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.
There Goes My Heart
Etta Jones Lyrics
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There goes the girl i was unworthy of.
There goes my happiness, it couldn't be,
There goes somebody else in place of me.
Goodbye romance, it couldn't last somehow,
I had my chance, but it's all over now.
I never thought that she could pass me by,
I never thought that she could pass me by,
There goes my heart, and here am I!
Etta Jones's song "There Goes My Heart" tells a tale of lost love and heartbreak. The opening lines, "There goes my heart, there goes the one I love, there goes the girl I was unworthy of" reveal the painful realization that she has lost the one she loves to someone else. She acknowledges the fact that she was not deserving of her lover and now she has lost her to someone else.
The chorus, "there goes my happiness, it couldn't be, there goes somebody else in place of me" sheds light on the depth of her sadness. She is devastated by losing her true love and it seems like nobody can replace her. She feels completely helpless and abandoned. The second verse continues to underscore the desolate emotions of the singer. "Goodbye romance, it couldn't last somehow, I had my chance but it's all over now" is a final goodbye to the relationship that has ended. The singer realizes that the love was not strong enough to survive and it had to end. It's a poignant account of love lost and the pain of moving on.
Line by Line Meaning
There goes my heart, there goes the one I love,
The person I love is leaving me, taking my heart along with them.
There goes the girl i was unworthy of.
The person who is leaving is someone who I feel undeserving of.
There goes my happiness, it couldn't be,
My happiness is leaving me with the person I love, and I cannot do anything about it.
There goes somebody else in place of me.
Someone else is taking my place in the heart of the person I love.
Goodbye romance, it couldn't last somehow,
The romance we shared was not meant to last, and it is time to say goodbye.
I had my chance, but it's all over now.
I had the opportunity to keep my love by my side, but I failed, and it is too late now.
I never thought that she could pass me by,
I never thought that the person I love could leave me and my life this way.
There goes my heart, and here am I!
My heart is leaving me with the person I love, and I am left alone and heartbroken.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Abner Silver, Benny Davis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind