In 1958, Ben Nelson joined a doo wop group, The Five Crowns. Later that same year, The Drifters' manager fired the members of the group and replaced them with The Five Crowns, who had performed several engagements with The Drifters. He co-wrote the first hit by the new version of The Drifters, "There Goes My Baby" (1959). He also sang lead, using his birth name, on "Save the Last Dance for Me," a song written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, "Dance With Me," "This Magic Moment," "I Count the Tears," and other The Drifters hits.
In 1960 he left the group after failing to gain a salary increase and a fairer share of the group's royalties. At this point he assumed the more memorable stage name Ben E. King in preparation for a solo career. Remaining on Atlantic, King scored his first solo hit with the stylish, Latin-tinged ballad "Spanish Harlem" (1961). "Stand by Me" was his next recording. "Stand by Me", written by King along with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller was voted one of the Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America. "Stand by Me" and "Spanish Harlem" were named as two of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll and were both also given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.
King's records continued to place well on the pop charts until 1963, when British pop bands began to dominate the popular music scene. His hits after 1963 were "What is Soul?" (1967), "Supernatural Thing, part 1" (1975), and the re-issue in 1986 of "Stand by Me" following the song's use as the theme music to the movie of the same name.
A Man Without A Dream
Ben E. King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I feel like I'm growing old much too soon,
My love for you, I just couldn't convey,
And the keys to my happiness, I let slip away.
Now I'm a man without a dream,
I've got a heart that has no hope,
All my senses are numb,
Losing you, I've become,
Instead of striving to reach my goals and my aims
I got distracted with meaningless games,
For just an illusion, I traded love that was real,
Now my eyes cannot see and my heart cannot feel.
Now I'm a man without a dream,
I've got a heart that has no hope,
All my senses are numb,
Losing you, I've become,
A man (I'm just a man) without a dream.
Sometimes I think I'm a prisoner of fate,
Doomed to find out things a little too late,
And so I must play this broken man's role,
Unless you come home, girl, and bring back my soul.
'Cause I'm a man without a dream,
I've got a heart that has no hope,
All my senses are numb,
Losing you, I've become,
A man (I'm just a man) without a dream,
Without a dream,
Without a dream.
The lyrics of Ben E. King's "A Man Without A Dream" explore the feeling of regret and loss of purpose that comes with realizing the mistakes one has made. The song communicates the message that when we become so focused on meaningless things in life, we end up losing the things that matter most, including love and hope. The opening lines of the song "With the music of life, my soul is out of tune, And I feel like I'm growing old much too soon," sets the tone for the rest of the song, conveying a sense of hopelessness and despair.
The second verse highlights the price the singer has paid for his lack of focus and priorities. He sacrificed real love for an illusion and now he feels numb, unable to experience emotions. The third verse suggests that the singer feels trapped by his past and is resigned to playing the role of a "broken man" unless his love interest returns and brings his soul back.
The chorus of the song keeps returning to emphasize the title, "A Man Without A Dream," representing the loss of direction and sense of purpose in life after losing what was truly important. Thus, the song's message serves as a cautionary tale reminding listeners to not lose sight of the important things in life, to stay focused on meaningful goals and aims, and to cherish those you love.
Line by Line Meaning
With the music of life, my soul is out of tune,
I feel like I can't seem to find my place in the world and everything is just chaos around me.
And I feel like I'm growing old much too soon,
I feel like my life is slipping away and I'm not sure what to do to change it.
My love for you, I just couldn't convey,
I wasn't able to express my true feelings for you and now it's too late.
And the keys to my happiness, I let slip away.
I had opportunities to be happy, but I didn't take them because I was too focused on other things.
Now I'm a man without a dream,
I feel hopeless and lost without any clear direction in my life.
I've got a heart that has no hope,
I feel like there's no reason to be optimistic about anything anymore.
All my senses are numb,
I feel disconnected from the world around me and can't seem to find enjoyment in anything.
Losing you, I've become,
Your absence has transformed me into someone I don't recognize anymore.
A man (I'm just a man) without a dream.
I feel like I'm just going through the motions now and not really living.
Instead of striving to reach my goals and my aims
I got sidetracked by trivial things and lost sight of what was really important.
I got distracted with meaningless games,
I wasted my time on things that didn't matter and now I regret it.
For just an illusion, I traded love that was real,
I made the mistake of valuing something that wasn't genuine over the love that I had with you.
Now my eyes cannot see and my heart cannot feel.
I'm emotionally and mentally numb, unable to fully experience life.
Sometimes I think I'm a prisoner of fate,
I often feel like I have no control over the events in my life and that everything is predetermined.
Doomed to find out things a little too late,
By the time I realize what's important, it's too late to make a difference.
And so I must play this broken man's role,
I feel like I'm just going through the motions, pretending to be okay when I'm really not.
Unless you come home, girl, and bring back my soul.
You're the only one who can help me feel alive again and give me a sense of purpose.
'Cause I'm a man without a dream,
I feel hopeless and lost without any clear direction in my life.
Without a dream,
I feel like my life is empty and meaningless without a purpose to pursue.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CAROLE KING, GERRY GOFFIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert Chatman
Exactly how I feel today.