the wind
The lyrics of Tears Tears Tears by Amos Milburn express the feelings of heartbreak, loneliness, and the determination to keep on searching for true love despite being left by yet another woman. The singer of the song is feeling blue and defeated after yet another failed relationship, but he is not giving up. He sings about how he will keep on trying until he finds someone who will love him back just as much as he loves her and who will treat him fairly. The lyrics also address how the singer believed the woman who left him when she told him sweet lies, and how he fell hard for her. Despite feeling tired and wanting to give up, he remains determined to keep on trying until he finds his true love and he remains optimistic about his future.
The song is significant in many ways. It portrays the universal human emotion of heartbreak and the determination to keep on trying to find love. It is a blues classic that has been covered by many famous artists such as Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, and Rod Stewart. The song was written by Amos Milburn, who was one of the most popular rhythm and blues pianists and singers of the 1940s and 1950s. The song peaked at number two on the R&B charts in 1950.
Line by Line Meaning
Tears in my eyes, blue as I can be
My sadness has brought tears to my eyes, making them look blue
Just had another woman walk out on me
A woman has just left me, making me feel abandoned
But I will keep on trying
Despite the disappointment, I will not give up
I'll find my true true love somewhere
I'm determined to find someone who truly loves me
Someone to love me like I love her
I want a relationship where both of us love each other equally
And always treat me fair and square
I want a partner who treats me with honesty, respect, and fairness
I fell so hard, thought it was real
I fell deeply in love and believed it was genuine
Played me like a fool, know just how I feel
She fooled me and played with my emotions, making me feel foolish
With tears out strolling from my eyes
My tears are running down my face as I walk
Well I believed her when she told me
I trusted her when she spoke sweet, comforting words
She told me such sweet sweet lovely lies
She deceived me with her false promises and lies
Wish I could laugh, wish I could cry
I wish I could find a way to express my emotions, whether through laughter or tears
Got so tired of living, do not wanna die
I'm feeling exhausted from the pain of heartbreak, but I don't want to give up on life
No, I'll never be the same
I've been deeply affected by this experience and I won't ever be the same person I once was
People say the sun is shining
Others may see sunshine, but I'm still lost in sadness and pain
But I'm still walking in the rain
Despite what others say, I'm still experiencing sadness and tears
Writer(s): Amos Milburn Copyright: Emi Longitude Music
Contributed by Austin G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.