I Hadn't Anyone Till You
Billie Holiday Lyrics


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I hadn't anyone till you
I was a lonely one till you
I used to lie awake and wonder if there could be,
A someone in the wide world just made for me
Now I see I had to save my love for you
I never gave my love till you
And through my lonely heart demanding it
Cupid took a hand in it
I hadn't anyone till you.





Overall Meaning

The song "I Hadn't Anyone Till You" is a poignant ballad by Billie Holiday about finally finding love after years of loneliness. The song begins by highlighting the singer's previous sense of isolation, lamenting that she hadn't had anyone until the arrival of this special person. Prior to this point, she had spent many sleepless nights wondering whether a suitable companion existed in the vast expanse of the world. But, now that she has found that person, the singer can see that she had been saving her love for this exact individual all along. She had never before given her heart to anyone else.


The chorus then draws attention to the insistent demands of her heart, suggesting an element of desperation and longing in her desire for this newfound love. The song attributes the arrival of this relationship to the intervention of cupid, the god of desire, hinting at a certain amount of fate or destiny in the way these two individuals came together. With this lyrical journey, "I Hadn't Anyone Till You" becomes a moving tribute to the transcendent power of love and the vast emptiness of existence without it.


Line by Line Meaning

I hadn't anyone till you
My life was devoid of any love or companionship until you came into it


I was a lonely one till you
I spent my days and nights in solitude, feeling the pangs of loneliness incessantly, until you arrived and changed it all


I used to lie awake and wonder if there could be, A someone in the wide world just made for me
In my moments of despair and yearning for companionship, I used to hope and pray for a perfect companion to come into my life


Now I see I had to save my love for you
I have now come to realize that my love was meant only for you, and that I had been waiting for you all along


I never gave my love till you
I had never truly loved anyone until I met you


And through my lonely heart demanding it, Cupid took a hand in it
When my heart was yearning for love the most, Cupid intervened and brought us together, making our union possible


I hadn't anyone till you
Once again, I reiterate that my life had been incomplete without your love, and you have now filled the void that existed in my life




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: NOBLE

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Comments from YouTube:

Jade Quest

This is from the album "Velvet Mood" which my Father had in his record collection. This is my favorite rendition of this song. I also love "What's New" and "Everything I have is yours" Not so much "I gotta Right to sing the Blues" only because the song is a bit of a downer. also on the album. Her voice sounds fine to me. By the way, I still have the album.

Raymond Louis Llompart

Simply unforgettable...perhaps you may call it masochism, but I find myself returning again and again to this gem over the years........her voice is almost entirely "gone" but Ms. Holiday has acquired enough tricks to fully display the depth of her spiritual being, and she cuts corners to deliver a performance of unquestioned merit. I defy any "perfect" voice to compete with this ragged instrument that conveys so much pain and helplessness----hear a little child with no shame whatsoever......She is one the most vexing AND extraordinarily brilliant of voices of the 20th Century. She was unique----and that's not a label I throw around with any regularity...

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