Born in Texas, Jones first heard country music when he was seven, and was given a guitar at the age of nine. He married his first wife, Dorothy Bonvillion, in 1950, and was divorced in 1951. He served in the United States Marine Corps and was discharged in 1953. He married Shirley Ann Corley in 1954. In 1959, Jones recorded "White Lightning", written by J. P. Richardson, which launched his career as a singer. His second marriage ended in divorce in 1968; he married fellow country music singer Tammy Wynette a year later. Years of alcoholism compromised his health and led to his missing many performances, earning him the nickname "No Show Jones". After his divorce from Wynette in 1975, Jones married his fourth wife, Nancy Sepulvado, in 1983 and became sober for good in 1999. Jones died in 2013, aged 81, from hypoxic respiratory failure.
George Jones has been called "The Rolls Royce Of Country Music" and had more than 160 chart singles to his name from 1955 until his death in 2013. Johnny Cash once said, "When people ask me who my favorite country singer is, I say, 'You mean besides George Jones?'"
Jones tirelessly defended the integrity of country music, telling Billboard in 2006, "It's never been for love of money. I thank God for it because it makes me a living. But I sing because I love it, not because of the dollar signs." Jones also went out of his way to promote younger country singers that he felt were as passionate about the music as he was. "Everybody knows he's a great singer," Alan Jackson stated in 1995, "but what I like most about George is that when you meet him, he is like some old guy that works down at the gas station...even though he's a legend!"
Shortly after Jones' death, Andrew Mueller wrote about his influence in Uncut, "He was one of the finest interpretive singers who ever lifted a microphone...There cannot be a single country songwriter of the last 50-odd years who has not wondered what it might be like to hear their words sung by that voice." In an article for The Texas Monthly in 1994, Nick Tosches eloquently described the singer's vocal style: "While he and his idol, Hank Williams, have both affected generations with a plaintive veracity of voice that has set them apart, Jones has an additional gift—a voice of exceptional range, natural elegance, and lucent tone. Gliding toward high tenor, plunging toward deep bass, the magisterial portamento of his onward-coursing baritone emits white-hot sparks and torrents of blue, investing his poison love songs with a tragic gravity and inflaming his celebrations of the honky-tonk ethos with the hellfire of abandon." In the New Republic essay "Why George Jones ranks with Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday," David Hajdu writes:
"Jones had a handsome and strange voice. His singing was always partly about the appeal of the tones he produced, regardless of the meaning of the words. In this sense, Jones had something in common with singers of formal music and opera, though his means of vocal production were radically different from theirs. He sang from the back of his throat, rather than from deep in his diaphragm. He tightened his larynx to squeeze sound out. He clenched his jaw, instead of wriggling it free. He forced wind through his teeth, and the notes sounded weirdly beautiful."
David Cantwell recalled in 2013, "His approach to singing, he told me once, was to call up those memories and feelings of his own that most closely corresponded to those being felt by the character in whatever song he was performing. He was a kind of singing method actor, creating an illusion of the real." In the liner notes to Essential George Jones: The Spirit of Country Rich Kienzle states, "Jones sings of people and stories that are achingly human. He can turn a ballad into a catharsis by wringing every possible emotion from it, making it a primal, strangled cry of anguish". In 1994, country music historian Colin Escott pronounced, "Contemporary country music is virtually founded on reverence for George Jones. Walk through a room of country singers and conduct a quick poll, George nearly always tops it." In the wake of Jones's death, Merle Haggard pronounced in Rolling Stone, "His voice was like a Stradivarius violin: one of the greatest instruments ever made." Emmylou Harris wrote, "when you hear George Jones sing, you are hearing a man who takes a song and makes it a work of art - always," a quote that appeared on the sleeve of Jones' 1976 album The Battle. In the documentary Same Ole Me, several country music stars offer similar thoughts. Randy Travis: "It sounds like he's lived every minute of every word that he sings and there's very few people who can do that"; Tom T. Hall: "It was always Jones who got the message across just right"; and Roy Acuff: "I'd give anything if I could sing like George Jones". In the same film, producer Billy Sherrill states, "All I did was change the instrumentation around him. I don't think he's changed at all."
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed George Jones among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.
Why Baby Why
George Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why baby, why you make me cry baby, cry baby
Cry baby, cry
I can't help but love you 'til the day that I die
So tell me, why baby, why baby, why baby why
Well, I got a crow I wanna pick with you
Just like last time when the feathers flew
A-leavin' me home with a hand full of bills
I can't live without you and you know it's true
But there's no livin' with you so what'll I do
I'm goin' honky-tonkin', get as tight as I can
Maybe by then you'll 'preciate a good man
Tell me why baby, why baby
Why baby, why you make me cry baby, cry baby
Cry baby, cry
I can't live without you 'til the day that I die
So tell me, why baby, why baby, why baby why
Well, now I don't know, but I've heard say
That ever' little dog's a-gonna have his day
You'd better pay attention, don't you dare forget
'Cause I'm just a little bitty puppy yet
I caught you honky-tonkin' with my best friend
The thing to do was leave you, but I shoulda left then
Now, I'm too old to leave you, but I still get sore
When you come home a-feelin' for the knob on the door
Tell me why baby, why baby
Why baby, why you make me cry baby, cry baby
Cry baby, cry
I can't help but love you 'til the day that I die
So tell me, why baby, why baby, why baby why
In "Why Baby, Why," George Jones sings of a troubled relationship with a woman who consistently breaks his heart. He begs her to explain why she's causing him so much pain by making him cry baby, cry baby. Despite her many flaws, Jones can't help but love her and tells her that he'll continue to do so until the day he dies, but he needs her to tell him why she's treating him so poorly.
The song's lyrics explore the complicated nature of love and the pain that often comes with it. Jones knows that he can't live without his love interest, but he's also aware that he can't continue living with her if she's going to keep breaking his heart. He's left feeling confused and frustrated, desperately seeking answers from the woman he loves.
Overall, "Why Baby, Why" is a classic country ballad that effectively captures the heartbreak and confusion that often comes with relationships. Jones' powerful vocals make the song even more impactful, making it a timeless classic in the world of country music.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell me why baby, why baby
George Jones is directly addressing his partner, asking for an explanation for their behavior
Why baby, why you make me cry baby, cry baby
He is specifically referring to the way his partner's actions and choices are hurting him emotionally, causing him to cry
Cry baby, cry
This line is a repetition of the previous one and emphasizes the pain he is feeling
I can't help but love you 'til the day that I die
Despite the emotional pain his partner is causing him, George Jones admits that he loves them deeply and will continue to do so until the end
So tell me, why baby, why baby, why baby why
He pleads with his partner to provide him with an explanation for their hurtful actions
Well, I got a crow I wanna pick with you
George Jones wants to confront his partner about something that has been bothering him
Just like last time when the feathers flew
This line refers to a previous argument or confrontation with his partner that resulted in a lot of drama and turmoil
You're runnin' wild a-kickin' up your heels
George Jones believes that his partner is behaving recklessly and carelessly, which is causing problems for their relationship
A-leavin' me home with a hand full of bills
He feels that he has been left alone to take care of financial responsibilities while his partner is off doing their own thing
I can't live without you and you know it's true
Despite their problems, George Jones acknowledges that he is deeply attached to his partner and feels incomplete without them
But there's no livin' with you so what'll I do
He recognizes that living with his partner is difficult due to their behavior, and he is unsure of what to do about it
I'm goin' honky-tonkin', get as tight as I can
George Jones uses alcohol as a way to numb his emotional pain and escape from his problems
Maybe by then you'll 'preciate a good man
He hopes that by seeing him out having a good time, his partner will realize what they are missing and appreciate him more
Well, now I don't know, but I've heard say
He is not sure if what he has heard is true, but he has heard something
That ever' little dog's a-gonna have his day
This line means that everyone will eventually get their just deserts or comeuppance
You'd better pay attention, don't you dare forget
George Jones is warning his partner that they should pay attention to his feelings and actions, otherwise they may lose him forever
'Cause I'm just a little bitty puppy yet
He sees himself as someone who is still young and inexperienced, and therefore may be taken advantage of
I caught you honky-tonkin' with my best friend
George Jones has caught his partner cheating on him with his best friend, which is a major betrayal
The thing to do was leave you, but I shoulda left then
Even though he knew it was the right thing to do, he stayed with his partner after catching them cheating, which he now regrets
Now, I'm too old to leave you, but I still get sore
George Jones feels that he has invested too much in this relationship to leave now, even though he is still angry and hurt by his partner's infidelity
When you come home a-feelin' for the knob on the door
He is expressing his irritation with his partner's behavior when they come home after being out, implying that they are careless and inconsiderate
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Darrell Edwards, George Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind