Erma's best known record is the original version of Piece of My Heart. The song was covered in different arrangements by Janis Joplin, Faith Hill, Beverley Knight, and Dusty Springfield, and used as the basis of a song by Shaggy.
She was born in Shelby, Mississippi, but moved several times during her childhood before settling in Detroit, Michigan. Her mother Barbara, who was a gospel singer, left the family when Erma, her two sisters, and her brother were young children.
Though her sister Aretha went on to great fame, Carolyn, like Erma, was a struggling musician. Their brother, Cecil, became a minister like their father and managed Aretha's career for a while.
Her career was hampered by misfortune and by contracts with recording companies who could not find appropriate material for her. In the 1970s she left the music business, apart from engagements with her sister Aretha. She died in 2002 at the age of 64 after a long battle with throat cancer. In addition to Aretha, she was survived by her daughter Sabrina.
Take a Little Piece of My Heart
Erma Franklin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spinning so fast, but for some it just ends
Keep moving on quiet as kept
It hasn’t been long, hasn’t sunken in yet
Then I fall into pieces
I’m here and you’ve left
Fall into pieces
Separate like a puzzle floating in space
So lost in this galaxy of life
So lost
There’s so many things we haven’t said
There’s so many places never went
Wish you could visit every now and then
Oh I keep pretending like I understand
Was it something that I could prevent?
Oh I miss you like a piece is gone
So lost
Cause I fall into pieces
I’m here and you’ve left
Oh I fall into pieces
Never seeing you again
I separate like a puzzle and I’m floating in space
So lost in this galaxy of life
So I rise and fall like the tide
And I’m so full and empty inside
All those memories linger in my mind
Wish you were here with me
I said I fall into pieces
I’m here and you’ve left
Oh I fall into pieces
I’ll never see you again
I separate like a puzzle and I’m floating in space
So lost in this galaxy of life
These lyrics tell the story of someone who is struggling to come to terms with the loss of a loved one. The world feels upside down and out of control, spinning too fast for some but coming to a sudden end for others. Despite the chaos, the singer is trying to keep moving forward and carry on quietly, but the reality of the loss hasn't fully sunk in yet. They keep pretending to understand and wonder if there was anything they could have done to prevent it.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "I fall into pieces," which is a powerful image of the singer's emotional state. They feel shattered and broken, unable to comprehend life without the person they've lost. They describe themselves as floating in space like a puzzle, lost in the vastness of the universe.
The bridge offers a moment of reflection and acceptance. The singer acknowledges that they're constantly rising and falling like the tide, and their emotions oscillate between feeling full and empty inside. Memories of the person they've lost linger in their mind, and they wish they could still be with them.
Overall, this song is a poignant tribute to the experience of grief and loss. It captures the feeling of being adrift in a world that no longer makes sense and struggling to come to terms with the absence of someone dear.
Line by Line Meaning
Make sense of the world when it’s upside down
Trying to make sense of a world that's constantly changing and confusing
Spinning so fast, but for some it just ends
Life moves quickly and unexpectedly, sometimes leading to an early end
Keep moving on quiet as kept
Trying to move forward without drawing attention to oneself
It hasn’t been long, hasn’t sunken in yet
Still in shock and denial over recent events
Then I fall into pieces
Overwhelmed with emotion and unable to hold it together
I’m here and you’ve left
Feeling abandoned or left behind by someone you cared about
I’ll never see you again
Coming to terms with the finality of death or loss
Separate like a puzzle floating in space
Feeling fragmented and disconnected from oneself and the world
So lost in this galaxy of life
Feeling aimless and confused in the chaos of life
There’s so many things we haven’t said
Regretting the lack of communication or saying goodbye
There’s so many places never went
Missing out on shared experiences or adventures
Wish you could visit every now and then
Longing for the presence or company of the person who's gone
Oh I keep pretending like I understand
Trying to make sense of something that's inherently incomprehensible
Was it something that I could prevent?
Feeling guilty or responsible for the loss
Oh I miss you like a piece is gone
Feeling incomplete or like a part of oneself is missing without the person who's gone
So I rise and fall like the tide
Experiencing ups and downs, highs and lows, like the ebb and flow of the ocean
And I’m so full and empty inside
Feeling a range of emotions simultaneously, from overwhelming sadness to numbness
All those memories linger in my mind
Holding onto memories as a way of staying connected to the person who's gone
Wish you were here with me
Longing for the presence or companionship of the person who's gone
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BERT RUSSELL, JERRY RAGOVOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@milesandcoffee
Who's here in 2021? You have great musical taste!
@luvhart
👍🏻😉
@mirandinha6117
thx
@giulianabonifati7837
Me, thank you ...
@Tpviper
What a voice ladies and gentlemen.
@mary-rosemcdaniel4241
I love this song
@beefcakeforever
Rest in peace, Erma and Aretha Franklin, greatest female soul singers of all time!
@rocknrollgirl39
9 times out of 10, the original tune is truly the best version. Erma nailed it - - I feel it to my soul!!!!
@texasguy11363
Erma was the original. Janis released it later.
@maggienorris7833
@@texasguy11363 And also did a good job, in her histrionic way.