Nobody
Four Tops Lyrics

The Four Tops' song "Nobody" is a heartfelt lamentation about feeling alone and misunderstood. The song begins with the repeated refrain "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen, nobody knows my sorrow" which is a common spiritual refrain often sung by African American slaves in the 19th century. This phrase speaks to a deep-seated feeling of isolation and alienation that comes from bearing the unfair burdens of life without anyone to share them with. The second verse speaks to the natural ups and downs of life, the feeling of sometimes being on top of the world and sometimes feeling like you're almost to the ground. The song's chorus is repeated three times, each time accompanied by the phrase "Glory Hallelujah," which adds a note of hope and faith to the song's melancholy tone.

In interpreting the lyrics, it becomes clear that this is a song about struggling with depression and feeling misunderstood. The singer wishes desperately that they could find a way out of this cycle of despair, but feels trapped in a life that seems like "one long grey day." This sense of hopelessness is a common experience for people who face mental health challenges and is compounded by the stigma that often surrounds these issues. Ultimately, the song's message is one of solidarity - that even though we may feel alone in our struggles, we are not truly alone, and we can find comfort in knowing that others share our pain.