Brown was born in Mississippi and sang in church as a child. In 1919 her family moved to Chicago and she began studying piano; in the 1920s she began taking gigs in clubs and broadcasted on radio. From the 1930s to the 1950s she toured the United States regularly, recording for Decca Records (among other labels) along the way and recording many humorous, ironic titles such as "Your Feet's Too Big", "Mama Don't Want No Peas and Rice and Coconut Oil" and "The Stuff Is Here and it's Mellow". Her stride piano playing was often compared to Fats Waller.
In the 1940s Brown began to shy from singing bawdy blues songs because of deepening religious beliefs, and in 1953 she retired and became a nurse. She was rediscovered in the 1980s after being tracked down by Marian McPartland; she returned to record again and performed on National Public Radio. She died in 1995 in Denver, Colorado.
Some of Brown's earliest recordings have been reissued by Document Records.
Cleo's Boogie
Cleo Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This feeling's so strong
She wishes she could deny it
But there's no use
She tried to push the thought away
About her and him together this way
It's killing her cause she can't
She wipe away the tears
As she saw him walk away, she thought about this, she thought about this.
Dear Elijah, it was never my idea
To push you like this, To push you like this
Dear Elijah, it was never my intention
To hurt you like this, To hurt you like this
But this is for the best
Baby, they think this is a mess
I love you, Elijah but we can never be
Dear Elijah, would you please, would you please Let me go.
She knew from the start
They couldn't last that long
The ending is still uncertain
But she have to end this
Misery, depression is written all over her face
He begged her to stay, He begged her to stay
It's killing her cause she can't
Take away the pain in his eyes, in his eyes.
She wipe away the tears
As she saw him walk away, she thought about this, she thought about this.
Dear Elijah, it was never my idea
To push you like this, To push you like this
Dear Elijah, it was never my intention
To hurt you like this, To hurt you like this
But this is for the best
Baby, they think this is a mess
I love you, Elijah but we can never be
Dear Elijah, would you please, would you please
She told him to leave
She pushed him away
Tears kept on rolling
Down their faces
She shouted the words
She never meant to say
She's setting him free
But he don't wanna be free
He want to say
As she saw him walk away, she thought about this, she thought about this
Dear Elijah, it was never my idea
To push you like this, To push you like this
Dear Elijah, it was never my intention
To hurt you like this, To hurt you like this
But this is for the best
Baby, they think this is a mess
I love you, Elijah but we can never be
Dear Elijah, would you please, would you please
Let me go.
The lyrics of Cleo Brown's song Cleo's Boogie tell a story about a deeply conflicted woman, who is in love with a man named Elijah, but knows that their relationship is wrong and cannot last. She realizes that continuing the relationship will only cause pain and misery for both of them, so she decides to break things off. However, she is wracked with guilt and sadness over the decision, knowing that it will hurt Elijah deeply. As he walks away, she tries to console herself by reminding him that it was never her intention to hurt him, but that letting go is for the best.
The lyrics contain a lot of emotional depth and complexity, exploring themes of love, guilt, and sacrifice. The singer is torn between her feelings for Elijah and what she knows is the right thing to do, ultimately choosing to prioritize his well-being over her own desires. The repetition of the chorus highlights the pain and regret that she feels at having to make this difficult decision.
Line by Line Meaning
She knew it was wrong
She was aware that what she was doing was not right
This feeling's so strong
She had a strong and intense feeling towards him
She wishes she could deny it
She was hoping that she could pretend as if she doesn't feel anything for him
But there's no use
She realized that it’s pointless to deny her feelings
She tried to push the thought away
She attempted to forget about being with him
About her and him together this way
She can’t help but think about being with him romantically
It's killing her cause she can't
Not being with him is causing her immense emotional pain
Take away the pain in his eyes, in his eyes.
She feels terrible about hurting him and this is visible in his eyes
She wipe away the tears
She tried to wipe away her tears and composed herself
As she saw him walk away, she thought about this, she thought about this.
She kept thinking about their relationship and what led to this moment
Dear Elijah, it was never my idea
She expressed that the situation was never her plan from the beginning
To push you like this, To push you like this
She never meant to hurt him by pushing him away
Dear Elijah, it was never my intention
She assured him that she never intended to hurt him emotionally
But this is for the best
She believes that their separation is necessary for their happiness
Baby, they think this is a mess
She knows that their relationship has become complicated
I love you, Elijah but we can never be
She acknowledges her love for him but sees that they can’t be together
Dear Elijah, would you please, would you please Let me go.
She pleaded with him to let her go and move on
She knew from the start
From the beginning, she anticipated that their relationship might not last long
They couldn't last that long
They were not compatible and thus couldn't be together for long
The ending is still uncertain
She was unsure about how their relationship would end
But she have to end this
She knew that it was time to move on from their relationship
Misery, depression is written all over her face
She appeared sad and depressed due to the emotional toll of their relationship
He begged her to stay, He begged her to stay
He expressed his love and pleaded with her not to end their relationship
She told him to leave
She asked him to leave her and end their relationship
She pushed him away
She physically pushed him away to signify the end of their relationship
Tears kept on rolling
She continued to cry as he walked away
Down their faces
They both had tears streaming down their faces
She shouted the words
She spoke loudly and firmly as she told him to leave
She never meant to say
She didn't intend to say hurtful words to him
She's setting him free
She's freeing him from the emotional burden of their relationship
But he don't wanna be free
He chooses to hold onto their relationship despite their differences
He want to say
He wishes he could tell her how much he wants to be with her
Writer(s): cleo brown
Contributed by Alex H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.