Williams was born Egbert Austin Williams on the island of The Bahamas, then part of the British West Indies. In 1888 his family moved to Los Angeles, California. He began his entertainment career in 1892 in San Francisco.
Bert Williams became one of Vaudeville's top artists, both as a solo performer and as part of the successful double-act "Williams & Walker" with partner George Walker. Together they popularized the Cakewalk. Williams was also famous for his performances in blackface. After Walker's death he for some years performed with Eddie Cantor; he also performed with the Ziegfield Follies.
Bert Williams was a key figure in the development of African American music. In an age when racial inequality and stereotyping were an 'accepted' part of life, he became the first black American to take a lead role on the Broadway stage, and did much to push back the racial barriers during his career. His songs (mostly self-written and displaying a dry wit and observational humor) such as "Nobody" and "All Going Out And Nothing Coming In" proved popular with audiences of all races, paving the way for future generations of black artists. Fellow vaudevillian W.C. Fields described Williams as "the funniest man I ever saw—and the saddest man I ever knew."
In 1915, the Biograph Company made history by being the first movie company to give complete creative control to Bert Williams as a filmmaker, who produced, directed and starred in the Biograph films "Fish" 1915, and "Natural Born Gambler" 1916.
Williams collapsed on stage on February 25, 1922 while singing "Under The Bamboo Tree". He died a week later in the hospital.
Besides the Biograph shorts, he made a series of audio recordings for Columbia Records, both on phonograph cylinders and disc records. The Archeophone label has collected and released all of Williams' recordings on three CDs.
Nobody
Bert Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I am full of nothin' and pain
Who soothes my thumping, bumping brain, uummm?
Nobody!
When winter comes with snow and sleet
And me with hunger and cold feet
Who says, "Here's twenty-five cents, go ahead and get somethin'
Nobody!
I ain't never done nothin' to nobody
I ain't never done nothin' to nobody, no time
So until I get somethin' from somebody sometime
I'll never do nothin' for nobody, no time
When I was in that railroad wreck
And thought I'd cashed in my last check
Who took the engine off my neck?
Nobody!
One time when things was lookin' bright
I started to whittle on a stick one night
Who cried out, "Stop now, that's dynamite"?
Not a soul!
I ain't never done nothin' to nobody
I ain't never done nothin' to nobody, no time
So until I get something from somebody, sometime
I'll never do nothin' for nobody, no time
The song "Nobody" by Bert Williams is a reflection on the frustration and feeling of alienation experienced by an individual who feels that they have never done anything wrong to anyone, and yet, no one seems to give them the time of day. The singer of the song is full of pain and confusion, with no one to turn to for comfort or solace. The refrain "Nobody" is repeated throughout the song in a way that emphasizes the singer's feeling of isolation and the lack of support they have from others.
In the first stanza, the singer talks about feeling empty inside, with a "thumping, bumping brain" - likely as a result of anxiety or stress. The idea of clouds and rain is a metaphor of sadness, while the pain is physical and emotional. The second stanza describes the harshness of winter, with the cold and hunger experienced by someone who may not have a place to stay or enough to eat. The twenty-five cents offered by "nobody" is likely a sarcastic gesture, as the singer could not possibly buy a decent meal with such a small amount of money.
The third stanza tells the story of a near-death experience, where someone saved the singer from a train wreck. The singer's life is in the hands of "nobody", who somehow managed to remove the train engine from the singer's neck. The final stanza has a bit of humor, where the singer is shown to be whittling a stick when "nobody" yells at him not to do it because it is dangerous. The refrain is repeated at the end of each stanza with emphasis that he has never done anything wrong to anyone.
Line by Line Meaning
When life seems full of clouds and rain
When I am feeling down and things seem gloomy, nobody is there to comfort me
And I am full of nothin' and pain
When I am feeling low and hurt, there is nobody to turn to
Who soothes my thumping, bumping brain, uummm?
When my mind is restless and agitated, there is nobody to calm me down
When winter comes with snow and sleet
When it is cold and miserable outside, nobody cares about my well-being
And me with hunger and cold feet
When I am hungry and shivering with cold, nobody provides me with food or shelter
Who says, "Here's twenty-five cents, go ahead and get somethin' To eat, go on why doncha"?
Nobody is kind or generous enough to give me even a small amount of money for food
I ain't never done nothin' to nobody
I have never wronged or harmed anyone
I ain't never done nothin' to nobody, no time
Throughout my life, I have always tried to be fair and just to everyone
So until I get somethin' from somebody sometime
Since nobody has ever helped me, I will not go out of my way to help others either
I'll never do nothin' for nobody, no time
I have lost all faith in the goodness of people and will never extend any help or kindness to anyone
When I was in that railroad wreck
When I was in a serious accident and almost died
And thought I'd cashed in my last check
When I thought my life was over and there was no hope left
Who took the engine off my neck?
Nobody came to rescue me or help me get out of danger
One time when things was lookin' bright
At one point in my life, things were going well for me
I started to whittle on a stick one night
I was enjoying a simple pleasure, carving a stick
Who cried out, "Stop now, that's dynamite"?
Nobody warned me of the impending danger, leaving me to my own devices
Contributed by Ellie A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@DJProfessorDan
DJ Professor Dan Reviews Really Old Songs:
“Nobody” would be the record that would define Bert William’s public persona for the remainder of his career. Of a man full of nothing but pain. With nobody to soothe his thumping, bumping brain. With nobody to give him 25c so he can go and get something to eat. All of these woes Bert mumbles over the top of a plodding, stumbling, hungover wheeze, backed by a slovenly trombone moan so tired and sad, that it’s almost hilarious, as though the schadenfreude is turned up to eleven. There are points when the trombone seems to be ridiculing Bert, and moments when Bert seems to be ridiculing it back.
“Nobody” became one of the biggest hits of 1906. And it seemed to happen extremely quickly. There’s a rumour that “Nobody” was such an instant hit when Bert was performing it in “Abyssinia” that before he managed to get himself into a recording studio, Arthur Collins had already recorded multiple versions. I am too terrified to listen to them. I presume they are terrible.
"Nobody" - or at least this 1906 version, Bert would record another, better version in 1913, with extra jokes - isn’t entirely perfect. Vaudeville being what it was the, the band couldn’t help itself by inserting both a jaunty intro and a jaunty outro to proceedings, which ruins the entire effect.
8/10
@danielkarmy4893
'He was the funniest man I ever saw - and the saddest man I ever knew'.
(W.C. Fields, a contemporary and friend of Bert Williams)
@MikeBlitzMag
A visionary and genius of the highest order. Grateful that three CDs' worth of his recorded legacy have survived.
@mojosbigsticks
I had no idea this song was so old. Thanks for sharing.
@t1bb1es
W. C. Fields once said that Bert Williams was "the funniest man I ever saw, and the saddest"
@t1bb1es
@@IM1RemorsefulBoy according to the Internet and from textbooks and documentaries observed when I was studying the history of the American musical from 1927-1975, the quote I wrote in my comment was correct 😅 chances are W. C. Fields did not know Mr. Williams all that well considering the racial barriers of the early 1900s American social climate- and likely mostly only saw the man perform. All the same, they were kind words spoken and bittersweet.
@cry0xxx
US Billboard #1 - Jul 1906 (14 weeks), Grammy Hall of Fame in 1981 (1906), Brazil #10 of 1907
@eddieaow42
Wowzers!🎵🎤🎶🎼🤩🤗
@carmendemetrio7685
Se habrán podido imaginar
cuando grabaron este discoque 110 años después aún habría gente escuchándolo ❗️😯👍🏻😊@Melicflucius
cilindro, no disco, en este caso. discos de el hay de 1901 (vitor), y c. 1909- (columbia)
@solongago57
He probably recorded this dozens of times, but I think this is the earliest version and the shortest version I have encountered. Not quite as polished as his later recordings of it.