Taking after their father, who sang gospel music, Bobby Womack and his brothers formed their own group in 1952. In 1954, under the moniker Curtis Womack and the Womack Brothers, the group issued the Pennant single, "Buffalo Bill". Bobby Womack was only ten years old at the time. Sam Cooke took an interest in the Womack Brothers, and they recorded for Cooke's SAR record label in the early 1960s. Renamed the Valentinos, and encouraged by Cooke to go in a more secular and commercial direction, they scored a hit with Womack's "It's All Over Now" in 1964; the Rolling Stones' version of the song became a major hit, earning Womack generous royalty payments.
Sam Cooke died in late 1964; Womack married Cooke's widow, Barbara, a short time later, creating something of a scandal. Things became even more complicated when his younger brother, Cecil, married Cooke's daughter, Linda. As a session guitarist, Womack worked at producer Chips Moman's American Studios in Memphis, and played on recordings by Joe Tex and The Box Tops. Until this point, around 1967, he had had little success as a solo artist, but at American he began to record a string of classic soul-music singles including the 1968 "What Is This" (his first chart hit), "It's Gonna Rain" and "More Than I Can Stand," all of which featured his elegant, understated rhythm-guitar work and his impassioned vocals. During this period he became known as a songwriter, contributing many songs to the repertoire of Wilson Pickett; these include "I'm in Love" and "I'm a Midnight Mover."
After moving to the United Artists label in the early '70s, he released the album Communication, and on an album with guitarist Gabor Szabo introduced his song "Breezin'," which later became a hit for George Benson. He also became known for his interesting taste in cover versions, essaying Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin' " as well as "Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)" and James Taylor's "Fire and Rain'" and "California Dreamin'." Perhaps his most well-known work from this period is as guitarist on Sly & the Family Stone's 1971 There's a Riot Goin' On.
He continued to have hits into the '70s; these include "Lookin' for a Love" (a remake of his 1962 Valentinos single), "Across 110th Street," "Woman's Gotta Have It" (covered by James Taylor in 1976), "You're Welcome, Stop on By," and the masterful "Daylight." All are excellent examples of burnished yet gritty 1970s soul music, and reveal a pop-music sensibility akin to that of Marvin Gaye or Curtis Mayfield.
Bobby Womack's 1981 album The Poet was a surprise hit and contained the hit single "If You Think You're Lonely Now." K-Ci Hailey, a notable admirer of Womack's work, covered "If You Think You're Lonely Now" in 1994. The song is referenced in Mariah Carey's song "We Belong Together", a number-one hit in June 2005. Carey sings "I can't sleep at night /When you are on my mind / Bobby Womack's on the radio / Singing to me: 'If you think you're lonely now.'"
Film director Quentin Tarantino used "Across 110th Street" (which, in a different version, had been the title song of the 1972 movie) in the opening and closing sequences of his 1997 film Jackie Brown.
A 2003 Saab commercial shone a spotlight on Womack’s interpretation of "California Dreamin'".
In 2010, Womack contributed lyrics and sang on "Stylo" alongside Mos Def, the first single from the third Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach. Womack was told to sing whatever was on his mind during the recording of "Stylo". "I was in there for an hour going crazy about love and politics, getting it off my chest", said Womack.[4] He also provides vocals on the song "Cloud of Unknowing".
In 2010 Bobby Womack appeared on the main pyramid stage at Glastonbury with the Gorillaz.
The Bravest Man in the World Songfacts reports in 2012, Womack's first album of original material since 1994's Resurrection was released. The Bravest Man in the World was produced by Damon Albarn of Gorillaz and XL Recordings boss, Richard Russell.
Womack died on June 27, 2014 at age 70.
More Than I Can Stand
Bobby Womack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Girl, don't pull the rug from under my feet (don't do it, baby)
Don't leave, don't leave me so, I'm talking in my sleep
This could be the start of a nightmare
Waking up and not finding you there
It would be more that I could stand
Oh, baby
Girl, don't leave me so I'm pacing the floor (don't do it, baby)
Maybe I've been too hung-up on myself
But don't change me by putting my heart on a shelf
'Cause that's more than I could stand
Why you wanna leave me?
Why you wanna go?
I promise not
To never, never hurt you no more
Oh, please don't leave me
Please don't go
By causin' my heart to ache
Causin' it to break
We, we've still got a lot of love to give (yeah)
So turn around, baby (turn around)
While there's a lot of life to live
Leavin' me would ruin all of my plans
It would be like tying the both of my hands
And that's more, baby, than I could stand
Why you wanna leave me?
Why you wanna go?
The lyrics to Bobby Womack’s More Than I Can Stand express the fear and desperation of a man who is pleading with his woman not to leave him. He begs her not to pull the rug from under his feet, acknowledging that her leaving him would be the start of a nightmare. He speaks of pacing the floor and talking in his sleep, demonstrating his overwhelming concern and the depth of his emotion. He acknowledges that, while he may have been too focused on himself in the past, he does not want her to change him now by placing his heart on a shelf. He implores her not to leave him, as it would be more than he could stand.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, baby
Opening line with no specific meaning
Girl, don't pull the rug from under my feet (don't do it, baby)
Don't blindside me with a sudden breakup
Don't leave, don't leave me so, I'm talking in my sleep
Please don't go and leave me restless and sleepless
This could be the start of a nightmare
Your absence could lead to a terrible nightmare
Waking up and not finding you there
It would be terrible to wake up and not find you next to me
It would be more that I could stand
It would be unbearable for me to deal with
Oh, baby
Repeating the opening line with no specific meaning
Girl, don't leave me so I'm pacing the floor (don't do it, baby)
I'll be restless and anxious if you leave me
'Cause that's, that's what I'll do if you close the door
I'll have nothing else to do but pace the floor when you leave
Maybe I've been too hung-up on myself
I may have been too focused on my own needs instead of our relationship
But don't change me by putting my heart on a shelf
Please don't change me by making me close off my heart to love
'Cause that's more than I could stand
That would be too much for me to handle
Why you wanna leave me?
Asking why you want to break up with me
Why you wanna go?
Asking why you want to leave
I promise not to never, never hurt you no more
Promising not to hurt you again
Oh, please don't leave me
Begging you not to leave me
Please don't go
Pleading with you not to go
By causin' my heart to ache
Your departure would cause me emotional pain
Causin' it to break
Your leaving would cause my heart to break into pieces
We, we've still got a lot of love to give (yeah)
We still have a lot of love left to give to each other
So turn around, baby (turn around)
Asking you to turn around and come back
While there's a lot of life to live
We still have a lot of time to spend together
Leavin' me would ruin all of my plans
Your departure would thwart all my plans for the future
It would be like tying the both of my hands
It would be like rendering me powerless to move on
And that's more, baby, than I could stand
It would simply be too much for me to bear
Why you wanna leave me?
Closing line with no specific meaning
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: BOBBY WOMACK, DARRYL CARTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind