Delloreese Patricia Early was born on July 6, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan US… Read Full Bio ↴Delloreese Patricia Early was born on July 6, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan USA, and died on November 19, 2017 in California.

An actress, singer, talk show host, and author, the multi-talented Reese first started singing in church in her hometown of Detroit when she was six years old. By the age of 13, she was touring with gospel great Mahalia Jackson; then, at 18, she formed the Meditation Singers and became the first performer to bring gospel music to the casinos of Las Vegas. Reese expanded her musical repertoire as a vocalist with the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra and began recording albums, with such hits as "Don't You Know" and "And That Reminds Me" in the 1950s. She appeared extensively as a guest on the top television variety series, logging more than 20 appearances in one year on The Ed Sullivan Show on the CBS Television Network. Reese was nominated for a Grammy Award as Best Female Soloist in Gospel Music in 1987.

Tapping into her other skills, she was host of a television talk show in 1969-1970, then began guest-starring in such series as Sanford and Son, The A-Team, Crazy Like a Fox and Picket Fences. She starred in the CBS Network series Charlie & Co. and The Royal Family. Reese's current projects include a new album based on her 27-city tour with her revue, "Some of My Best Friends Are the Blues," as well as song on the Touched By An Angel Soundtrack. Her best-selling autobiography, "Angels Along the Way," is published by G.P. Putnam's Sons. Reese also starred in the telefilms Emma's Wish, with Joanna Kerns, and The Secret Path, with Ossie Davis.

All By Myself
Della Reese Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm so unhappy
What'll I do?
I long for somebody who
Will sympathize with me
I'm growing so tired of living alone
I lie awake all night and cry
Nobody loves me
That's why

All by myself in the morning
All by myself in the night

I sit alone with a table and a chair
So unhappy there
Playing solitaire

All by myself I get lonely
Watching the clock on the shelf

I'd love to rest my weary head on somebody's shoulder

I hate to grow older
All by myself

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Della Reese's song All By Myself express loneliness and the longing for companionship. The singer is unhappy and in need of someone to sympathize with her. She reflects on how tired she is of living alone and how she lies awake at night crying because nobody loves her. The repetitive nature of the phrase "all by myself" emphasizes the loneliness that the singer is feeling.

The singer also describes the physical space in which she spends her time. She sits alone at a table and a chair, playing solitaire. This image highlights the isolation that the singer is experiencing. She watches the clock on the shelf and wishes for someone to rest her weary head on. The phrase "I hate to grow older" suggests that the singer is acutely aware of her own mortality and the fleeting nature of her own life.

Overall, the lyrics to All By Myself are a poignant expression of loneliness and the human need for companionship. The repetitive nature of the song emphasizes the singer's isolation, while the specific imagery of the table, chair, and clock add to the sense of melancholy. The song speaks to a universal human experience that many of us can relate to on some level.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm so unhappy
I feel exasperated and sad

What'll I do?
I'm unsure of how to handle my emotions

I long for somebody who
I yearn for companionship

Will sympathize with me
Who can understand my sadness

I'm growing so tired of living alone
I've become exhausted from being single

I lie awake all night and cry
I can't sleep and find myself sobbing

Nobody loves me
I feel unloved and abandoned

That's why
This is the reason for my sadness and loneliness

All by myself in the morning
I start my day all alone

All by myself in the night
I end my day feeling lonely

I sit alone with a table and a chair
I'm seated in a room - isolated