Ernie Maresca (b August 21 1938, The Bronx, New York City), is an American … Read Full Bio ↴Ernie Maresca (b August 21 1938, The Bronx, New York City), is an American songwriter, singer, and record company executive, best known for writing or co-writing some of Dion's biggest hits.

He began singing and writing in a doo-wop group, the Regents, who later had a hit with "Barbara Ann". His song "No-One Knows" came to the attention of Dion DiMucci, who recorded it successfully with the Belmonts on Laurie Records, the record reaching # 19 on the pop charts in 1958.

Maresca then began songwriting full time, writing "Runaround Sue" with Dion, and then "The Wanderer" - his biggest success, although his run of hits with Dion continued with "Lovers Who Wander" and "Donna the Prima Donna".

In 1961, he was offered a recording contract with Seville, a small New York label. His protestations that he wasn't much of a singer were brushed aside, and he wrote a hit for himself, "Shout Shout (Knock Yourself Out)". He continued to record, with less success, for the remainder of the 1960s, but also continued as a writer with hits including "Whenever a Teenager Cries" for Reparata and the Delrons.

By the 1970s he was head of Laurie Records' publicity department, and continued as a record company executive.

Runaround Sue
Ernie Maresca Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Here's my story, it's sad but true
It's about a girl that I once knew
She took my love then ran around
With every single guy in town

Yeah I should have known it from the very start
This girl will leave me with a broken heart
Now listen people what I'm telling you

A keep away from a Runaround Sue

I might miss her lips and the smile on her face
The touch of her hair and this girl's warm embrace
So if you don't want to cry like I do
A keep away from-a Runaround Sue

Ah, she likes to travel around
She'll love you and she'll put you down
Now people let me put you wise
Sue goes out with other guys
Here's the moral and the story from the guy who knows
I fell in love and my love still grows
Ask any fool that she ever knew, they'll say
Keep away from-a Runaround Sue

Yeah keep away from this girl
I don't know what she'll doe
Keep away from Sue

She likes to travel around
She'll love you and she'll put you down
Now people let me put you wise
She goes out with other guys

Here's the moral and the story from the guy who knows
I fell in love and my love still grows
Ask any fool that she ever knew, they'll say
Keep away from a Runaround Sue

Stay away from that girl
Don't you know what she'll do now

Overall Meaning

Ernie Maresca's song "Runaround Sue" tells the story of a girl who breaks the heart of the singer by running around with every guy in town. The song is a warning to all men to stay away from her unless they want to end up with a broken heart like the singer. The lyrics are straightforward and highlight the pain that the singer feels due to the girl's unfaithfulness. He warns other men not to fall for her charms and to keep away from her.

The chorus emphasizes the singer's pain and regret. He talks about missing the girl's smile, touch, and warm embrace, but he knows that she is not worth the heartache. The line "Ask any fool that she ever knew, they'll say Keep away from a Runaround Sue" suggests that the girl has a reputation for being a heartbreaker and that the singer is not the first guy who has fallen for her.

Line by Line Meaning

Here's my story, it's sad but true
I have a story to tell which is sad and true

It's about a girl that I once knew
The story is about a girl I knew in the past

She took my love then ran around
She cheated on me with other guys

With every single guy in town
She dated almost every guy in the town

Yeah I should have known it from the very start
I should have seen it coming right from the beginning

This girl will leave me with a broken heart
This girl will break my heart and leave me heartbroken

Now listen people what I'm telling you
Listen to me carefully while I warn you

A keep away from a Runaround Sue
Stay away from a girl who cheats and dates multiple guys like Sue

I might miss her lips and the smile on her face
I might miss the physical intimacy and emotional connection I had with her

The touch of her hair and this girl's warm embrace
Her hair and warm hugs were comforting to me

So if you don't want to cry like I do
If you don't want to be heartbroken like me

A keep away from-a Runaround Sue
Stay away from a girl like Sue

Ah, she likes to travel around
She loves to go out and meet new people

She'll love you and she'll put you down
She will make you fall in love with her then break your heart

Now people let me put you wise
Now, let me give you some wise advice

Sue goes out with other guys
Sue dates multiple guys at the same time

Here's the moral and the story from the guy who knows
Here's a lesson and a story from someone who has experienced it

I fell in love and my love still grows
I fell in love with her despite her actions

Ask any fool that she ever knew, they'll say
If you ask anyone who knew her, they will tell you

Keep away from-a Runaround Sue
Stay away from a girl like Sue who dates multiple guys and breaks hearts

Yeah keep away from this girl
Yes, stay away from this girl

I don't know what she'll do
I'm not sure what she might do

Keep away from Sue
Stay away from a girl like Sue

Stay away from that girl
Stay away from that girl

Don't you know what she'll do now
Don't you know what she might do next

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: DION DI MUCCI, ERNIE MARESCA

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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