Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

Ain't No Sunshine
Eva Cassidy Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ain't no sunshine when he's gone
It's not warm when he's away
Ain't no sunshine when he's gone
And he's always gone too long
Anytime he goes away

I wonder this time where he's gone
Wonder how long he's gonna stay
Ain't no sunshine when he's gone
And this house just ain't no home
Anytime he goes away

Well I know, I know, I know, I know
I know, I know, I know, I know
I know, I know, I know, I know
I know, I know, I know, I know
I know, I know

When he's gone
Always gone too long
Anytime he goes away
Anytime he goes away
Anytime he goes

Overall Meaning

Eva Cassidy's song 'Ain't No Sunshine' is an emotive and melancholic ballad about longing and loss. The repeated phrase 'Ain't no sunshine when he's gone' is a metaphorical expression of how love can fill our lives with warmth and light, but when that love is gone, our world becomes dark and cold. Cassidy's emotive rendition of the song through her soulful voice, accompanied by just a guitar, adds to the intensity of the lyrics, making the song resonate with the listener's own experiences of separation and absence.


The opening lines of the song - 'Ain't no sunshine when he's gone. It's not warm when he's away' - convey how the absence of love leaves us feeling alone and empty. The phrase 'and he's always gone too long' reinforces this sense of longing while the repeated line 'anytime he goes away' highlights the inevitability of separation. The song's focus on absence and heartbreak is represented in the lines 'And this house just ain't no home, anytime he goes away,' which captures the emotional effect of loss on the home and how often, what made it a 'home' in the first place is gone when love is gone.


Line by Line Meaning

Ain't no sunshine when he's gone
The atmosphere isn't the same when he's not around


It's not warm when he's away
The warmth, love, and comfort he brought are missing in his absence


Ain't no sunshine when he's gone
The brightness and happiness he brought seems to have disappeared as well


And he's always gone too long
He's never around as much as one would like him to be


Anytime he goes away
No matter how long he stays away or how many times he does it, it never gets easier


I wonder this time where he's gone
I'm curious and concerned about where he could be


Wonder how long he's gonna stay
I'm unsure of when he is going to come back, and that sense of uncertainty makes it hard to function


And this house just ain't no home
The place that used to bring comfort now feels empty without him here


Anytime he goes away
No matter how many times he leaves, it always brings a sense of emptiness and loss


Well I know, I know, I know, I know
I'm aware of the reality of the situation and how hard it is to live without him


When he's gone
The absence of him brings a sadness that is impossible to ignore


Always gone too long
No amount of time away feels right, it always feels like he's away too long


Anytime he goes away
Leaving is a consistent difficulty and brings a sense of loss every time it happens


Anytime he goes away
Closing the song with a repetition of just how hard it is every time he leaves




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bill Withers

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Comments from YouTube:

@NueZeelundOutbakk

To imagine this is a live recording.
Most musicians would love to have this quality come from a studio session. This young lady set the bar so high...I just sit in awe and admiration. That she refused to sell her soul to the industy makes her all the more impressive. Pure art from a pure heart. God gifted us with 33 years of Eva.

@irenamoiseykina7724

And with many years of crying for her...

@NueZeelundOutbakk

@@irenamoiseykina7724 One would imagine. Such a promising future torn from her hands...or gently removed? Her legacy is awe inspiring. Her unknown talent to a larger audience makes her all the more compelling to me.

@irenamoiseykina7724

... "subtly" would be a better world here... @@NueZeelundOutbakk

@richardholmes5691

Gone wayyyyy too soon. Thank you for the many beautiful gifts you gave us, Eva. RIP

@kkfoto

R.I.P. Bill Withers 1938-2020
R.I.P. Eva Cassidy 1963-1996
Unforgettable artists

@TerlinguaTalkeetna

Without a doubt two very special humans

@garygrace8658

❤️🇬🇧

@kostanatsis8708

Pll

@kostanatsis8708

0kk.li0h I
Llgp4

More Comments

More Versions