Carter was born Lillie Mae Jones on 16th May 1929 in Flint, Michigan and grew up in Detroit, where her father led a church choir. She studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory. She won a talent contest and became a regular on the local club circuit, singing and playing piano. When she was sixteen, she sang with Charlie Parker. She later performed with Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis and toured with Lionel Hampton (from whom she received the nickname "Betty Bebop"), when she perfected her scat singing of bebop.
Her career was eclipsed somewhat during the 1960s and 1970s, though a series of duets with Ray Charles in 1961, including the R&B-chart-topping "Baby, It's Cold Outside", brought her a measure of popular recognition. She recorded for various labels during this period, including Peacock, ABC-Paramount, and Atco, but was rarely satisfied with the resulting product. An episode in which a record company A&R man tried to abscond with a set of her master recordings led her to establish her own record label, Bet-Car, in 1970. Some of her most outstanding recordings were first issued on Bet-Car, including the double album The Audience with Betty Carter (1980). She was well-received at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1977 and 1978. In 1987 Carter signed with Verve Records. She won a Grammy in 1988 for her album Look What I Got! and sang in a guest appearance on The Cosby Show in that year.
She died on 26th September 1998.
Everybody's Somebody's Fool
Betty Carter Lyrics
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But you don't care how many tears I cry
And though you only lead me on and hurt me,
I couldn't bring myself to say goodbye
Cause everybody's somebody's fool
Everybody's somebody's plaything
And there are no exceptions to the rule
I told myself it's best that I forget you,
Though I'm a fool, at least I know the score
Yet darlin', I'd be twice as blue without you
It hurts, but I'd come running back for more
Cause everybody's somebody's fool
Everybody's somebody's plaything
And there are no exceptions to the rule
Yes, everybody's somebody's fool
Someday you'll find someone you really care for
And if her love should prove to be untrue,
You'll know how much this heart of my is breakin'
You'll cry for her the way I cried for you
Yes, everybody's somebody's fool
Everybody's somebody's plaything
And there are no exceptions to the rule
Yes, everybody's somebody's fool
The lyrics to Betty Carter's song "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" delve into the universal experience of heartbreak and the fact that everyone at some point in their lives is vulnerable to it. In the first verse, Carter describes the vastness of her sadness, suggesting that it could fill an entire ocean. Despite this, the person she is singing to seems to be indifferent to her pain, which only serves to reinforce the idea that love can make one susceptible to being hurt. The second verse continues this theme, with Carter admitting that it's probably best if she moves on from this relationship, yet, ultimately, she cannot bring herself to let go of the person who hurt her.
The chorus is what ties the song together, with the repeated refrain that "everybody's somebody's fool." This sentiment highlights the idea that no one is immune to feeling foolish or vulnerable when it comes to love. We are all capable of being taken for granted or mistreated, and we all have the capacity to cause someone else pain as well. The lyrics are poignant in their simplicity, acknowledging that relationships can be messy and sometimes painful, but also suggesting that this is simply a part of the human experience, and that we all have to take the good with the bad when it comes to matters of the heart.
Line by Line Meaning
The tears I cried for you could fill an ocean,
I cried countless tears for you
But you don't care how many tears I cry
You don't care how much I suffer
And though you only lead me on and hurt me,
Even though you deceive and hurt me
I couldn't bring myself to say goodbye
I can't leave you
Cause everybody's somebody's fool
Everyone is taken advantage of by someone
Everybody's somebody's plaything
Everyone is at someone else's mercy
And there are no exceptions to the rule
No one is immune to this
I told myself it's best that I forget you,
I convinced myself that forgetting you is best
Though I'm a fool, at least I know the score
I may be foolish, but I know what's going on
Yet darlin', I'd be twice as blue without you
I would be even more miserable without you
It hurts, but I'd come running back for more
Your mistreatment hurts, but I can't stay away
Someday you'll find someone you really care for
One day, you'll love someone deeply
And if her love should prove to be untrue,
But if she ends up being unfaithful
You'll know how much this heart of my is breakin'
You'll understand the pain I'm feeling
You'll cry for her the way I cried for you
You'll weep for her, like I did for you
Yes, everybody's somebody's fool
Everyone has been a fool for someone
Everybody's somebody's plaything
Everyone can be manipulated by someone else
And there are no exceptions to the rule
This applies to everyone
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management
Written by: HOWARD GREENFIELD, JACK KELLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind