Withers, the youngest of six children, was born in the small coal-mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia, on July 4, 1938. He was the son of Mattie (Galloway), a maid, and William Withers, a miner. He was born with a stutter and later said he had a hard time fitting in. His parents divorced when he was three, and he was raised by his mother's family in nearby Beckley, West Virginia. He was 13 years old when his father died. Withers enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of 17, and served for nine years, during which time he became interested in singing and writing songs.
He left the Navy in 1965, relocating to Los Angeles in 1967 to start a music career. His debut release was "Three Nights and a Morning" in 1967. Arranged by Mort Garson, the song went unnoticed at the time but was later reworked by Withers as the track "Harlem".
Withers worked as an assembler for several different companies, including Douglas Aircraft Corporation, IBM and Ford, while recording demo tapes with his own money, shopping them around and performing in clubs at night. When he returned with the song "Ain't No Sunshine" in 1971, he refused to resign from his job because he believed the music business was a fickle industry. In early 1970, Withers's demonstration tape was auditioned favorably by Clarence Avant, owner of Sussex Records. Avant signed Withers to a record deal and assigned former Stax Records stalwart Booker T. Jones to produce Withers' first album. Four three-hour recording sessions were planned for the album, but funding caused the album to be recorded in three sessions with a six-month break between the second and final sessions. Just as I Am was released in 1971 with the tracks, "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Grandma's Hands" as singles. The album features Stephen Stills playing lead guitar. On the cover of the album, Withers is pictured at his job at Weber Aircraft in Burbank, California, holding his lunch box.
Withers was known for his "smooth" baritone vocals and "sumptuous" soul arrangements. He wrote some of the most covered songs of the 1970s, including "Lean on Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine". The former entered the Hot 100 chart through multiple versions, including Club Nouveau's 1987 cover, which made the composition one of nine songs to have led the chart via different acts. With "Lovely Day", he set the record for the longest sustained note on a chart hit on American charts, holding a high E for 18 seconds. Editors from The Guardian considered that Withers' songs are "some of the most beloved in the American songbook," citing, "'Ain't No Sunshine' is regarded as one of the all-time great breakup tracks, while 'Lean on Me', an ode to the supportive power of friendship ..." For the same newspaper, Alex Petridis noticed "[he] laid pain and paranoia under his deceptively gentle songs, and retired early having conquered gospel, funk, blues, disco and more." In Rolling Stone, writer Andy Greene noted that several of his songs "are embedded in the culture and have been covered countless times."
Writing for The New York Times, Giovanni Russonello considered Withers "[a] soulful singer with a gift for writing understated classics", adding, "the ultimate homespun hitmaker, he had an innate sense of what might make a song memorable, and little interest in excess attitude or accoutrements. Ultimately Withers reminded us that it’s the everyday that is the most meaningful: work, family, love, loss." A Billboard article considered that Withers "stands as one of R&B/soul music's most revered singer-songwriters." In the same magazine, writer Gail Mitchell acknowledged "Withers' legacy has flourished in the decades since, thanks to a cross-section of artists who have covered/sampled his songs or cited him as a major influence." Musician and music journalist Questlove referred to Withers' post-breakup 1974 album +'Justments as "a diary [...] [it] was a pre-reality-show look at his life. Keep in mind this was years before Marvin Gaye did it with Here, My Dear." The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson deemed him "a songwriter's songwriter". Musicians Sade, D'Angelo, Justin Timberlake, John Legend and Ed Sheeran have credited Withers as a music inspiration.
Withers died from heart complications in Los Angeles on March 30, 2020, at age 81; his family announced his death four days later. He is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills).
Don't Make Me Wait
Bill Withers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If it's ever in your mind
If it's ever meant to happen
If it's just a waste of time
If you think it might be wonderful
But you feel you have to fight
Is it gonna take a miracle
Don't make me wait, take some time for love
Don't make me wait, take this moment in the night
Don't make me wait, take some time for love
Don't make me wait, let's make love tonight
If it's only feeling guilty
If it's just a case of fright
If you think it's something filthy
Something evil in the night
Don't make me wait, take some time for love
Don't make me wait, take this moment in the night
Don't make me wait, take some time for love
Don't make me wait, let's make love tonight
If it's love it's so sweet and gentle
When you're making love in the night
If it's love it's so very simple
Hold on! Hold on!
Don't make me wait, take some time for love
Don't make me wait, take this moment in the night
Don't make me wait, take some time for love
Don't make me wait, let's make love tonight
In Bill Withers' song "Don't Make Me Wait," the lyrics are a plea for love and physical intimacy. The singer seems to be addressing someone who is hesitant about being intimate, possibly due to guilt or fear. Throughout the song, the singer encourages the other person to take a chance on love and not let their hesitation get in the way of a potentially wonderful connection. They repeatedly plead with the other person not to make them wait, insisting that the time for love is now and that they should not waste any more time.
The song can be interpreted in several ways, but it is likely about the importance of seizing the moment when it comes to love and relationships. The singer seems to be urging the other person not to let their fears or doubts hold them back from letting their guard down and experiencing a deep connection with another person.
The lyrics are simple and straightforward, but they convey a powerful message about the transformative potential of love. The song is a reminder that sometimes, we need to take a leap of faith and trust that things will work out for the best.
Line by Line Meaning
It's only ‘cause you're waiting
Your hesitation is only because you're not ready yet
If it's ever in your mind
If the thought of being with me ever crosses your mind
If it's ever meant to happen
If it's truly meant to be between us
If it's just a waste of time
If being together is pointless and not worth it
If you think it might be wonderful
If you believe that being with me is worth it
But you feel you have to fight
But you're struggling with your own doubts and fears
Is it gonna take a miracle
Do you need some extraordinary event to convince you to be with me?
To make love to you tonight
To be intimate with you this very moment
Don't make me wait, take some time for love
Don't hesitate; make time for our love
Don't make me wait, take this moment in the night
Seize this opportunity for love in the night
Don't make me wait, let's make love tonight
Don't hold back; let's be intimate tonight
If it's only feeling guilty
If the hesitation is only because you feel guilty about being with me
If it's just a case of fright
If it's only because you're scared of our potential relationship
If you think it's something filthy
If you perceive our relationship as something dirty or immoral
Something evil in the night
Something that feels wicked and negative under the cover of darkness
If it's love it's so sweet and gentle
If we truly love each other, it will be tender and kind
When you're making love in the night
When we're intimate under the veil of darkness
If it's love it's so very simple
If our feelings are genuine, our relationship will be straightforward and uncomplicated
Hold on! Hold on!
Let's take a moment to pause and think before making any rash decisions
Contributed by Abigail D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.