Ain't Nobody Home
B.B. King Lyrics


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Once upon a time, a long long time ago
Wherever you'd lead me, I would surely follow
Girl, you put me through some pain and misery
And now you are standing on my doorstep
Telling me how much you need me

Baby, ain't nobody home
Ain't nobody home

How many times I begged for you to come home
But you laughed at me and said, "Let me alone"
Through my falling tears, I saw you walk away
And now you're beggin' me to forgive you
But this time baby, it's your turn to beg

Baby, ain't nobody home
There ain't nobody home

Girl, I used to love you
In ways no one else would love you
Gave you everything that I own
Girl, you can't come back here
Ain't nobody home

Once upon a time, when you went on your way
But, girl, I hoped and prayed, that you'd come back some day
But time has made some changes, turned me upside down
So, you can beg me to forgive you
But this time baby, you can turn right around

Ain't nobody home
Ain't nobody

Baby, there ain't nobody home
You know you hurt me once
There ain't nobody home
Oh, you can beg me baby
But still there ain't nobody home

Ain't nobody baby
Ain't nobody home





I hear you knockin'
But there ain't nobody home

Overall Meaning

The song "Ain't Nobody Home" by B.B. King tells the story of a man who is finally able to move on from a painful relationship. He's spent a long time following the woman around, hoping she'll return to him. But now that she's come back, he's had enough. He tells her that there's nobody home, even though he hears her knocking at his door, begging for his forgiveness. The man used to love this woman more than anyone else ever could, but now he's done.


The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a man who has been hurt badly by someone he loves. He's been begging this woman to come home, but she's always turned him away with laughter. Even though he's seen her walking away through his tears before, he's still tempted to forgive her. However, this time she has to beg for it. The man has moved on and is no longer willing to put himself through the pain again. The chorus of the song simply says "Ain't nobody home," which is a powerful statement of the man's emotional state. He is closed off to this woman and to anyone else who may try to hurt him again.


In this song, B.B. King weaves a tale of heartbreak and resilience. It's a story that many people can relate to, and the bluesy quality of the music brings out the emotions that the lyrics express. The song is both tragic and empowering, showing us that it's possible to move on from pain and find a way to stand on our own two feet.


Line by Line Meaning

Once upon a time, a long long time ago
This happened a very long time ago, when things were different.


Wherever you'd lead me, I would surely follow
I would follow you anywhere you wanted to go without hesitation.


Girl, you put me through some pain and misery
You caused me a great deal of emotional pain and suffering.


And now you are standing on my doorstep
You have come to my house and are outside my door.


Telling me how much you need me
You are expressing to me that you have a great need for me in your life.


Baby, ain't nobody home
I am not here for you. I am not willing to engage with you.


Ain't nobody home
I am not available to you. You cannot come in.


How many times I begged for you to come home
I have begged you on multiple occasions to return to me.


But you laughed at me and said, "Let me alone"
You dismissed me and refused to reconnect.


Through my falling tears, I saw you walk away
As I cried, I watched you leave me behind.


And now you're beggin' me to forgive you
You are now pleading with me to forgive you for what you have done.


But this time baby, it's your turn to beg
You should be the one to plead with me now because of what you have put me through.


Baby, ain't nobody home
I am not available to you. I am not willing to engage with you.


There ain't nobody home
You cannot come in. You are barred from the situation.


Girl, I used to love you
I had very deep feelings of love for you in the past.


In ways no one else would love you
I loved you in a unique and special way that nobody else could replicate.


Gave you everything that I own
I gave you all of my possessions, all of myself.


Girl, you can't come back here
You are not welcome to return to my life or my home.


Ain't nobody home
I am not available to you. I am not willing to engage with you.


Once upon a time, when you went on your way
This happened in the past when you left me behind.


But, girl, I hoped and prayed, that you'd come back some day
I wished and prayed that you would return to me at some point.


But time has made some changes, turned me upside down
I have changed a lot since then. My life has gone through significant changes.


So, you can beg me to forgive you
You can plead with me to forgive you if you like.


But this time baby, you can turn right around
But I won't be forgiving you this time. You should leave immediately.


Ain't nobody home
I am not available to you. I am not willing to engage with you.


There ain't nobody
You cannot come in. Things will never be the same again.


Baby, there ain't nobody home
I am not available to you. I am not willing to engage with you.


You know you hurt me once
You caused me emotional pain in the past.


There ain't nobody home
I am not available to you. I am not willing to engage with you.


Oh, you can beg me baby
You can plead with me if you want.


But still there ain't nobody home
But I won't be forgiving you this time. You should leave immediately.


Ain't nobody baby
Nobody is here for you. There is no help for you.


Ain't nobody home
I am not available to you. I am not willing to engage with you.


I hear you knockin'
I can hear you knocking on my door.


But there ain't nobody home
I am not available to you. I am not willing to engage with you.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JERRY RAGOVOY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

MrDT543

Christ my heart wasn't ready to surprisingly hear D'Angelo on this... This is amazing.

prettycountrygirl2

One of my favorites by Mr. BB. The world has lost a great talent.

Kwame Aboagye

BB King, what can you say about this dynamically beautiful blues singer and musician who is so upliftingly so special.

This is such a classic, Ain't Nobody Home and that's what the king of the blues was about.

BB, you are never ever forgotten.

RIP, Riley BB King, you are outstandingly gifted and thanks for the memories.

Jeff Sanders

Ain't no body home bye bb king

Charlie W

Yeah, the King Of the Blues will live on forever!!

Man O'Neal

Anything with D'Angelo in it is worthwhile.

DeNiro

I love this song

Akhil Vatsa

I love the feel of it, makes me happy

TheRunner75

Excellent !
I like also the Howard Tate and Bonnie Raitt versions :-)

D Parks

Just heard this being used as background music for a podcast. I forgot this gem of a song. Remember this from my youth.

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