James Columbus (Jay or Hootie) McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006… Read Full Bio ↴James Columbus (Jay or Hootie) McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006) was an American blues and swing pianist, bandleader, and singer.

McShann was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and began working as a professional musician in 1931, performing around Tulsa, Oklahoma and neighboring Arkansas. He moved to Kansas City, Missouri in 1936, and set up his own big band, which featured Charlie Parker (from 1937 to 1942), Bernard Anderson, Ben Webster and Walter Brown. Although its book included both swing and blues numbers, the band played blues on most of its records; its most popular recording was "Confessin' the Blues." The group disbanded when McShann was drafted into the Army in 1944, and he was unable to successfully restart it when he got out.

After the war McShann began to lead small groups featuring blues shouter Jimmy Witherspoon. Witherspoon started recording with McShann in 1945, and fronting McShann's band, had a hit in 1949 with "Ain't Nobody's Business." McShann then played in obscurity until 1969, when he became popular as a singer as well as a pianist, often performing with Claude Williams. He continued recording and touring through the 1990s. Well into his 80s McShann still performed occasionally, particularly in the Kansas City area and Toronto Ontario.

Crime-fiction writer Elmore Leonard featured McShann as a character in his 2005 novel, The Hot Kid.

On December 7, 2006, McShann died at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City.

After You've Gone
Jay McShann Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Now won't you listen honey, while I say,
How could you tell me that you're goin' away?
Don't say that we must part,
Don't break your baby's heart

You know I've loved you for these many years,
Loved you night and day,
Oh! honey baby, can't you see my tears?

Listen while I say

After you've gone and left me cryin'
After you've gone there's no denyin'
You'll feel blue, you'll feel sad
You'll miss the dearest pal you've ever had

There'll come a time, now don't forget it
There'll come a time when you'll regret it
Someday, when you grow lonely
Your heart will break like mine and you'll want me only
After you've gone, after you've gone away

After you've gone and left me cryin'
After you've gone there's no denyin'
You're gonna feel blue, and you're gonna feel sad
You're gonna feel bad
And you'll miss, and you'll miss,
And you'll miss the bestest pal you ever had

There'll come a time, now don't forget it
There'll come a time when you'll regret it
But baby, think what you're doin'
I'm gonna haunt you so, I'm gonna taunt you so

It's gonna drive you to ruin
After you've gone, after you've gone away.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Jay McShann's song "After You've Gone" depict a lover pleading to their significant other not to leave them, stating that they have loved them for many years and cannot bear to be apart. The song contains a sense of sadness and foreboding as the lover warns that the other will regret leaving when they inevitably become lonely and realize what they have lost.

The first verse begins with the lover asking the other why they have decided to leave and begging them not to break their heart. The second verse contains the lover expressing the extent of their love, stating that they have loved the other night and day. The chorus then repeats the idea that once the other has left, they will miss the lover deeply and will come to regret their decision. The final verse again reinforces this idea and ends with the warning that the lover will haunt and taunt the other until it drives them to ruin.

Overall, the song portrays the pain and sorrow of losing a loved one and the regret that often follows such a decision. The use of repetition in the chorus emphasizes the inevitability of this regret and the lasting impact that losing someone can have.

Line by Line Meaning

Now won't you listen honey, while I say,
Please give me your attention as I speak

How could you tell me that you're goin' away?
Why would you break the news of your departure?

Don't say that we must part,
Please do not mention that we must separate

Don't break your baby's heart
Please do not cause me emotional pain

You know I've loved you for these many years,
I have expressed my affection towards you for years

Loved you night and day,
My love for you never wavered throughout the day or night

Oh! honey baby, can't you see my tears?
I am shedding tears, please notice

Listen while I say
Please pay attention to my words

After you've gone and left me cryin'
Once you have left me while I am in tears

After you've gone there's no denyin'
No doubt remains after your departure

You'll feel blue, you'll feel sad
You will feel unhappy, you will feel sorrowful