Carla Thomas (born December 21, 1942 in Memphis, Tennessee) is often referr… Read Full Bio ↴Carla Thomas (born December 21, 1942 in Memphis, Tennessee) is often referred to as the Queen of Memphis Soul.

At the age of 17, she recorded a duet with her father Rufus Thomas, "Because I Love You", which became a Southern hit and gave the Satellite label (later Stax Records) its first real success.

In 1961 she rose to national prominence with "Gee Whiz (Look in His Eyes)", which reached the Top Ten in both the R&B and Pop categories, becoming the first Memphis soul record to have an impact nationwide and ensuring the success of the Stax Records label.

In the next ten years, she had 22 singles on the national charts, including "I'll Bring It on Home to You" (an answer to Sam Cooke's "Bring It on Home to Me"), "Let Me Be Good to You", and Isaac Hayes' "B-A-B-Y".

She is well-known for her duets with Otis Redding, from the album King & Queen, including the recordings of the Lowell Fulson composition "Tramp" and the Steve Cropper/Eddie Floyd song "Knock on Wood".

In 1993 Carla Thomas received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.

I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry
Carla Thomas Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hear the lonesome whippoorwill
He sounds too blue to fly
The midnight train is whining low
I'm so lonesome I could cry.

I've never seen a night so long
When time goes crawling by
The moon just went behind a cloud

To hide its face a cry

Did you ever see a Robin weep
When leaves begin to die?
That means he's lost the will to live.
I'm so lonesome I could cry.

The silence of a falling star
Lights up a purple sky.

And as I wonder where you are
I'm so lonesome I could cry.

Overall Meaning

Carla Thomas's rendition of “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” written and originally performed by Hank Williams in 1949, is a classic song exploring the depths of loneliness and heartbreak. The opening line, "Hear the lonesome whippoorwill, he sounds too blue to fly," sets the theme of the song. The singer is so deeply alone that even the bird's songs sound sad, and the sound of a train whistle in the distance just emphasizes her solitary mood. The lyrics "I've never seen a night so long, When time goes crawling by" show how time seems to slow down when we are alone, and how painful it can be to wait for the dawn to come.

The line "Did you ever see a Robin weep, When leaves begin to die?" suggests that for the singer, the natural world reflects her own sadness. The image of a helpless, crying bird signifies the sorrow that can overcome any living creature. The final stanza of "The silence of a falling star/ Lights up a purple sky/ And as I wonder where you are/ I'm so lonesome I could cry" reveals the feelings of missing someone who has gone away, and the sense of isolation and yearning that lingers in their absence. The falling star may suggest a fleeting moment of hope, a momentary reprieve from the darkness of the lonely night, but in the end, the loneliness persists.

Line by Line Meaning

Hear the lonesome whippoorwill
Listen to the lonely whippoorwill bird

He sounds too blue to fly
It's so sad it seems like the bird can't even fly

The midnight train is whining low
The train is making a sad, low noise

I'm so lonesome I could cry.
I'm incredibly lonely and sad

I've never seen a night so long
This night feels never-ending

When time goes crawling by
Time is passing so slowly

The moon just went behind a cloud
The moon disappeared behind a cloud

To hide its face a cry
As if it's crying and doesn't want to be seen

Did you ever see a Robin weep
Have you ever seen a bird cry?

When leaves begin to die?
It happens when leaves fall off trees in autumn

That means he's lost the will to live.
The bird seems to have lost the desire to go on living