Though best known for their instrumental hit "Pick Up the Pieces," the band's strength lies in their consistently accomplished songwriting, stretching across several gold-selling albums and multi-Grammy nominations for Atlantic Records. Despite their Scottish roots, the six-piece band developed their own "authentic" sound influenced by R&B heroes such as Marvin Gaye, James Brown, and Donny Hathaway, which was eagerly adopted by black audiences in the US and elsewhere.
Many of the band's cuts, such as "Cut The Cake" and "Let's Go 'Round Again," attracted chart action as hit singles, while album tracks like "Schoolboy Crush" and "Person to Person" became much-sampled "rare" grooves. Other tunes like "Cloudy," "A Love Of Your Own," and "Nothing You Can Do" stand alongside some of the finest soul album tracks ever recorded.
The current lineup of the band, with noted US musicians alongside founding members Alan Gorrie and Onnie McIntyre, continues to delight audiences and critics alike in its wide-ranging touring. The musical energy and trademark sound are remarkably true to the original, and with constant revisitation and re-workings of AWB's, and others' classics in the mix, it is no surprise that the Average White Band is now a multi-generational attraction and a perennial fixture with many of the top music venues.
T.L.C
Average White Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
too late for wondering why,
You got to dry your eyes -
Baby, it's too late to cry
You always told me
It was no good, no good
that I ought to do
I was an easy target -
too blind to see my weakness
I did you wrong, I know
But you couldn't really see my side
I know you didn't understand
Now it's too late to cry-
too late for wondering why
You got to dry your eyes,
Baby, it's too late to cry
We had those good times
some that were so bad, so bad
We couldn't hold what we had
at the start
It's too late to cry,
the feeling is gone now, gone now
- gets so bad sometimes
It's hard to stop from breaking down
And you wonder if you really tried
Now it's too late to cry-
too late for wondering why
Yes it's too late to cry-
wondering just what passed you by
Baby, it's too late to cry-
gotta dry your eyes
The lyrics to Average White Band's song T.L.C depict a relationship that has broken down irreparably. The singer says that it is too late to cry and wonder why things went wrong, and tells their partner to dry their eyes because there is no going back. The singer admits that they were at fault in the relationship, but the partner could never really see their side of things. The couple had good times and bad times, but ultimately the feeling is gone now and there is no point in dwelling on what could have been. It's hard to stop from breaking down, but the time has come to accept that the relationship is over.
Overall, this song is a poignant reflection on the aftermath of a failed relationship. It highlights the inevitability of some relationships breaking down, no matter how hard we try to hold onto them. It also suggests that it can be hard to move on after a relationship has ended, even when we know deep down that it's for the best. The message of the song is to accept that sometimes things don't work out, and to learn from our mistakes so that we can continue to grow as people.
Line by Line Meaning
It's too late to cry-
There is no use crying anymore
too late for wondering why,
It's pointless to try and figure out the reason behind something that has already happened
You got to dry your eyes -
Stop crying and move on
Baby, it's too late to cry
It's too late to feel sorry for oneself
You always told me
The subject is now talking about what their partner has been trying to communicate for a while
It was no good, no good
The relationship was beyond repair
I never treated you the way
I never treated you with the love and respect you deserved
that I ought to do
That I should have been doing all along
I was an easy target -
I was easy to take advantage of
too blind to see my weakness
I couldn't recognize my own shortcomings
I did you wrong, I know
I acknowledge that I hurt you
But you couldn't really see my side
You couldn't understand my position or my point of view
I know you didn't understand
I know that you couldn't comprehend what I was going through
We had those good times
The subject reminisces over the happy memories they shared together
some that were so bad, so bad
However, they had their fair share of bad moments as well
We couldn't hold what we had
Despite their good memories, they couldn't maintain their relationship and make it work
at the start
In the beginning of their relationship
It's too late to cry,
Once again, it's reiterated that there's no use crying anymore
the feeling is gone now, gone now
The love and passion have dissipated and faded away
- gets so bad sometimes
The situation can become unbearable
It's hard to stop from breaking down
It's difficult to keep from falling apart emotionally
And you wonder if you really tried
At this point, the subject reflects on whether they truly put in their best effort to make the relationship work
Yes it's too late to cry-
Repeated once more, there's no use crying or feeling sorry for oneself anymore
wondering just what passed you by
It's pointless to think about what was missed or lost in the relationship
Baby, it's too late to cry-
Closing the song much the same as it started, the subject reminds themselves and their audience that there's no use crying over spilt milk
gotta dry your eyes
It's time to move on and stop dwelling on the past
Contributed by Lucy P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alex Nagy
Bought the double album three different times over the years...and had to have the CD when it came out. This album is ageless!
___
Brenda R
This song still cranks today!
Beverly Robinson
I know what you're talking about 79shineon and Curtis Stover. I'm from DC myself. Those days are long gone and yes, this song is underrated as hell. They are some amazing guys that played their asses off! Loved the bass line and the drummer!! Thanks
Herbert Howard
Me and my cousins saw them at fast lanes in Asbury Park in 1980. A great show.
Anne Wilsted Christensen
TLC this year world wide is needed more than ever!
mwizard45
Hamish Stuart's high fret bass solo. AWESOME.
Sharon Morton
We have great musicians today, don't get me, they all are great, but there is nothing compared to old school music, where artist record with live music.
Jacob s first Pharaoh out reach tv The witness
When I was a kid I just had to learn this drum line note for note and I did and got to hang out with one of my favorite drummers Steven Ferrone.
mwizard45
Jacob: That is AWESOME. STEPHEN FERRONE is one of the ABSOLUTE BEST DRUMMERS.
Jacob s first Pharaoh out reach tv The witness
I bet I listened to this song 1000 times