Brown began his career as a gospel singer in Toccoa, Georgia. He first came to national public attention in the mid-1950s as the lead singer of the Famous Flames, a rhythm and blues vocal group founded by Bobby Byrd. With the hit ballads "Please, Please, Please" and "Try Me", Brown built a reputation as a dynamic live performer with the Famous Flames and his backing band, sometimes known as the James Brown Band or the James Brown Orchestra. His success peaked in the 1960s with the live album Live at the Apollo and hit singles such as "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "It's a Man's Man's Man's World".
During the late 1960s, Brown moved from a continuum of blues and gospel-based forms and styles to a profoundly "Africanized" approach to music-making, emphasizing stripped-down interlocking rhythms that influenced the development of funk music. By the early 1970s, Brown had fully established the funk sound after the formation of the J.B.s with records such as "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" and "The Payback". He also became noted for songs of social commentary, including the 1968 hit "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud". Brown continued to perform and record until his death from pneumonia in 2006.
Brown recorded 17 singles that reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B charts. He also holds the record for the most singles listed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that did not reach No. 1. Brown was posthumously inducted into the first class of the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2013 as an artist and then in 2017 as a songwriter. He also received honors from several other institutions, including inductions into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In Joel Whitburn's analysis of the Billboard R&B charts from 1942 to 2010, Brown is ranked No. 1 in The Top 500 Artists. He is ranked seventh on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Brown
Studio albums
Please Please Please (1958)
Try Me! (1959)
Think! (1960)
The Amazing James Brown (1961)
James Brown and His Famous Flames Tour the U.S.A. (1962)
Prisoner of Love (1963)
Grits & Soul (1964)
Showtime (1964)
Out of Sight (1964)
James Brown Plays James Brown Today & Yesterday (1965)
Mighty Instrumentals (1966)
James Brown Plays New Breed (The Boo-Ga-Loo) (1966)
James Brown Sings Christmas Songs (1966)
Handful of Soul (1966)
James Brown Sings Raw Soul (1967)
James Brown Plays the Real Thing (1967)
Cold Sweat (1967)
I Can't Stand Myself When You Touch Me (1968)
I Got the Feelin' (1968)
James Brown Plays Nothing But Soul (1968)
Thinking About Little Willie John and a Few Nice Things (1968)
A Soulful Christmas (1968)
Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud (1969)
Gettin' Down to It (1969)
The Popcorn (1969)
It's a Mother (1969)
Ain't It Funky (1970)
Soul on Top (1970)
It's a New Day - Let a Man Come In (1970)
Hey America (1970)
Sho Is Funky Down Here (1971)
Hot Pants (1971)
There It Is (1972)
Get on the Good Foot (1972)
Black Caesar (1973)
Slaughter's Big Rip-Off (1973)
The Payback (1973)
Hell (1974)
Reality (1974)
Sex Machine Today (1975)
Everybody's Doin' the Hustle & Dead on the Double Bump (1975)
Hot (1976)
Get Up Offa That Thing (1976)
Bodyheat (1976)
Mutha's Nature (1977)
Jam 1980's (1978)
Take a Look at Those Cakes (1978)
The Original Disco Man (1979)
People (1980)
Soul Syndrome (1980)
Nonstop! (1981)
Bring It On! (1983)
Gravity (1986)
I'm Real (1988)
Love Over-Due (1991)
Universal James (1993)
I'm Back (1998)
The Merry Christmas Album (1999)
The Next Step (2002)
Santa Claus Santa Claus
James Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you experience the wants when you live in the ghetto
But now I understand what it means to be a man
So there's one thing I'd like to know
I've been good, Lord, have mercy
So good you know
Why, oh, why do I have to suffer so?
Please, please, pleased don't make me
Don't make me suffer so
Christmas come but once a year
Oh, won't somebody please, please
Please bring me some Christmas cheer
I need a Christmas cheer
Santa Claus, please, please
Don't make me suffer so
Can't take it no more
Mama's been sick
Oh, Lord, papa has too
What I once believed
Was just to fool me and you
And my brothers too
I went to the welfare
But I waited a little too long
And the little I had when I started
Girl, you know it's all gone
Lord, I've been good, oh, so good I know
Why, why, why, why, why, why
Tell me, do I have to suffer so?
Now Santa Claus, Santa Claus
Please, please don't make me suffer so
Oh Lord, do you hear me?
Mama's been sick, God help her
Papa has too
I found out what I once believed
Just to fool me and you
I went to the welfare
But I wanted a little, a little, a little
A little help, hey
I just can't, I gotta help myself
But wait a minute
It seems, seems that I waited a little too long
When I was there, do you believe?
I found out it all got over, I ain't got nobody
But Santa Claus, you my last hope
Please, Lord have mercy
Don't make me suffer so
When I, when I
When I realized I ain't got nobody
No, no, give me your helpin' hand
Give me your helpin' hand
The lyrics to James Brown's song Santa Claus Santa Claus are a poignant plea from a person who has been good but is suffering and in need of help. The first verse expresses confusion and frustration over why someone who has been good must still suffer. The repeated refrain of "Santa Claus, Santa Claus/ Please, don't make me suffer so" reinforces the person's desperation for help.
The second verse provides more context for the person's struggles. Their parents are sick, and they and their siblings are in need of assistance. They have tried to seek help from welfare but have been unsuccessful. The line "I just can't I gotta help myself" suggests a level of pride and reluctance to ask for help, which makes their need all the more urgent.
The final plea for help is directed towards Santa Claus as the person's "last hope." The line "When I realized I ain't got nobody" adds a sense of loneliness to their plea, further underscoring the dire situation.
Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of desperation and frustration towards a situation that is out of the person's control. The repeated refrain to Santa Claus suggests a belief in the possibility of a higher power providing help in times of need.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been good, so good you know
I have been well-behaved and virtuous, and you are aware of this fact
Well, why do I have to suffer so
However, why must I endure such hardship
Santa Claus, Santa Claus
Oh, beloved Santa Claus
Please, don't make me suffer so
I implore you, do not subject me to further misery
Christmas come but once a year
The holiday season only arrives once annually
Oh, won't somebody please, please
I beg of someone, anyone
Please bring me some Christmas cheer
Please bestow upon me a sense of joy and festivity
I need a Christmas cheer
I am in desperate need of a happy, uplifting experience
Santa clause please, please, please don't make me suffer so
My dear Santa Claus, I beseech you, do not subject me to any more sorrow
Can't take it no more
I have reached my breaking point and can no longer bear the hardships
Mama's been sick, oh, Lord, papa has too
My mother and father have both been unwell, suffering from illness
What I want please, was just to fool me and you
My desires and wishes have led to deception, both for myself and others
And my brothers too
My siblings are also affected by these circumstances
I went to the welfare, but I waited little too long
I attempted to seek assistance from welfare, but I may have delayed too long
And the little I had when I started
Even the small amount of resources that I originally had has dwindled
Couldn't know it was all gone
I did not realize that all of my resources had been depleted
Lord, I've been good, oh, so good I know
My goodness and virtuous nature are undeniable, my Lord
Why, why, why, tell me, do I have to suffer so
Why, oh why, must I endure this hardship and misery
Now Santa Claus, Santa Claus
Dearest Santa Claus
Please, please don't make me suffer so
I beseech you, do not subject me to any more pain and suffering
Oh Lord, do you hear me?
Oh Lord, are you listening to my pleas?
Mama has been sick, God help her, papa has too
My mother and father have both been ailing, may God assist them
I find out when I once believed, just to fool me and you
I have discovered that my previous beliefs and hopes were deceptive, intended to mislead myself and others
I went to the welfare but I wanted a little, a little, a little, a little help
I turned to welfare to seek some minor assistance and relief
I just can't I gotta help myself but, wait a minute
I am struggling to rely on myself for aid, but give me a moment to reconsider
It seems, seems that I waited a little too long
Perhaps I waited too long to take action and seek help
When I was there, do you believe?
Can you imagine what happened when I arrived at the welfare office?
I found out it all got over, I ain't got nobody
I discovered that all the resources had been depleted, and I have no one to turn to
But Santa Claus, you're my last hope
But dear Santa Claus, you represent the only chance I have left
Please, Lord have mercy
I entreat you, merciful Lord
Don't make me suffer so
I implore you, do not allow me to endure any more pain and suffering
When I, when I, when I realized I ain't got nobody
As I began to comprehend that I have no one to turn to
No, no, give me your helpin' hand
Please, I beg of you, offer me your aid and assistance
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: James Brown, Nat Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind