In 1954, David joined Charles in his band as the baritone saxophone player (although he is more famous as a tenor saxophone and flute player) and began a twelve year gig with Charles.
In November of 1958, Newman released his first album, Ray Charles-Presenting David "Fathead" Newman (1959). The album features many collaborations between Newman and Charles. Many of these recordings appeared again in the mid-1990s as part of a Ray Charles release, Blues + Jazz.
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No more
David Newman & Ray Charles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I think you'll never understand
I have refused the same demand
All my life
Say no more
In my book there can be no blame
When you pretend I have no shame
All along
You kept trying to pin me down
Turn me into your house clown
If I don't fit the bill
All the same
I loved you then
I love you still
[Chorus: ]
Want to know the truth?
I caught a nasty bug
And when it got a hold of me
I could not shake it free
A lasting blue note
Has been haunting me
It's like an old mistress
Forever chasing me...
But say no more
I may not be an easy man
But the way you played your hand
I couldn't stand
It's too bad
There is much more we could have done
But now those days are dead and gone
Nothing lasts
All along
You made me feel this useless guilt
Can you look back on what we built?
I wonder what you saw in me
Tell me, was it real?
Was it love?
You tell me...
[Chorus: ]
And though you think of it
As the cause of my fall
Never mind, I'm blessed, I'm here, at all
In David Newman & Ray Charles's song No More, the singer is having a conversation with someone they used to know. The singer tells this person to say no more because they think the person will never understand the reasons behind the singer's actions. The singer has refused the same demand their whole life, indicating they have been pressured to conform to a certain expectation. They make it clear that they do not believe they should be blamed for their choices and that their previous partner is half right in their assumptions. The singer felt like they were constantly being pushed to fit a mold that they did not belong in, and they had enough of it. However, the singer loves this person still, despite everything.
The chorus reveals that the singer is haunted by a "lasting blue note" caused by a "nasty bug," which could be interpreted as an illness or unhappiness. They feel like they cannot escape it and compare it to an "old mistress." The song concludes with the singer acknowledging that they may not be an easy person to deal with, but they could not stand the way the other person had played their hand. The singer wishes things could have been different, but those days are now gone forever. Despite it all, the singer acknowledges that they are blessed to be still standing and tells the person not to worry about being the cause of their fall.
Line by Line Meaning
Say no more
I think you've said enough and won't understand my perspective
I have refused the same demand
I have consistently rejected your request
In my book there can be no blame
I don't see any fault or guilt in what happened
When you pretend I have no shame
You claim that I don't feel guilty when I do
You're half right
You're only partially correct
Turn me into your house clown
You wanted to make me into a laughing stock
If I don't fit the bill
If I don't meet your expectations
All the same
Nevertheless
I caught a nasty bug
I suffered a severe emotional setback
And when it got a hold of me
And when it affected me deeply
A lasting blue note
A persistent melancholy feeling
Has been haunting me
Has been troubling me repeatedly
It's like an old mistress
It's like a past lover who won't leave me alone
Forever chasing me...
Always trying to catch up to me
But say no more
Please stop talking about it
I may not be an easy man
I know I can be difficult
But the way you played your hand
But I don't like the way you handled things
It's too bad
It's unfortunate
There is much more we could have done
We could have accomplished so much more
But now those days are dead and gone
But it's too late to change things now
You made me feel this useless guilt
You caused me to feel unnecessary shame
Can you look back on what we built?
Can you reflect on the relationship we had?
I wonder what you saw in me
I'm curious about what attracted you to me
Tell me, was it real?
Was our love genuine?
And though you think of it as the cause of my fall
And even though you believe it's why I failed
Never mind, I'm blessed, I'm here, at all
Never mind, I'm still grateful to be alive and present
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PIERRE PAPADIAMANDIS, RONNIE BIRD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mario Caffari
Well, this is a very fine tune from David, done in the Best time of Atlantic Records
R.I.P. Brother David, we still can hear you !
Top audio - quality. Greetings from Switzerland