Born in Chicago, Illinois, Jones' upbringing was rough. He struggled between wanting to be a musician and to be a member of a street gang. After a brush with death, Jones left the gang and focused on a music career forming the group Porscha. However, Jones was gaining notice as a writer penning songs for established R&B acts such as Usher, producing the singer's 1995 hit, "Think of You", 702's "Get It Together" and also wrote for groups such as Brownstone and Silk.
In 1996, he signed with LaFace Records and released his debut album, My Heart, which included his hit cover of Stevie Wonder's 1976 ballad "Knocks Me Off My Feet". It wasn't until 1999 however that Jones began to establish himself as a R&B hit maker with the album, Where I Wanna Be. The album yielded the number-one hits such as "U Know What's Up", which featured TLC member Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes and the title track. Other hits included "Shorty (Got Her Eyes on Me)" and "This Luv".
In 2002, Jones released the gold-selling Life Goes On album, which featured the hits, "You Know That I Love You" and "Put Me Down" featuring Styles P.. Four years later, he released his fourth album, Journey of a Gemini, which featured the Tim & Bob hit, "I'm Gonna Be", which became a big hit on Urban AC. Jones is currently writing songs for Usher, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey on their upcoming albums.
Wish You Were Here
Donell Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've got this longing for you
Even when I call your name
How I wish you were here
A never-ending story of loneliness and pain
Oh, how I wish you were here
It's been so long since I saw your face
Recapturing the times that we shared
Oh, baby..., how I wish you were here
[Chorus]
Holding hands, feeling your sweet lips
Brings me back to when we first met
What we had was not what we thought it would be
I would let nothing come between you and me
[Bridge]
All this time tell me where did it go
You and me, you said we'll always be together
Can't you see how I'm hurting inside
Won't you please
Baby, come back to me, yeah...
[Chorus]
[Repeat Chorus]
The lyrics to Donell Jones's song "Wish You Were Here" express a deep longing and pain for a past relationship. The singer wishes to see his ex-lover again, and even when he calls her name, she's not there. The chorus repeats with the desire for the person to return because the singer feels like theyβre living a never-ending story of loneliness and pain. It's evident that the situation has been going on for a long time because in the first verse, he mentions how it's been so long since he last saw his ex-lover's face. The singer also misses her warm embrace, and when he does think of her, the memories of when they were together flood his mind.
In the second verse, the singer reminisces about when he and his ex-lover were first together. He remembers holding her hand and feeling her sweet lips. However, everything wasn't always perfect in the relationship because the line "what we had was not what we thought it would be," suggests that there were unmet expectations. Despite that, the singer doesn't want anything to come between him and her. The bridge asks where the time went since being together, and the memory of the promise that they would always be together. The singer is hurting inside and wants his ex-lover to come back to him.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got this longing for you
I feel an intense desire for your presence.
Even when I call your name
I miss you so much that even speaking your name brings me pain.
How I wish you were here
I desperately want you to be with me right now.
A never-ending story of loneliness and pain
The heartache of not having you in my life is a constant source of sadness and agony.
Oh, how I wish you were here
My longing for you is too much to bear.
It's been so long since I saw your face
I haven't seen you in a very long time.
And I'm missing your warm embrace
I long for the comfort and security of your embrace.
Recapturing the times that we shared
Remembering the happy moments we spent together.
Oh, baby..., how I wish you were here
My love for you is so strong that I can't bear to be without you.
Holding hands, feeling your sweet lips
Touching and kissing you brings back all the happy memories we shared.
Brings me back to when we first met
Reminds me of the joy and excitement I felt when I first met you.
What we had was not what we thought it would be
Our relationship didn't turn out the way we expected it to.
I would let nothing come between you and me
I am committed to making our relationship work, no matter what obstacles we face.
All this time tell me where did it go
I don't understand how our relationship fell apart.
You and me, you said we'll always be together
You promised that we would be together forever.
Can't you see how I'm hurting inside
My pain and sadness are visible and intense.
Won't you please
I am begging you to
Baby, come back to me, yeah...
Please return to my life and bring me the happiness and love that only you can give.
Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DARIN WHITTINGTON, TIA WHITTINGTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dominique Phillips
[Chorus]
I've got this longing for you
Even when I call your name
How I wish you were here
A never-ending story of loneliness and pain
Oh, how I wish you were here
[Verse 1]
It's been so long since I saw your face
And I'm missing your warm embrace
Recapturing the times that we shared
Oh, baby..., how I wish you were here
[Chorus]
[Verse 2]
Holding hands, feeling your sweet lips
Brings me back to when we first met
What we had was not what we thought it would be
I would let nothing come between you and me
[Bridge]
All this time tell me where did it go
You and me, you said we'll always be together
Can't you see how I'm hurting inside
Won't you please
Baby, come back to me, yeah...
[Chorus]
[Interlude]
[Chorus/Vamp Out
PrettyBoyViking
One of the most underrated songs by Donell Jones that should have been hitting the radio more than it did. Saw Donell perform in Houston with Joe and Donell was the "better" performer. It's a story about love written beautifully by this brother from Chicago.
Mississippi UnderDogs GridIron Sports
Truth
David I
Wow, such smooth harmonies. A talent worth hearing to truly appreciate!
Janelle Bearden
Remember my mom playing this song in the car when we were back in Cali.... I will never get tired of this song
Jermey Da Voice
Yeass BBY
Lah King
Yassss!!
Moet Curtis
This Is Donnell Jones Best CD My Songs R Knocks Me Off My Feet Waiting On U No Interruptions Yearning Wish U Where Here Natural Thang. Wish He Would Make Another Cd Like This
Dee Woodson
Yes! A whole MF bop!!
challenger39z
I played this whole album maybe 10 times on my trip to and from Alabama to Cleveland
Jeanette Davis
This. Is. A beautiful song love it!!!