Etta Jones (November 25, 1928 – October 16, 2001) was an American jazz sing… Read Full Bio ↴Etta Jones (November 25, 1928 – October 16, 2001) was an American jazz singer whose critical success and relative commercial obscurity (she never had a hit record) earned her a reputation in her lifetime as a "jazz musician's jazz singer".

She is noted for her elegant interpretations of standards, ballads, and blues. Her characteristic inflections have sometimes prompted comparisons to stylistic devices employed by Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. Jones' recordings, particularly her debut record (Don't Go To Strangers, 1960), have earned wide admiration in a new generation of listeners.

She had three Grammy nominations, for the Don't Go to Strangers LP in 1960, Save Your Love for Me in 1981, and My Buddy in 1999.

Jones had a musical partnership of more than thirty years with tenor sax player Houston Person, who received equal billing with her. He also produced her albums and served as her manager.

Jones was born in Aiken, South Carolina, and raised in Harlem. She died at the age of 72 from cancer. She was survived by her husband, John Medlock, and a granddaughter.

Good Morning Heartache
Etta Jones Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Good morning heartache, you old gloomy sight
Good morning heartache, thought we said goodbye last night
I turned and tossed until it seemed you had gone
But here you are with the dawn

Wish I'd forget you, but you're here to stay
It seems I met you when my love went away
Now everyday I start by saying to you

Good morning heartache, what's new

Stop haunting me now
Can't chase you no how
Just leave me alone
I've got those Monday blues
Straight through Sunday blues

Good morning heartache, here we go again
Good morning heartache, you're the one who knew me when
Might as well get used to you hanging around
Good morning heartache, sit down

Stop haunting me now
Can't chase you no how
Just leave me alone
I've got those Monday blues
Straight through Sunday blues

Good morning heartache, here we go again
Good morning heartache, you're the one who knew me when

Might as well get used to you hanging around
Good morning heartache, sit down

Overall Meaning

The song Good Morning Heartache by Etta Jones is a reflective ballad about a past love that still lingers in the singer's heart. The lyrics, "Good morning heartache, you old gloomy sight," set the stage for a deep sense of sadness and regret. The singer had hoped to move on from the pain of a lost love, but wakes up to find the heartache still present with the dawn. The imagery of the heartache as a shadow that can't be escaped is profound and relatable.

The singer wishes to forget the heartache, but it seems too ingrained within their heart and soul. They acknowledge that they met heartache when their love went away, so it's implied that they lost someone they deeply loved. The repetition of "Good morning heartache, what's new" signifies the daily struggle to come to terms with the pain and move on with life. The singer acknowledges they can't chase heartache away and asks them to stop haunting them, but heartache remains a constant companion.

In the second verse, the singer speaks directly to heartache, personifying it as someone who knew them well in the past. The line "Might as well get used to you hanging around" resigns the singer to the fact that the heartache will never fully leave. The song ends with the plea for heartache to sit down, as if the singer has come to accept the pain and agrees to coexist with it.

Overall, the lyrics of Good Morning Heartache are a poignant representation of the struggle to move on from a lost love. The theme is universal, and the song resonates with anyone who has ever experienced heartbreak.

Line by Line Meaning

Good morning heartache, you old gloomy sight
Addressing the feeling of heartache that returns every morning, which is melancholic and saddening to see.

Good morning heartache, thought we said goodbye last night
The singer is acknowledging that she thought she had overcome her heartache and bid it farewell, yet it has returned in the morning once again.

I turned and tossed until it seemed you had gone But here you are with the dawn
The singer tries to get rid of the heartache and thought it disappeared, but now that it has returned in the morning, the singer is disappointed.

Wish I'd forget you, but you're here to stay It seems I met you when my love went away
The singer wishes to forget the heartache, but it seems to be an inseparable part of her life since it appeared after her love left her.

Now everyday I start by saying to you Good morning heartache, what's new
The singer is frustrated and sarcastic when she addresses the heartache every day and asks for an update, as if it is a person and not just a feeling.

Stop haunting me now Can't chase you no how Just leave me alone I've got those Monday blues Straight through Sunday blues
The singer pleads with the heartache to go away and stop haunting her all the time, but it remains with her from Monday until Sunday, causing her constant grief.

Good morning heartache, here we go again Good morning heartache, you're the one who knew me when Might as well get used to you hanging around Good morning heartache, sit down
The singer is resigning herself to the fact that the heartache will always be there, and she might as well get used to it, and she even tells it to sit down, as if it's an unwelcome guest that keeps returning.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ervin Drake, Dan Fisher, Irene Higginbotham Padellan

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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