Brook Benton (born Benjamin Franklin Peay on September 19, 1931; died April… Read Full Bio ↴Brook Benton (born Benjamin Franklin Peay on September 19, 1931; died April 9, 1988) was an American singer and songwriter who was popular with rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and pop music audiences during the late 1950s and early 1960s, when he scored hits such as "It's Just a Matter of Time" and "Endlessly", many of which he co-wrote.

When Benton was young he enjoyed gospel music and wrote songs and in 1948 he went to New York to pursue his music career.

He was a member of several gospel groups including "The Langfordairies", "The Jerusalem Stars", and "The Golden Gate Quartet".

After returning to his home state he joined a R&B singing group, "the Sandmen", and soon went back to New York to try for a big break. Eventually the record company decided to drop The Sandmen and push Brook as a solo artist.

Benton wrote songs for artists such as Nat King Cole, Clyde McPhatter, and Roy Hamilton. Soon he released his first minor hit A Million Miles From Nowhere, and later he joined the Mercury label, which would later bring him big success.

In 1952 he got his big break with It's Just a Matter of Time and Endlessly.

It's Just a Matter of Time made it to #3 on the U.S. Pop charts, while Endlessly made it to #12 . Both hits were written by Benton himself.

Benton had many #1 hits including Rainy Night in Georgia and Hotel Happiness. According to Songfacts, his version of the blues standard The Boll Weevil Song has the unique distinction of being the first #1 song on Billboard's Easy Listening chart.

Altogether, Benton had 38 hit singles through out his career. His last album was "Fools Rush In", released posthumously in 2005. He died on April 9, 1988.

I Can't Begin To Tell You
Brook Benton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I can't begin to tell you, how much you mean to me
My world would end, if ever we were through.
I can't begin to tell you, how happy I would be
If I could speak my mind, like other's do.

I make such pretty speeches,
Whenever we're apart,
But when you're near. the words I choose,

Refuse to leave my heart.

So, take the sweetest phrases (love songs)

The world has ever known
And make believe, I've said them (sung them) all to you.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of I Can't Begin to Tell You are a love confession from the singer to his beloved. Brook Benton expresses his inability to express his love to the woman in words. He tells her that she means everything to him and if they ever separated, his world would end. He also admits that he can't put into words how happy he would be if he could express his love like others do.

The singer then goes on to describe how he makes grand speeches whenever they are apart, but when they are together, he can't seem to find the right words. This is perhaps because his love for her is too overwhelming for him to put into words. The singer ends the song by asking his beloved to imagine that he has said all the sweetest love phrases the world has ever known to her.

Line by Line Meaning

I can't begin to tell you, how much you mean to me
It's hard for me to express just how much you mean to me

My world would end, if ever we were through.
My life would feel like it's over if I lost you

I can't begin to tell you, how happy I would be
I would be incredibly happy if I could just express my feelings to you like others do

If I could speak my mind, like other's do.
If only I could express my thoughts out loud like others do

I make such pretty speeches,
I can often come up with beautiful words

Whenever we're apart,
When we're not together

But when you're near. the words I choose,
However, when I'm with you, the words don't come out

Refuse to leave my heart.
I struggle to express my true feelings verbally

So, take the sweetest phrases (love songs)
Here's an idea

The world has ever known
Some of the most beautiful phrases and lyrics ever written

And make believe, I've said them (sung them) all to you.
Imagine that I've said or sung all of those beautiful phrases to you