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.

These Arms Of Mine
Carla Thomas Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

These arms of mine
They are lonely
Lonely and feeling blue
These arms of mine
They are yearning
Yearning from wanting you
And if you would let them hold you
Oh how grateful I will be

These arms of mine
They are burning
Burning from wanting you
These arms of mine
They are wanting
Wanting to hold you
And if you would let them hold you
Oh how grateful I will be

Come on, come on, baby
Just be my little woman
Just be my lover, oh
I need me somebody
Somebody to treat me right
I need your arms, loving arms
To hold me tight

And I need, I need your
I need your tender lips

Overall Meaning

Carla Thomas's song "These Arms of Mine" is a soulful ballad that expresses the ache of loneliness and longing for someone. The song starts with the lyrics "These arms of mine, they are lonely, lonely and feeling blue". The singer's arms are a metaphor for her heart and her entire being, which are feeling lonely and sorrowful. She then goes on to say that her arms are yearning for the person she loves, and if they are allowed to hold that person, she would be grateful.

The lyrics continue with the singer expressing the burning desire she feels for her lover. She wants nothing more than to hold them in her arms and be held in return. She pleads with her lover to be with her, to treat her right, and to give her the love and affection she craves. The song's last verse wraps up with the singer reiterating her need for her lover's arms and tender lips.

Overall, this song is a powerful expression of the intensity of human longing and the pain of loneliness. It captures the universal experience of wanting to be loved and held, and the desperation that can come with that desire.

Line by Line Meaning

These arms of mine
The singer's arms

They are lonely
The singer is alone and sad

Lonely and feeling blue
The singer is feeling sad and depressed

These arms of mine
The artist's arms

They are yearning
The artist wants something desperately

Yearning from wanting you
The singer wants the person they love

And if you would let them hold you
If the person they love would let them hold them

Oh how grateful I will be
The artist would be very grateful

These arms of mine
The artist's arms

They are burning
The artist is burning with desire

Burning from wanting you
The singer wants the person they love badly