Simon's career began with a short-lived music group with her sister Lucy as The Simon Sisters. They had a minor hit in 1964 called "Winkin', Blinkin', and Nod", and made three albums together before Lucy left to get married and start a family. Later, Carly Simon collaborated with eclectic New York rockers Elephant's Memory for about six months. She also appeared in the 1971 Milos Forman movie Taking Off, playing an auditioning singer, and sang "Long Term Physical Effects", which was included in Taking Off, the 1971 soundtrack for the movie.
Simon's major breakthrough was 1972's No Secrets. The album spawned several successful singles, including Simon's biggest hit, "You're So Vain". Simon continued to produce successful albums through the 1970s and early 1980s, moving into film scores after she was dropped by her record label in 1985. She performed the main title song for the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me - "Nobody Does It Better" which was a worldwide hit in 1977.
Jesse
Carly Simon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jesse's back in town, it won't be easy
Don't let him near me
Don't let him touch me
Don't let him please me
Jesse, I won't cut fresh flowers for you, no
Jesse, I won't make the wine cold for you, no
I won't put on cologne
I won't sit by the phone for you
Annie, keep reminding me
That he cut out my heart like a paper doll
Sally, tell me once again
How he set me up just to see me fall
Jesse, I won't cut fresh flowers for you, no
Jesse, I won't make the wine cold for you, no
Jesse, I won't change the sheets for you
I won't put on cologne
I won't sit by the phone for you, no, no, no
Jesse, quick come here
I won't tell a soul
Not even myself
Jesse, that you've come back to me
My friends will all say, "She's gone again"
But how can anyone know what you are to me
That I'm in Heaven again because you've come back to me
Oh Jessie
Jesse, I'll always cut fresh flowers for you
Jesse, I'll always make the wine cold for you, no
Jesse, I can easily change my mind about you
And put on cologne
And sit by the phone for you
Jesse, let's open the wine
And drink to the heart
Which has a will of its own
My friends, let's comfort them
They're feeling bad
They think I've sunk so low
Jesse, I'll always cut fresh flowers for you
Jesse, I'll always make the wine cold for you
Jesse, I will change the sheets for you
Put on cologne
And I will wait by the phone for you
Oh Jesse
Jesse, I will cut fresh flowers for you
Jesse, I will make the wine cold for you
Jesse, I will change the sheets for you
I will put you on cologne
Carly Simon's song "Jesse" revolves around a woman who is struggling to move on from a past relationship with a man named Jesse. The opening verse states that Jesse is back in town and the woman is scared of being hurt once again. She pleads with her mother to pray for her safety and not let Jesse "near her or touch her," highlighting her fear of being emotionally or physically harmed. The following verses express the woman's resolve not to do things for Jesse that she would have done in the past, such as cutting fresh flowers or waiting by the phone for him. However, as the song progresses, her resolve begins to falter and she pleads with Jesse to come back to her, revealing her true feelings.
Throughout the song, the woman turns to her friends for support in dealing with the hurt that Jesse has caused her. She asks Annie to remind her of how Jesse "cut out [her] heart like a paper doll," and Sally to recount how Jesse "set [her] up just to see [her] fall." The woman is struggling to move on from the past and is torn between her desire to protect herself and her deep love for Jesse.
In the final verse, the woman's resolve completely crumbles, and she becomes willing to do anything for Jesse, including putting on cologne and waiting by the phone for him. She desperately asks Jesse to come back to her and declares that she will cut fresh flowers and make the wine cold for him always, regardless of the hurt he has caused her.
Overall, "Jesse" is a powerful song about the struggle of moving on from a toxic relationship and the conflicting emotions that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh mother, say a prayer for me
As Jesse has returned, please pray that I may find the strength to resist him and to not let him near me, touch me, or please me.
Jesse's back in town, it won't be easy
Jesse, the man who broke my heart, has returned to the town, and it will be difficult to resist him and not fall for his charms again.
Don't let him near me
I fear that if Jesse gets close to me, I will not be able to resist him and may end up falling for him again.
Don't let him touch me
I fear that if Jesse touches me, it may bring back memories and feelings that I have been trying to forget.
Don't let him please me
I fear that if Jesse pleases me, I may forget all the pain he caused me in the past and fall for him again, only to be hurt once more.
Jesse, I won't cut fresh flowers for you
I won't do things for you that I used to do in the past, as I am trying to move on from you and forget the past memories.
Jesse, I won't make the wine cold for you
I won't do things for you that I used to do in the past, as I am trying to move on from you and forget the past memories.
Jesse, I won't change the sheets for you
I won't do things for you that I used to do in the past, as I am trying to move on from you and forget the past memories.
I won't put on cologne
I won't do things for you that I used to do in the past, as I am trying to move on from you and forget the past memories.
I won't sit by the phone for you
I won't do things for you that I used to do in the past, as I am trying to move on from you and forget the past memories.
Annie, keep reminding me
Please remind me of the pain and hurt that Jesse caused me, so that I may not forget and fall for him again.
That he cut out my heart like a paper doll
He broke my heart and hurt me so deeply that I felt like he had cut it out just like a paper doll.
Sally, tell me once again
Please tell me again how Jesse used me, just to see me fall and feel powerful.
How he set me up just to see me fall
Jesse only used me and played with me for his own amusement, just to feel powerful, and he never really cared for me at all.
Jesse, quick come here
Even though I know it's not wise, I still want him back and long for him to return to me.
I won't tell a soul
I won't tell anyone that you've come back, as I know that my friends will judge me for falling for you again.
Not even myself
I won't admit it to myself that I am still in love with you and longing for your return, as it will only bring me more pain.
My friends will all say "She's gone again"
My friends will think that I am foolish and weak for falling for Jesse again, and they will judge me for it.
But how can anyone know what you are to me
No one understands the depth of my love for Jesse and the pain that comes with trying to resist him and move on with my life.
That I'm in heaven again because you've come back to me
Even though I know it's not wise, I still feel happy and alive now that Jesse has returned to me.
Jesse, I can easily change my mind about you
Even though I am trying to resist him, it is so easy for me to change my mind about Jesse and fall for him again.
And put on cologne
I may do things for him that I used to do in the past, as my love for him is strong and hard to resist.
And sit by the phone for you
I may do things for him that I used to do in the past, as my love for him is strong and hard to resist.
Jesse, let's open the wine
Let us celebrate your return and drink to the passion that we once had together, even though it may have ended badly.
And drink to the heart
Let us drink to our love and the way it made our hearts feel alive, even though it ended in pain.
Which has a will of its own
Our hearts have a mind of their own, and even though we know it's not wise, we can't help but be drawn to each other.
My friends, let's comfort them
Let us reassure our friends that even though we may fall for each other again, we will be strong and not let it consume us.
They're feeling bad
They are worried about me and don't want me to get hurt again, knowing how painful it was for me in the past.
Jesse, I will change the sheets for you
I may do things for you that I used to do in the past, as my love for you is strong and hard to resist.
And put on cologne
I may do things for you that I used to do in the past, as my love for you is strong and hard to resist.
And I will wait by the phone for you
I may do things for you that I used to do in the past, as my love for you is strong and hard to resist.
Oh Jesse
Even though I know it's not wise, I still love you and long for you to be by my side once more.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Mike Jr Mainieri, Carly Simon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind