Releasing her first single in 1959, she struggled to launch her career from segregated New Orleans as a teenage waitress with 4 children in the early 60's. Now, finally undergoing a late career renaissance on the Rounder label, much of her most enduring work was produced in the early 1960's by Allen Toussaint for Minit Records, and she also recorded for other labels including Imperial, Chess, and Atlantic, eventually retiring for a period before reviving her career in earnest in the late 1980's.
Thomas is perhaps best known outside of New Orleans for her recording of "Time Is On My Side," which predated the hit version by the Rolling Stones. Otis Redding's hit "Pain In My Heart" was built on an earlier song, "Ruler of My Heart," recorded by Thomas.
Thomas is still active as a performer, appearing annually at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and various tour dates in the US and Europe. She has reigned as Queen of the Krewe du Vieux for the 1998 New Orleans Mardi Gras season and often headlined at her own club, the Lion's Den, which is now out of business due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Irma Thomas has participated in numerous post-Katrina charity projects including The New Orleans Social Club, and won numerous awards including the Offbeat Magazine Award, Mojo Magazine's Legends award, Big Easy Award, a Family Services Award and many more. In 2009, Scott Billington compiled a Rounder records retrospective "Irma Thomas: A 50th Anniversary Celebration of The Soul Queen of New Orleans: " .
It
Irma Thomas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Drip, drop)
(Drip, drop)
(Drip, drop)
It's raining so hard
Look like it's going to rain all night
And this is the time
But I guess I'll have to accept
The fact that you are not here
I wish tonight would hurry up and end, my dear
It's raining so hard
It's really coming down
Sittin' by my window
Watchin' the rain fall to the ground
This is the time, I'd love to be holding you tight
I guess I'll just go crazy tonight
It's raining so hard
Brings back memories
Of the time when you were here with me
Counting every drop, about to blow my top
I wish this rain would hurry up and stop
I've got the blues so bad
I can hardly catch my breath
The harder it rains, the worst it gets
This is the time
I'd love to be holding you tight
I guess I'll just go crazy tonight
(Drip, drop)
(Drip, drop)
(Drip, drop)
(Drip, drop)
(Drip, drop)
(Drip, drop)
Irma Thomas's classic song, "It's Raining," is a nostalgic ballad that captures the singer's longing for her lost love during a rainstorm. The song features a soft melody with a smooth and velvety voice that soothes the soul. The recurring "drip, drop" sounds of the rain cleverly highlight the impact of the weather on the singer's mood.
The first verse reveals the singer's yearning for her lover and how the rain makes her wish for their embrace. The second verse expresses the singer's intense feelings and how she wishes for an end to the rain. The last verse paints a vivid image of counting raindrops and the singer's growing desperation as a constant reminder of her lost love.
The song's simple structure highlights the raw emotions of the singer, and the repetitive "drip, drop" adds a sense of melancholy to the melody. The lyrics express how the rain has become a reflection of the singer's heartache with the vividness of vivid imagery.
Overall, "It's Raining" is an ode to lost love, showcasing how a gentle rain can trigger feelings of despair while simultaneously soothing the ache of a broken heart.
Line by Line Meaning
(Drip, drop)
Sound of raindrops hitting the ground
It's raining so hard
There is heavy rain outside
Look like it's going to rain all night
Expecting the rain to continue for a long time
And this is the time
The current moment is when
I'd love to be holding you tight
I want to be close to you
But I guess I'll have to accept
I acknowledge and understand that
The fact that you are not here
You are not present with me
I wish tonight would hurry up and end, my dear
I want the current evening to finish soon
It's really coming down
The rain is falling heavily
Sittin' by my window
I am positioned next to the window
Watchin' the rain fall to the ground
Observing the water drop from the sky to earth
Brings back memories
The current situation reminds me of past events
Of the time when you were here with me
When you were present with me
Counting every drop, about to blow my top
Really annoyed and frustrated by the constant rain
I've got the blues so bad
Feeling depressed and sad
I can hardly catch my breath
Finding it difficult to breathe properly
The harder it rains, the worst it gets
The more the rain falls heavily, the more difficult it becomes to handle the sadness
I guess I'll just go crazy tonight
I may behave erratically this evening
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Allen Toussaint, Naomi Neville
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jesse Mueller
on These Honey Dos
Irma Thomas - These Honey Dos lyrics
V1/
Honey, do you see
While you're sittin' there
Two good legs, two good arms
Your butt stuck in that chair
It's get me this, reach me that
Fry the bacon, feed the cat
You're still in that chair, that's where yer at
C1/
I tried to satisfy
All your wishes and your wants
Soon these Honey Dos
Gonna turn into Don'ts
So honey you'd better choose
Do you want me, or these Honey Dos?
V2/
Honey, when I'm away
You always got to know
Who I see, what I do
And everywhere I go
And it's, while yer out, here's the list
Drop off that, pick up this
Yer still in that chair, that's where you is
C2/
Please don't make me try
To get away from you
I'm right here for ya, baby
But ya gotta give me somethin' too
Honey you'd better choose
Do you want me, or these Honey Dos?
B/
I'd do most everything
That I ever could do
All the love I got
I only give ta you
Honey, if you knew
A lover from a crutch
You'd know that everything yer doin'
Don't amount ta much
V1/
Honey, do you see
While you're sitting there
With two good legs, and two good arms
And your butt still stuck in that chair
It's get me this, reach me that
Fry the bacon, feed the cat
You're still in that chair, just gettin' fat
C1/
Tried to satisfy
All your wishes and your wants
Soon these Honey Dos
Are gonna turn into Don'ts
So honey you'd better choose
Do you want me, or these Honey Dos?
{Honey you'd better choose
Do you want me, or these Honey Dos?} ( 2x )
Spoken:
Honey do this, honey do that
Reach for this, reach for that
Now where is please?
Where is thank you?
Yer making a very large assumption
And you know what they say about the word assumption
Now you know you king of this castle
(As long as I'm in it)
But you gotta put a little please in there sometimes
And every now 'n' then think of some Honey Don'ts to say
Y'know? You got me
I wouldn't stay here, if I didn't love ya
But every now and then, put in some please and thank yous
Do ya Honey Do?
Turn 'em into Honey Don'ts
Moses Davis
on Hurt's All Gone
my goodness ump I cant get enough