1. A German composer
2. A Briti… Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple artists with this name:
1. A German composer
2. A British pop singer
1. Engelbert Humperdinck (German pronunciation: [ˈɛŋl̩bɛʁt ˈhʊmpɐdɪŋk]) (1 September 1854 – 27 September 1921) was a German composer, best known for his opera, Hänsel und Gretel. Humperdinck was born at Siegburg in the Rhine Province; at the age of 67 he died in Neustrelitz, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
2. Engelbert Humperdinck (born Arnold George Dorsey; 2 May 1936) is a British pop singer, best known for his hits including "Release Me (And Let Me Love Again)" and "After the Lovin'" as well as "The Last Waltz" ("The Last Waltz with You").
Humperdinck represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012.
By The Time I Get To Phoenix
Engelbert Humperdinck Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She'll find the note I left hanging on the door,
She'll laugh we she reads the part that says I'm leaving,
Cause I've left that girl so many times before.
By the time I make Alberquerque she'll be working,
She'll probably stop at lunch and give me a call,
But she'll just hear the phone keep on ringing,
By the time I make Oklahoma she'll be sleeping,
She'll turn softly and call my name out low,
She'll cry just to think I'd really leave her,
Though time and time I've tried to tell her,
She just didn't know, I would really go.
The song "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" by Engelbert Humperdinck tells the story of a man leaving his lover and the events that happen after he leaves. The song opens with the man stating that when he gets to Phoenix, she will already be up and find the note he left on the door. The note indicates that he's leaving, and although she's heard it many times before, he believes she'll still find it humorous.
As he journeys further, he believes that his lover will try to contact him while he's in Albuquerque, but she won't be able to reach him. She'll only hear the phone keep on ringing constantly. Lastly, when he reaches Oklahoma, he believes she'll be sleeping and dreaming of him. She'll even call out his name softly in her sleep. He knows that she'll be upset when she realizes he's actually gone for good, even though he's tried to tell her more than a few times.
With vivid descriptions and emotional words, Humperdinck portrays the heartache of leaving and how it affects both parties involved. The man in the song is fully aware of the impact he's leaving will have on his partner, and he can feel her pain even as he's leaving her. The song captures the essence of remorse and heartbreak that comes with the difficult decision to end a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
By the time I get to Phoenix she'll be rising,
I'm driving away from Phoenix and it will take a long time, so when I get there tomorrow morning she'll already be up and about.
She'll find the note I left hanging on the door,
I left her a note telling her that I'm leaving and why, and she'll find it when she wakes up.
She'll laugh we she reads the part that says I'm leaving,
She'll probably find it funny that I'm leaving, since I've left her many times before and always come back.
Cause I've left that girl so many times before.
I've left her before and she knows it, so she won't be surprised that I'm doing it again.
By the time I make Alberquerque she'll be working,
It will take a while to get to Albuquerque, and when I do she'll probably be at work.
She'll probably stop at lunch and give me a call,
She might call me during her lunch break, but I doubt she will.
But she'll just hear the phone keep on ringing,
If she does call, I won't answer and she'll just hear the phone ringing.
Off the wall, that's all.
It's unlikely she'll leave a message, since she knows I'm leaving.
By the time I make Oklahoma she'll be sleeping,
It will be even later by the time I reach Oklahoma, and she'll probably be asleep.
She'll turn softly and call my name out low,
If she wakes up, she might call my name quietly, hoping I'm still there.
She'll cry just to think I'd really leave her,
If she finds out I'm actually leaving for good, she'll cry because she loves me and doesn't want me to go.
Though time and time I've tried to tell her,
I've tried to explain to her before that I might leave for good one day, but she never took me seriously.
She just didn't know, I would really go.
She always thought I was just bluffing when I said I might leave for good, but this time I'm serious.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jimmy Webb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cristian Vallejo
Grande Engelbert, que timbre de voz desde chile
Christine Mantle
Not a huge fan of Engelbert but this is a great version, beautiful.
Nicola Trois
such an amazing song, fits perfectly for one of the most talented male singer ever : Engelbert
Ron Peel
I've listened to just about every version of this song ... this is as good as the best of any heard so far.
jorge acosta
Uno de los mejores cantantes del mundo! Por mucho
Manuela Fernandez
Preciosa absolutamente esta canción .... Maravillosa Fabulosa Extraordinaria Bellísima .... Me encanta me encanta me encanta .... 🎼🎶🎵🎹🎸🎤❤️
JORGE ALEJANDRO GIRARDI TOLEDO
La mejor voz de la música Romántica Mundial...quizás de todos los tiempos. Engelbert Humperdinck King of Hearts saludos cordiales desde Chile.
Omar Cachay Jurado
Coincido contigo amigo y no me cabe la menor duda pero hay otro icono de la canción romantica, inigualable e inimitable, la mejor voz de México y d habla hispana el magistral, Javier Solis, en mi humilde opinión las dos mejores voces y los dos mejores cantantes del universo, uno canta en ingles y el otro en castellano.
NORMAN GRACIA
A song worth remembering by an amazing artist of all time.
Bennie Wright
I love our Engelbert's singing of this song. Awesome.