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.
Stop
Bettye Lavette Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell the rain not to drop
Tell the wind not to blow
'Cause you said so
Tell me love isn't true
It's just something we do
Tell me everything I'm not
Tell the sun not to shine
Not to get up this time
Let it fall by the way
Leave me where I lay
Tell the leaves not to turn
But don't tell me, I'll learn
Take the black off a crow
But don't tell me to go
Tell the bed not to lay
Like the mouth of a grave
Not to stare up at me
Like a calf on its knees
Tell me love isn't true
It's just something we do
Tell me everything I'm not
But don't tell me to stop
In Bettye Lavette's song "Stop," the singer is pleading with someone not to tell them what to do. They start with a series of seemingly impossible requests, such as telling the rain not to drop or the wind not to blow, indicating their feelings of powerlessness in the situation. They then ask the person not to tell them that love isn't real, or that they are not good enough, but to refrain from telling them to stop. The singer insists they need to be able to make their own choices, even if those choices lead to heartbreak or pain.
The song is a powerful commentary on the need for autonomy and control, even in situations where it may be difficult or painful to exercise that control. The singer recognizes that they may make mistakes or suffer consequences, but they assert that these are preferable to living under the control of someone else. The repeated refrain of "don't tell me to stop" emphasizes the singer's determination to assert their independence and resist attempts at manipulation or control.
Overall, "Stop" is a poignant and emotional exploration of the tension between freedom and security, and the need to take risks and make choices even in the face of uncertainty and potential harm.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't tell me to stop
Don't ask me to stop loving you.
Tell the rain not to drop
Don't tell me to stop crying tears for you.
Tell the wind not to blow
Don't tell me to stop thinking about you.
'Cause you said so
I can't stop loving you, even if you ask me to.
Tell me love isn't true
Try to convince me that our love wasn't real.
It's just something we do
It was just an act, not a true emotion.
Tell me everything I'm not
Tell me all the reasons you don't love me.
But don't tell me to stop
But don't ask me to stop loving you.
Tell the sun not to shine
Try to control nature, and stop the sun from rising.
Not to get up this time
And prevent the day from breaking.
Let it fall by the way
Let everything around me fall apart.
Leave me where I lay
And leave me to my pain.
Tell the leaves not to turn
Stop the natural cycle of life, and try to prevent the leaves from changing color in the fall.
But don't tell me, I'll learn
But don't tell me that time will heal my wounds, and that I'll move on from you.
Take the black off a crow
Try to change the natural appearance of a crow by removing its black feathers.
But don't tell me to go
But don't ask me to leave you.
Tell the bed not to lay
Ask the bed not to remind me of you.
Like the mouth of a grave
Like the mouth of a grave, swallowing me and my emotions.
Not to stare up at me
And not remind me of the empty space next to me where you used to lay.
Like a calf on its knees
Like a vulnerable baby animal, begging for mercy.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOE HENRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Evelyn O'Connor
SUPER SONG---- MAGNIFICENT PERFORMANCE
TomD
Bettye and Lady Day will ALWAYS. R U L E ! That VOICE ! KJAC - Margo --- Best station is Colorado Sound. All other radio stations in Denver should get permits to host a. 'Shark Fest' off the East Coast of Australia. Why hasn't Bettye been featured songstress in any 'Bond' Film --- ANY Indie or Canadian Film.
Bettye --- What a TradeMark Voice !
T Black
That voice is so haunting
jellyfishj1
like Thierry (below) said in french two months ago "I have goose bumps at the first note !"
Tiia-Heidi Randla
Great..💖
Thierry
J'ai la chair de poule à la première note!!
Blues Rain
superr!💕
BMW 2002 ALPINA
<3
JB
That works.
Antonio Betancourt
cuenta hasta tres..párate ahÃ.