Justine Washington, 13 November 1940, Bamberg, South Carolina, USA. Washing… Read Full Bio ↴Justine Washington, 13 November 1940, Bamberg, South Carolina, USA. Washington's (aka Jeanette Washington) tremendously moving voice, earthy but sophisticated, perfectly epitomized uptown soul. Yet unlike her southern counterparts she has never experienced great crossover recognition, although once cited by Dusty Springfield as her all-time favourite singer. Washington was raised in Harlem, singing first in a vocal group, the Hearts, in 1956 and becoming a solo artist the following year. She built a career with 16 chart entries during a decade and a half, most of them during the 60s, recording in New York first for Donald Shaw's Neptune label and then for Juggy Murray's Sue label. She established herself as a major soul singer recording "The Time" (US R&B Top 30) and "The Bells" (US R&B Top 20), both in 1959, and "Nobody Cares" (US R&B Top 20) in 1961. Moving to Sue Records in 1962, Washington hit the US national Top 40 with the sublime "That's How Heartaches Are Made" (1963) and the US R&B Top 10 with "Only Those In Love" (1965). Washington revived her career in the early 70s, recording in Philadelphia a duet with Don Gardner, a revival of the Marvelettes' "Forever", (number 30 R&B), a solo release "I've Got To Break Away" (number 73 R&B), and a well-received album. The coming of disco in the mid-70s effectively killed her career, as it did those of many soul artists

I've Got A Feeling
Baby Washington Lyrics

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I've got a feeling, a feeling deep inside
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
I've got a feeling, a feeling I can't hide
Oh no, oh no, oh no.
Yeah, I've got a feeling.

Oh please believe me, I'd hate to miss the train
Oh yeah, oh yeah.

And if you leave me I won't be late again
Oh no, oh no, oh no.
Yeah, I've got a feeling, yeah.

All these years I've been wandering around,
Wondering how come nobody told me
All that I was looking for was somebody
Who looked like you.

Ev'rybody had a hard year
Ev'rybody had a good time
Ev'rybody had a wet dream,
Ev'rybody saw the sunshine
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
Ev'rybody had a good year,
Ev'rybody let their hair down,
Ev'rybody pulled their socks up,

Ev'rybody put their foot down.
Oh yeah, oh yeah.

Overall Meaning

The classic 1960s song "I've Got A Feeling" by Baby Washington is a soulful track that conveys a deep sense of longing and uncertainty. The singer expresses her feeling of having something inside her that she can't hide, and she wants the person listening to believe her. She is scared of missing the train, presumably referring to an opportunity in her life, and she pleads with her love interest to stay with her. Throughout the song, she searches for something that she has been missing for a long time and she thinks she may have found it in this person. She mentions how everyone has had their struggles and triumphs, but ultimately she is focused on her own feelings and how they relate to this person.

The verses are written with a smooth, almost conversational style that draws the listener into the singer's heart. The chorus is where the power of the song resides, with the repetition of "oh yeah, oh yeah" and "oh no, oh no, oh no" contributing to the sense of urgency and intensity. The song culminates in a powerful declaration of the singer's feelings, with the final lines of "Everybody put their foot down" driving home the importance of taking control of one's own life.

Line by Line Meaning

I've got a feeling, a feeling deep inside
I have a strong emotion, deeply rooted within me

I've got a feeling, a feeling I can't hide
I have an emotion that's impossible for me to conceal

Oh please believe me, I'd hate to miss the train
I truly hope you trust me, as I don't want to miss out on this opportunity

And if you leave me I won't be late again
If you stick with me, I won't be tardy like in the past

All these years I've been wandering around,
For a long time, I've walked aimlessly

Wondering how come nobody told me
Thinking about why no one informed me about something important

All that I was looking for was somebody
My desire was simply to find someone special

Who looked like you.
That resembled you in some way

Ev'rybody had a hard year
Each person had a difficult period

Ev'rybody had a good time
Everyone experienced enjoyable moments

Ev'rybody had a wet dream,
All individuals had a sexual dream