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.
I'm Through with Love
Etta Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll never fall again.
Said I do to love,
Don't ever call again.
For I must have you
Or no one.
That's why I'm thru with love.
I keep my feelings there.
I have stopped my heart
Like an icy frigidaire.
For I need to care for no one.
That's why I'm thru with love.
Why did you leave me
To think that you cared.
You didn't need me.
You have your share
of slaves around you
To hound you and swear
Their deep devotion.
Emotion.
Did you good by the spring
And all it meant to me
a good neighbor
The things that used to be.
For I must have you or no one.
That's why I'm thru with love.
That's why I'm thru with love.
The lyrics to Etta Jones's song "I'm Through with Love" express the singer's decision to close her heart to love. She has been hurt in the past and is now unwilling to risk her heart again. The repetition of the phrase "That's why I'm thru with love" emphasizes her conviction and determination to stick to her decision. She sings about how she has locked her heart and shut down her emotions like an "icy frigidaire" to avoid getting hurt again. She acknowledges that she needs someone to care for her, but she is not willing to settle for anything less than the person she truly wants.
The song also touches on the pain of being abandoned by someone who once seemed to care. The lines "Why did you leave me to think that you cared? You didn't need me, you have your share of slaves around you to hound you and swear their deep devotion" suggest that the singer has been deceived and taken for granted. She feels used and undervalued, which has led to her resolve to be done with love altogether.
Overall, the song captures the bitterness and disappointment of a broken heart, as well as the strength and resilience it takes to move on and protect oneself from further pain.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm thru with love,
I am finished with love and will not pursue it any longer.
I'll never fall again.
I will not allow myself to become emotionally vulnerable and fall in love again.
Said I do to love,
I made a commitment to love in the past.
Don't ever call again.
I do not want to be contacted or pursued by love anymore.
For I must have you,
I need you in my life.
Or no one.
If I cannot have you, I will not accept anyone else.
I've locked my heart.
I have closed off my heart from emotional attachments.
I keep my feelings there.
I choose to hide my emotions and not express them openly.
I have stopped my heart
I have prevented my heart from feeling any romantic feelings.
Like an icy frigidaire.
My heart is as cold and unfeeling as a refrigerator.
For I need to care for no one.
I do not require the emotional connection of another person in my life.
Why did you leave me
I am questioning why you abandoned me.
To think that you cared.
I believed that you had feelings for me.
You didn't need me.
You did not require my companionship or love.
You have your share of slaves around you
You have plenty of people who are eager to serve you and cater to your every need.
To hound you and swear their deep devotion.
These people are constantly pestering you and claiming to have a deep devotion to you.
Emotion.
Despite all of these supposed displays of love, there is no true emotion behind them.
Did you good by the spring
You fooled me with your sweet talk and romantic gestures.
And all it meant to me a good neighbor
I mistook your actions as a sign of genuine caring and neighborliness.
The things that used to be.
Our past relationship and the positive memories we shared are now gone.
That's why I'm thru with love.
All of these experiences have led me to swear off love entirely.
That's why I'm thru with love.
This refrain emphasizes the finality of the decision to give up on love.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Joseph A. Livingston, Matt Malneck, Gus Kahn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind