Barry Mann (born Barry Imberman on February 9, 1939 in Brooklyn, New York) … Read Full Bio ↴Barry Mann (born Barry Imberman on February 9, 1939 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American songwriter, and part of one of the most prolific songwriting partnerships in the world of rock music.

With his partner and wife, Cynthia Weil, they operate a publishing company called Dyad Music. His first hit as a writer was "She Say (Oom Dooby Doom)," which was a top twenty song for The Diamonds in 1959. Mann had co-written the song with Gerry Goffin. Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil met when they were both staff songwriters, they were married in 1961. Through the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, Mann came up with songs such as "Sometimes When We Touch" and movie scores such as that for I Never Sang for My Father. Weil co-wrote "He's So Shy" with Tom Snow for The Pointer Sisters and worked on projects with Lionel Richie.

In 1961, they wrote and Mann sang a novelty song that made the Top 10 with "Who Put The Bomp", which parodied the nonsense words of the then-recently popular doo wop songs.

In 1987, he was inducted with his wife into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Bless You
Barry Mann Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Every time I faced the world I just had to cry-y-y
I stood alone with no love of my own
But then you happened by

Oh, darlin', bless you
Bless every breath that you take (bless you)
Yeah-ah-ah, bless ev'ry move that you make so perfectly (ooh-ooh)
And bless your little heart for lovin' me (bless you)

Ooh (bless you), bless you (bless you), bless you (bless you), child

Till you smiled and took my hand I felt kinda small
But you stood by me for the whole world to see
And then I was ten feet tall

Oh, darlin', bless you
Bless every breath that you take (bless you)
Mm-mm-mm, bless ev'ry move that you make so perfectly (ooh-ooh)
And bless your little heart for lovin' me (bless you, bless you)

Oh, darlin', bless you
Bless every breath that you take (bless you)
Baby, bless ev'ry move that you make so perfectly (ooh-ooh)
And bless your little heart for lovin' me

Baby, bless you
Bless every breath that you take (bless you)
Yeah-ah-ah, bless ev'ry move that you make so perfectly

And bless your little heart for lovin' me

Overall Meaning

The song "Bless You" by Barry Mann is a romantic ballad about finding love and feeling blessed by it. The lyrics describe the singer's past struggles with facing the world alone and feeling small, but then finding happiness and strength with the person they love. The chorus expresses gratitude for the love and presence of their partner, blessing every breath and move they make, as well as their heart for loving them.

The first verse sets up the initial feeling of loneliness and sadness, as the singer has no love of their own and feels like crying every time they face the world. However, the second verse shows how their partner has made them feel stronger and more confident, like they are ten feet tall. The use of the word "darlin'" throughout the song adds a sweet and tender tone to the lyrics, emphasizing the love and affection between the two people.

Overall, "Bless You" is a simple yet heartfelt expression of love and gratitude. The lyrics capture the feeling of finding someone who makes life better and easier to bear, and feeling truly blessed by their presence.

Line by Line Meaning

Every time I faced the world I just had to cry-y-y
Whenever I had to face the world, I would break down in tears.

I stood alone with no love of my own
I was all alone without anyone to love.

But then you happened by
But then you came into my life.

Oh, darlin', bless you
Oh, my darling, thank you.

Bless every breath that you take (bless you)
I am grateful for every breath you take.

Yeah-ah-ah, bless ev'ry move that you make so perfectly (ooh-ooh)
I appreciate every move you make, and you do it so perfectly.

And bless your little heart for lovin' me (bless you)
Thank you for loving me with all your heart.

Till you smiled and took my hand I felt kinda small
Until you smiled and took my hand, I felt insignificant.

But you stood by me for the whole world to see
But you stood by me, and everyone could see it.

And then I was ten feet tall
And then I felt invincible and large.

Baby, bless you
My baby, thank you.