Bettye LaVette (born Betty Jo Haskins, January 29, 1946) is an American sou… Read Full Bio ↴Bettye LaVette (born Betty Jo Haskins, January 29, 1946) is an American soul singer-songwriter who made her first record at sixteen, but achieved only intermittent fame until 2005, with her album I've Got My Own Hell to Raise. Her eclectic musical style combines elements of soul, blues, rock and roll, funk, gospel, and country music.

With one of her first singles turning into a national hit, 1962's "Let Me Down Easy", Detroit-raised LaVette would seem a natural soul star, but she was never able to cut an album deal. In 1972 her album A Child of the Seventies was shelved by Atlantic Records, then thought lost forever in a fire. She eked out a living on the European festival circuit, occasionally surfacing such as with the disco single "Doin' the Best that I Can", but remained obscure until French soul collector Gilles Petard tracked down the lost masters and persuaded Atlantic to let him release them on his vanity label as Souvenirs. A live album and 2005's cover album I've Got My Own Hell to Raise followed.

With the release of The Scene of the Crime, Bettye Lavette inches closer to the mainstream, or at least a much bigger cult following. Backed by The Drive-by Truckers and released on -Anti, The Scene of the Crime is recorded at the legendary FAME studios in Muscles Shoals, Alabama. The same place as her lost album. The connection doesn't end there - Patterson Hood of the Drive-by Truckers is the son of David Hood, who played on the 1972 album.

In 2009, she appeared at President Barack Obama's Inaugural Celebration, singing "A Change Is Gonna Come" with Jon Bon Jovi. It was televised globally.

Jealousy
Bettye Lavette Lyrics

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It cuts me deep
And it cuts me wide
This gut rock feelin'
I get inside
And I blame you
But it's really me
Can't rid myself
Of jealousy

When I'm away
And you're at home
I don't believe
You're on your own
It's my foolish
Insecurity
Can't rid myself
Of jealousy

Jealousy
As thick as mud
It's in my veins
It's in my blood
Jealousy
It's plain to see
I love you more
Than you love me

It get's me so
I can't sleep at night
I walk the floor
In the pale moonlight
Yes, I blame you
But it's really me
Can't rid myself
Of jealousy

Jealousy
It's thick as mud
It's in my veins
It's in my blood
Jealousy
It's plain to see
I love you more
Than you love me, baby

Jealousy
It's thick as mud
It's in my veins
It's in my blood
Jealousy
It's plain to see
I love you so much
It's killin' me, baby

Jealousy
It's thick as mud
It's in my veins
It's in my blood
Jealously
It's plain to see
I love you more
Than you love me
You'll be the death of me, baby,

Jealousy

It's thick as mud
It's in my veins...

Overall Meaning

The song "Jealousy" by Bettye Lavette is a bluesy ballad that expresses the singer's feelings of inadequacy and insecurity in her relationship caused by her jealousy. The lyrics talk about how the singer's jealousy is eating her up inside and how she struggles to control it. The verses describe how the feeling of jealousy is so strong that it makes her unable to sleep at night, causing her to walk the floor in the pale moonlight. She realizes that her jealousy is not caused by her partner's actions, but instead, she blames herself for her insecurity.

The chorus emphasizes her feelings of jealousy being as thick as mud, in her veins, and in her blood. Moreover, she confesses her love for her partner and admits that she loves him more than he loves her, which adds to her jealousy, making her feel irrationally possessive. The lyrics indicate that jealousy is a fatal emotion that has the potential to destroy her and her relationship.

Overall, the song conveys a message of the destructive power of jealousy that can destroy a relationship unless it is acknowledged and controlled.

Line by Line Meaning

It cuts me deep
I am hurt deeply

And it cuts me wide
The pain is all encompassing

This gut rock feelin'
The pain feels like a rock in my stomach

I get inside
It's inside of me and won't go away

And I blame you
I try to shift the blame to you

But it's really me
I know deep down that it's my own issue

Can't rid myself
I am unable to shake off

Of jealousy
this constant feeling of jealousy

When I'm away
When I am not with you

And you're at home
And you are in our house