I Got My Mind Set On You
James Ray Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've got my mind set on you
I've got my mind set on you
I've got my mind set on you
I know what I've got to do

It's gonna take money
Whole lotta spending money
It's gonna take hard earned money
To do it up right, child

It's gonna take time
A whole lot of precious time
It's gonna take patience and time, oh
To do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it
To do it, oh yeah

Everywhere I go, you know
Bad luck follows me
Every time I've fallen in love
You know I'm left in misery

This time I really feel
I feel that it's really real
I feel if I put my mind to it
I feel that I really could do it

I've got my mind set on you
I've got my mind set on you
I've got my mind set on you
I know what I've got to do

It's gonna take money
Whole lotta spending money
It's gonna take hard earned money
To do it up right, child

It's gonna take time
A whole lot of precious time
It's gonna take patience and time, oh
To do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it
To do it, to do it, to do it, to do it

I've got my mind set on you
I know what I've got to do

It's gonna take money (it's gonna take money)
Whole lotta spending money (a whole lotta spending money)
It's gonna take all of your money (whole lotta hard earned cash)
To do it up right, child (to do it up right, child)

It's gonna take time (it's gonna take time)
A whole lot of precious time (a whole lotta precious time)
It's gonna take patience and time, oh (a whole lotta patience and time)
To do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it
To do it, oh yeah

Everywhere I go, you know
Bad luck follows me
Every time I fall in love
I'm left in misery

This time I really feel
I feel that it's really real
I feel if I put my mind to it
I feel that I really could do it

It's gonna take money (it's gonna take money)
Whole lotta spending money (a whole lotta spending money)
It's gonna take all of your money (whole lotta hard earned cash)
To do it up right, child (to do it up right, child)

It's gonna take time (it's gonna take time)
A whole lot of precious time (a whole lotta precious time)
It's gonna take patience and time, oh (a whole lotta patience and time)
To do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it




To do it, oh yeah
To do it, to do it, to do it, to do it

Overall Meaning

In James Ray's song "I Got My Mind Set On You", the singer expresses his determination to achieve his goal of being with a particular person. He knows what he must do to make it happen, but it's going to require a lot of effort and resources. He acknowledges that it will take money and time, and that he's had bad experiences in the past, but he feels that this time it's different and he's willing to put in the work to make it happen.


Throughout the song, there's a sense of urgency and determination in the lyrics, which are driven by the upbeat tempo and lively instrumentation. The repetition of the phrase "I've got my mind set on you" emphasizes the singer's focus on his goal and his determination to see it through. The lyrics also suggest that the singer has had some setbacks in the past, but he's learned from his mistakes and is ready to give it another try. Overall, the song is a testament to the power of determination and the importance of never giving up on your dreams.


Line by Line Meaning

I've got my mind set on you
I am fully focused on you


I know what I've got to do
I am aware of what I need to do


It's gonna take money
It will require a large amount of money


Whole lotta spending money
A significant amount of money that needs to be spent


It's gonna take hard earned money
The money required will be earned through hard work


To do it up right, child
To do it properly and well


It's gonna take time
It will require a significant amount of time


A whole lot of precious time
A significant amount of valuable time


It's gonna take patience and time, oh
It will require both patience and time


Everywhere I go, you know
No matter where I am, it is the same


Bad luck follows me
I am always experiencing misfortune


Every time I've fallen in love
Each time I have fallen in love


You know I'm left in misery
I am always left feeling unhappy


This time I really feel
I am truly convinced this time


I feel that it's really real
I believe it is genuinely true


I feel if I put my mind to it
I believe that if I focus on it, I can accomplish it


I've got my mind set on you
I am still completely focused on you


It's gonna take all of your money
It will require all of the money you have


It's gonna take time
It will require a significant amount of time


A whole lotta precious time
A significant amount of valuable time


To do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it
Repeating that it needs to be done multiple times


Every time I fall in love
Each time I have fallen in love


I'm left in misery
I am always left feeling unhappy




Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Rudy Clark

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@Forestofhappiness

Fantastic song, I thought George Harrison's was the original up until lately.

@nashwinston1395

Yasika Sambora there were the interviews he gave in which he talks about how he found the song when cloud9 was being released. The song is credited to the original writers on the record.

@Fifury161

Same! Didn't realise it was a cover, wow!

@harlanyarin6807

That Girl: Harrison wasn't taking credit from James Ray. He was just covering.

@oydaladno4992

And I felt that shit!

@mirellalastar

Same here. I love that song! I was surprised he got so much soul in him! But of course it was a song sang by a black man. It makes more sense.

63 More Replies...

@bewilderbeastie8899

Both this and the George Harrison version are absolute bangers

@thecinematicmind

George Harrison I hugely feel takes away what make the song great in the lyrics, with the cut of the verse
“Everywhere I go, you know
Bad luck follows me
Every time I've fallen in love
You know I'm left in misery”

@finster1968

@The Cinematic Mind - 100% agree. The omission of that lyric changes the whole flavor of the song. So does changing the word “feel” to “know”. We lose the down-on-luck tone of the song. This song was meant to be soulful!

@emosaredumb6920

I never knew Hooty listened to this types of bangers.

More Comments

More Versions