Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States, Powell was a heavily gospel-… Read Full Bio ↴Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States, Powell was a heavily gospel-influenced soul artist, who achieved modest success in the 60s and 70s recording for small southern labels. He began his career in the church and singing in gospel groups, and in 1965 began recording for Lionel Whitfield’s Whit label in Shreveport, Louisiana. Powell secured his biggest success in 1965 with ‘C.C. Rider’ (number 1 on the Cash Box R&B chart), a remake of a 20s blues standard. He obtained another hit with the funky ‘Do Something For Yourself’ (number 21 R&B) from 1966, but his most impressive recording that year was ‘I’m Gonna Leave You’ (number 34 R&B), which with its stinging blues guitar and a shouting gospel chorus ranked as one of the funkiest, most down-home soul records in history. Powell achieved some regional success in 1969 with ‘In Time’, and reached the charts again in 1971 with a remake of Baby Washington’s ‘The Bells’ (number 14 R&B).

Beginning in the late 70s, Powell began recording for the Hep Me label, but despite some sizeable regional successes failed to reach the national charts. During the 80s he functioned as a perennial opening act in Baton Rouge - regardless of who came to town, Powell performed the opening gig. By the early 90s Powell had abandoned R&B to sing exclusively gospel music.

Don't look back
Bobby Powell Lyrics

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If it's love that you're running from, there's no hiding place.
You can't run it, you can't hide it, you can't run it
Love has problems I know but there problems, we'll just have to face.
If you just put your hand in mine,
We're gonna leave all our troubles behind.
We're gonna walk and don't look back.
Don't look back
And don't look back

And don't look back, baby.
Don't look back

The places behind you let them re-remind you
If your first lover broke your heart,
There's something that can be done.
You don't run it, you don't hide it, you don't run it
Don't end your faith in love because of what he's done.
So if you just put your hand in mine,
We're gonna leave all our troubles behind.
Keep on walking and don't look back.
Forget about the past now.
Don't look back, baby.
Keep on walking and don't look back
The places behind you let them re-remind you.

Love can be a beautiful thing.
Though your first love let you down.
'Cause I know we can make love bloom, baby.
The second time around.
So if you just put your hand in mine,
We're gonna leave all our troubles behind.
Keep on pushing and don't look back.
Now, till I say, we won't look back, girl.
Keep on walking and won't look back.
Forget about the past now, baby.

And don't look back.
Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, don't look back.

Overall Meaning

Bobby Powell's song "Don't Look Back" provides an uplifting message to listeners who may be struggling with love and relationships. The lyrics urge the listener not to run away from love, emphasizing that there is no hiding place if one tries to run from it. The song acknowledges the struggles and problems that come with love but insists that they can be faced and overcome if one puts trust in love and in their partner.

The lyrics advise the listener not to let past experiences with love deter them from seeking new love and to keep moving forward, regardless of any setbacks. The refrain of "Keep on walking and don't look back" serves as a reminder to stay grounded in the present and to be hopeful about the future. The song suggests that love can be a positive, fulfilling experience if one is willing to take risks and work through any difficulties that may arise along the way.

Line by Line Meaning

If it's love that you're running from, there's no hiding place.
You can't avoid love, you can't hide from it, and it will always find you.

Love has problems I know but there problems, we'll just have to face.
Although love can have challenges, we will overcome them by confronting them head-on.

If you just put your hand in mine, We're gonna leave all our troubles behind.
If we band together, we can overcome any obstacle and move forward from our problems.

We're gonna walk and don't look back.
We will continue to move forward and not dwell on the past.

The places behind you let them re-remind you
The past can serve as a reminder of what we have been through and how far we have come.

If your first lover broke your heart, There's something that can be done.
Just because someone hurt you in the past, it doesn't mean that all future relationships will be the same.

Forget about the past now.
We need to be present in the moment and focus on the future instead of dwelling on what has already happened.

Love can be a beautiful thing.
Although love may have its challenges, it can also be an incredibly beautiful experience.

Though your first love let you down.
Even if someone hurt us in the past, we still have the potential for future love.

'Cause I know we can make love bloom, baby. The second time around.
We can always find love again, and it may even be more beautiful the second time around.

Keep on pushing and don't look back.
We need to continue persevering and moving forward without letting the past hold us back.

Now, till I say, we won't look back, girl.
We need to keep moving forward and not look back until we have achieved our goals or overcome our struggles.

Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, don't look back.
We must keep looking forward and not let the past hold us back from achieving greatness.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PETE WHITE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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