Big Maybelle's (May 1, 1924 — January 23, 1972) mountainous stature matched… Read Full Bio ↴Big Maybelle's (May 1, 1924 — January 23, 1972) mountainous stature matched the sheer soulful power of her massive vocal talent. Her deep, gravelly voice was as singular as her many hits for Okeh and Savoy, which ranged from down-in-the-alley blues to pop-slanted ballads. Originator of "Whole Lot Of Shakin' Going' On" and many other now-standards, her drug addiction caused various problems and led to her early death at the age of 47.

Wikipedia: Big Maybelle

96 Tears
Big Maybelle Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Too many teardrops
For one heart to be crying
Too many teardrops
For one heart to carry on

You're way up on top now
Baby, since you left me, yeah
And you're always laughing

Down at me, yeah

But watch out, baby
I'm gonna get there
Yes, I am, and
We'll be together
For just a little while

And we'll start
Gathering tears
Way up here, ha ha
And you'll start crying
Ninety-six tears, hey
Cry, cry, cry, hey
Ha ha ha, yeah

Hey, I'll be on top
And you'll be there
Just looking up, yeah

I had a way to get up here
Yes, I did
And I don't see you
Waving down

I'm gonna get you
Yes, I am, ha, ha

Cry, cry, cry
Too many teardrops for
One heart to be crying, yeah
Too many teardrops for
One little heart to carry on

Yeah, cry, cry, cry
Ninety-six tears, yeah, yeah

Cry, cry, cry all night long
In the midnight hour

Overall Meaning

The song "96 Tears" by Big Maybelle is about heartbreak and the feeling of being left behind by a lover. The chorus repeats the line "Too many teardrops for one heart to be crying", conveying the idea that the pain of heartbreak is too much for one person to bear. The singer is left behind while their lover moves on and enjoys success, but the singer pledges to reach the same heights and make their former lover cry "96 tears" of remorse.

The lyrics suggest that the singer is motivated by revenge, driven to prove their worth and succeed in a way that will make their former lover regret leaving them. Yet there is also a sense of sadness and desperation to the song, with the repetition of the word "cry" and the image of tears gathering and falling. It is a powerful expression of heartbreak and the struggle to move on.

Line by Line Meaning

Too many teardrops
An excessive amount of tears

For one heart to be crying
For a single individual to endure alone

Too many teardrops
An excessive amount of tears

For one heart to carry on
For a single individual to continue functioning despite their inner turmoil

You're way up on top now
You have achieved success without me

Baby, since you left me, yeah
Your departure caused me great pain

And you're always laughing
You appear to be enjoying your newfound success

Down at me, yeah
At my expense

But watch out, baby
Beware

I'm gonna get there
I, too, will succeed

Yes, I am, and
I am confident in my abilities

We'll be together
We will reunite

For just a little while
We will only be back together briefly

And we'll start
Soon enough

Gathering tears
We will mutually experience sadness

Way up here, ha ha
At my current level of success

And you'll start crying
You will also experience sadness

Ninety-six tears, hey
An excessive amount of tears

Cry, cry, cry, hey
Your response to our reunion

Ha ha ha, yeah
All of this brings me joy

Hey, I'll be on top
I will have achieved my own success

And you'll be there
You will witness my success from below

Just looking up, yeah
Observing my success from afar

I had a way to get up here
I had my own path to success

Yes, I did
I was capable of achieving success without your help

And I don't see you
You were not a factor in my success

Waving down
You did not aid me in my climb to success

I'm gonna get you
I will seek revenge

Yes, I am, ha, ha
I am determined to make you suffer

Cry, cry, cry
I want you to feel the same pain I once did

Too many teardrops for
An excessive amount of tears

One heart to be crying, yeah
For a single individual to endure alone

Too many teardrops for
An excessive amount of tears

One little heart to carry on
For a single individual to continue functioning despite their inner turmoil

Yeah, cry, cry, cry
I want you to feel the same pain I once did

Ninety-six tears, yeah, yeah
An excessive amount of tears

Cry, cry, cry all night long
I want you to suffer immensely

In the midnight hour
At an inconvenient time

Contributed by Bentley Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS

No Related Genres

More Genres

No Artists Found

More Artists Load All

No Albums Found

No Tracks Found

PT2M33S

Genre not found

Artist not found

Album not found

Search results not found

Song not found

Comments from YouTube:

@frankprice7575

23w

Criminally underrated.......amazing performance and vocals. .

@fjohnson3555

5y↑15

I love her version of this!!!

@drstevie

14y↑16

one of the greatest songs ever,i know ? Mark & Mysterions version is brilliant,but this is a killer.what a vocal !!!!!!

@ItsSusieQue96

Que loves this cover of his song! There are SO many covers—this one even beats Aretha Franklin’s

@chrismillington6601

@mikevallen999

7y↑7

Superb rock solid soulful talent....timeless indeed....excellent upload of "96 Tears " by Big Maybelle....extraordinary audio quality .

@bigguys45s29

6y↑22

Big Maybelle's cover version peaked at, coincidentally enough, No. 96, her only ever charting single.

@MrSteveLuigi

12y↑3

Just bought a demo copy of this. What a brilliant rendition of the '? & the Mysterions' classic. Great stuff!

@paulbarber9599

1y↑2

Great version of this song don’t never hear this version on the radio even the oldies dis don’t play this if they did I missed it

@stevenlaguna338

3y↑2

Fabulous talent.

@user-ne8mf7yn9i

33w

❤😂 divinal love it !

@ItsSusieQue96

7y↑8

Correction-- the original by ? and the Mysterians was recorded March 13, 1966 (not 65) and released on a small label called Pa-Go-Go (label for Mexican artists) before becoming a smash #1 on Cameo Parkway. Cameo then stole all the money the band made and left the band penniless -- they released 2 albums and 5 singles on Cameo but the label stopped promoting them after the 2nd single (the label was shut down for stock fraud)
This is one of the better covers of the song, which has been covered by over 200 artists of every genre

@gregorypalmer5403

3y↑1

From Saginaw, Michigan !

@windjammerish

12y↑6

This is awesome.

@drstevie

13y↑4

killer tune !!

@banyera

2y↑1

The one and only "Big Maybelle " !!!!

@snackcakeman

2y↑2

I had no idea this existed. I have to wonder why she recorded this, out of her core genre.

@charlieleigh7824

7y↑26

This is the gravy. One person gave it the thumbs down. Clearly he/she was lacking in any soul.

@booya966

4y↑1

GRAY—V. BAY—V

@hellbillybilly4770

4 NOW! Boo Fvcking Hoo!!!

@57dogsbody

9y↑10

This is the SHIT. Gotta Love MAYBELLE.

@Multi1628

7y↑2

A wonderful counterpart to the ? & the Mysterians - thank you for posting!! Chers - DAVEDJ

@louishubbard8036

1y↑2

good cover

@bitampi

13y↑4

Again, KILLLLLER TUNE!!! :))

@jeanyvesscola3506

2y↑1

l'originalité est le MAITRE MOT bravoooooooooooo!

@charliethompson1882

10y↑10

Top drawer vocals.

@gilfaver362

4y↑2

Good one.

@peterbliek8614

6y↑5

Her voice remains beautiful & powerful though she is
sick with demons at the. Door.

@tinpanally51_36

2y↑3

Nice.

@henrygarnett2879

7y↑1

spot on,,,,

@scallopohare9431

43w

Thank you!

@neilsettle2089

3y↑1

I disagree with the thumbs down, but she doesn’t get the opportunity to really romp and stretch her wings and show us the full power of her voice on this cut.