Throughout the 1950s and early-1960s, Jackie Gleason enjoyed a secondary mu… Read Full Bio ↴Throughout the 1950s and early-1960s, Jackie Gleason enjoyed a secondary music career, lending his name to a series of best-selling mood music albums with jazz overtones for Capitol. Gleason felt there was a ready market for romantic instrumentals. He recalled seeing Clark Gable play love scenes in movies, and the romance was, in his words, "magnified a thousand percent" by background music. Gleason reasoned, "If Gable needs music, a guy in Brooklyn must be desperate!"

Gleason could not read or write music in a conventional sense; he was said to have conceived melodies in his head and described them vocally to staff help. He did likewise with the well-remembered themes of both The Jackie Gleason Show ("Melancholy Serenade") and The Honeymooners ("You're My Greatest Love"). There has been some controversy over the years as to how much credit Gleason should have received for the finished products; it has been written that beyond the possible conceptualizing of many of the songs, Gleason had no direct involvement such as conducting in the making of these recordings. However, his main musical companion, cornetist and trumpeter Bobby Hackett once said: "Jackie knows a lot more about music than people give him credit for. I have seen him conduct a sixty-piece orchestra and detect one discordant note in the brass section. He would immediately stop the music and locate the wrong note. It always amazed the professional musicians how a guy who technically did not know one note from another could do that. And he was never wrong."

Born February 26, 1916 in Brooklyn, New York, United States. He died on June 24, 1987

I'm Through with Love
Jackie Gleason Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm thru with love,
I'll never fall again.
Said I do to love,
Don't ever call again.
For I must have you
Or no one.
That's why I'm thru with love.

I've locked my heart.
I keep my feelings there.
I have stopped my heart
Like an icy frigidaire.
For I need to care for no one.
That's why I'm thru with love.

Why did you leave me
To think that you cared.
You didn't need me.
You have your share
of slaves around you
To hound you and swear
Their deep devotion.
Emotion.

Did you good by the spring
And all it meant to me
a good neighbor
The things that used to be.
For I must have you or no one.

That's why I'm thru with love.
That's why I'm thru with love.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Jackie Gleason and His Orchestra's song "I'm Thru With Love" convey a certain sense of bitterness and disillusionment with love. The singer states that they are done with love and will never fall for it again, having once said "I do" to love but now telling it not to ever call again. They express a need to have someone, specifically the person who left them, or no one at all. It is revealed that the singer has locked their heart and feelings away like an "icy frigidaire," indicating a desire to protect themselves from any further pain or disappointment. They express resentment towards this person who left them behind despite their belief that they cared, suggesting that they find validation from having someone devoted to them but are not receiving it.

The lyrics of "I'm Thru With Love" can be seen as a commentary on the fragility of romantic relationships and the feelings we invest in them. The singer's bitterness towards love suggests that they have been burned before and have decided to withdraw from such relationships altogether. The use of the metaphor of locking one's heart in an "icy frigidaire" also highlights the way that past experiences can shape our emotional responses and lead us to guard ourselves against future hurt. Overall, the lyrics of this song are both poignant and relatable, speaking to the pain and confusion of love lost.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm thru with love,
I have no intention of falling in love again.

I'll never fall again.
I refuse to fall in love again.

Said I do to love,
I once committed to love.

Don't ever call again.
I don't want anything to do with love.

For I must have you
There's only one person I want.

Or no one.
If I can't have you, I won't have anyone.

That's why I'm thru with love.
This is why I'm done with love.

I've locked my heart.
I keep my heart guarded.

I keep my feelings there.
My emotions are securely locked away.

I have stopped my heart
I've ceased feeling emotions.

Like an icy frigidaire.
I've become cold and numb.