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.
Stand By Me with
Ben E. King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh now now stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me
If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
And the mountains should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me, stand by me, yeah
Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me, oh now now stand by me
Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me
Darlin', darlin', stand by me, stand by me
Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me
The lyrics of Ben E. King's song Stand By Me express a sense of comfort and security in the presence of a loved one. The opening lines set the scene for a dark, foreboding night, where the only source of light is the moon. However, the singer declares that they will not be afraid as long as their companion is standing beside them. The repetition of "stand by me" reinforces the importance of this constant support.
The second verse takes this idea further, as the singer imagines a catastrophic scenario where the sky and mountains fall. Despite the potential chaos and destruction, the singer insists they will not cry or shed a tear as long as their companion remains with them. The bridge shifts the focus to the person being addressed directly, pleading with them to always stand by the singer's side, even during times of trouble.
Overall, Stand By Me is a love song that emphasizes the support, comfort, and security that can be found in close relationships. The repetition of the title phrase reinforces the importance of this constant support, while the imagery of the dark night and potential disaster highlights the idea that the world can be a scary place without someone to stand by your side.
Line by Line Meaning
When the night has come
When the darkness of the night has covered the land
And the land is dark
And everything around is pitch-black
And the moon is the only light we'll see
And the only source of light is the moon
No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid
I will not be scared or frightened
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
If I have your companionship
And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh now now stand by me
And my beloved, please stay close to me
If the sky that we look upon
If the firmament we gaze at
Should tumble and fall
Starts to tumble down and collapse
And the mountains should crumble to the sea
And the majestic mountains descend into the ocean deep
I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a tear
I will not let tears fall from my eyes
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
As long as you stay by my side
Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me, oh now now stand by me
Whenever you find yourself in difficulties, please lean on me
Darlin', darlin', stand by me, stand by me
My beloved, remain steadfast beside me
Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me
Stay with me, stay with me, stay with me
Lyrics © RALEIGH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: Ben King, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@trixoan1502
When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No, I won't be afraid
Oh, I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand
Stand by me
So darlin', darlin', stand by me
Oh, stand by me
Oh, stand
Stand by me, stand by me
If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
Or the mountain should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry
No, I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand
Stand by me
And darlin', darlin', stand by me
Oh, stand by me
Oh, stand now
Stand by me, stand by me
And darlin', darlin', stand by me
Oh, stand by me
Oh, stand now
Stand by me, stand by me
Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me
Oh, stand by me
Won't you stand by
@jesserowbotham
I was adopted by my father who was African American I was a Caucasian boy. I was bullied all the time because my father and I looked so different but he would always tell me, we may look a little different on the outside but we are all the same it’s not what counts on The outside but what’s inside you as a person that’s where your real worth is .my father was an amazing man I worked hard In all aspects whether it would be school training martial arts self defence.
This man was truly my real father no one could make me feel otherwise.
Unfortunately 2 years ago he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer very low life expectancy he battled on as he does he did everything he could to fight the cancer but slowly he deteriorated and
Then it was all of a sudden he was in his death bed.
He passed and we played
This song at his funerals which was one of his favourite as.
Everyone I hear this song I hurt so much just all the emotion coming bag from
Dad, but I also love
It because it make m e feel so close to him once
Again even though I know he’s not with us…
@JianKaruro0048
🎶 So darlin', darlin', stand by me
Oh, stand by me........
Lumalabas, lumalabas
Banyo Queen 🎶
😅😅😅😅😅
I'm from the Philippines 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭
Merry Christmas, everyone ❄️☃️🎅🎄
Maligayang Pasko sa ating lahat ❄️☃️🎅🎄
MABUHAY!!!!! 🙌🙌🙌
@harleyatkins2008
In 1968 I head Ben E. King sing this song at a small club on the coast of SC. King had a small band of 3 or 4 guys and I can still remember the single violin. The venue was not air conditioned. I was 18. The girl I was with was 17. 52 years later we are still a couple. And I still love the song.
@paxi4165
Harley Atkins awwwwwwww
@mandrew296
That's so sweet. Very cool to see a fellow South Carolinian in the comments!
@aviralmittal89
May you guys have a long and happy life ❤️
@adrianrubionavarro4256
Wow
@toprock1301
Much respect sir. I tip my hat
@atlui415
When the boys are gone and you can listen to real music
@narfazlee5162
Be proud of your music taste bro
@tonov451
FAXXXXX
@frostysugartits1725
@@tonov451 “YOU’RE FIRED” back to the future reference...