Early life
Croce was born in South Philadelphia. He graduated from Upper Darby High School in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania in 1960 where in 1976, he was the first former student to be added to the high school's Wall of Fame. Then, while attending Villanova University (1965 graduate), Croce became interested in becoming a professional musician and met his future wife, Ingrid, at a hootenanny at Convention Hall in Philadelphia, where he was a judge for the contest.
Early career
During the early 1960s, Croce formed a number of college bands and performed at coffee houses and universities, and later with his wife Ingrid as a duo in the mid-1960s to early 1970s. At first their performances included songs by Ian and Sylvia, Gordon Lightfoot, Joan Baez, and Woody Guthrie, but in time they began writing their own music, such as "Age", "Hey Tomorrow", and "Spin, Spin Spin" which later led to Croce's hit songs in the early seventies.
At the same time, Croce got his first long-term gig at a rural bar and steak house in Lima, Pennsylvania, called the Riddle Paddock. There, over the next few years, Croce developed a very engaging rapport with tough audiences and built his musical repertoire to over 3,000 songs. His set list included every genre from blues to country, rock 'n roll to folk, with tender love songs and traditional Bawdy Ballads, always introduced with a story and an impish grin.
In 1968, Jim and Ingrid Croce were encouraged to move to New York City to record their first album with Capitol Records. For the next two years, they drove over 300,000 miles playing small clubs and concerts on the college concert circuit promoting their album Jim & Ingrid Croce.
Then, disillusioned by the music business and New York City, Croce sold all but one guitar to pay the rent, and they returned to the Pennsylvania countryside where Croce got a job driving trucks and doing construction to pay the bills. He called this his "Character Development Period" and spent a lot of his time sitting in the cab of a truck, composing songs about his buddies and the folks he enjoyed meeting at the local bars and truck stops.
Success
In 1970, Croce met classically trained pianist/guitarist, singer-songwriter Maury Muehleisen from Trenton, New Jersey. Initially, Croce backed Muehleisen on guitar at his gigs. But in time, their musical strengths led them each to new heights. Muehleisen's ethereal and inspired guitar leads became the perfect accompaniment to Croce's down-to-earth music.
In 1972, Croce signed to a three record deal with ABC Records releasing You Don't Mess Around with Jim and Life & Times in the same year. The singles "You Don't Mess Around with Jim", "Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)" and "Time In A Bottle" (written for his newborn son, A. J. Croce) helped the former album reach #1 on the charts in 1974. Croce's biggest single "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown", hit number 1 on the US charts in the summer of 1973, selling two million copies.
Sudden death
Croce, 30, and Muehleisen, 24, died in a small commercial plane crash on September 20, 1973 in Natchitoches, Louisiana one day before releasing his third ABC album, I Got a Name. The posthumous release included three hits, "I Got A Name", "Workin' At The Car Wash Blues" and "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song."
Musical legacy
In 1990, Croce was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In the late 1990s, Ingrid Croce, Croce's widow, and their son, A.J. Croce obtained the publishing rights for Croce's entire catalog of songs. Since then they have released Jim Croce Home Recordings, Facets, Jim Croce: Classic Hits, and the first-ever DVD of Jim's television performances on "Have You Heard – Jim Croce Live", with their most recent release in January 2006 of a CD of the same title. They also co-produced a PBS special, with archive footage from the Croce family collection, along with excerpts of their DVD Have You Heard – Jim Croce Live.
In 1985, Ingrid Croce opened "Croce's Restaurant & Jazz Bar", located in the historic Gaslamp District in San Diego, California, partially as a tribute to her late husband.
Quotes
His personal motto: "If you dig it, do it. If you really dig it, do it twice."
On his roots: "I never really thought of my neighborhood in South Philly as being a neighborhood, it was more a state of mind. For people who aren't familiar with those kind of places, it's a whole different thing. Like 42nd Street in New York City is a state of mind."
Maybe Tomorrow
Jim Croce Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sit by the telephone 'til morning
She never tells me where she's goin'
But I think it's mighty plain
Maybe tomorrow
She'll be back home again
She wasn't like this when I met her
Now she never even says I love you
She just comes a-rollin' in
Never wanting to explain
Maybe tomorrow she'll be back home again
Wish that I could meet him
Just to tell him who I am
I would like to find out what he has
That I don't have
She never says a thing about him but it's plain as day
She's going somewhere every evening
Can't take it too much longer
I think I'm goin' insane
Maybe tomorrow she'll be back home again
Wish that I could meet him
Just to tell him who I am
I would like to find out what he has
That I don't have
She never says a thing about him but it's plain as day
She's going somewhere every evening
Can't take it too much longer
I think I'm goin' insane
Maybe tomorrow she'll be back home again
In Jim Croce's song "Maybe Tomorrow," the singer is struggling with the uncertainty of his relationship with his partner. He is left alone most nights as she goes out without telling him where she is going or who she is with. He tries to cope by smoking and drinking, sitting by the phone, and hoping she will come back home. But he is tormented by the feeling that she has changed and is no longer the same woman he fell in love with. She hardly shows affection towards him anymore and never expresses her love, often coming home late and avoiding any explanation of her behavior. One can assume that she might be involved with someone else, and the singer wishes he could meet him to find out what the other man has that he lacks. He continues to wallow in his anxiety, wondering if tomorrow she'll finally come home again.
The song portrays the hardship of feeling neglected in a relationship and not knowing what to do about it. The singer's insecurities and fears are palpable throughout the song, and the final line "maybe tomorrow she'll be back home again" leaves the listener to wonder if things will ever get better or if they will have to continue living with uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
Smoke another cigarette, have another drink or two
The singer is stressed and anxious, and is trying to numb his feelings through smoking and drinking.
Sit by the telephone 'til morning
The singer is waiting by the phone, hoping to hear from his lover.
She never tells me where she's goin'
The singer's lover is secretive and doesn't share details about her whereabouts.
But I think it's mighty plain
The singer thinks he knows where his lover is going every evening.
Maybe tomorrow, she'll be back home again
The singer is hopeful that his lover will return home soon.
She wasn't like this when I met her
The singer reminisces about his lover's past behavior, which was different from her current behavior.
Whatever made her change?
The singer wonders what might have caused his lover's changed behavior.
Now she never even says I love you
The singer's lover has stopped expressing her love for him.
She just comes a-rollin' in
The singer's lover returns home late every evening.
Never wanting to explain
The singer's lover is unwilling to explain her absences.
Wish that I could meet him
The singer wants to meet the man his lover is seeing.
Just to tell him who I am
The singer wants the other man to know that his lover is already in a committed relationship.
I would like to find out what he has
The singer is curious to know what qualities the other man possesses that he doesn't.
That I don't have
The singer is insecure about himself and thinks he might be lacking compared to the other man.
She never says a thing about him but it's plain as day
Even though the singer's lover doesn't talk about the other man, it's evident that something is going on.
She's going somewhere every evening
The singer's lover is consistently going out every evening, without explaining her whereabouts.
Can't take it too much longer
The singer is reaching his limit and can't handle the uncertainty and stress anymore.
I think I'm goin' insane
The singer is losing his mind dealing with the situation and can't maintain his sanity.
Maybe tomorrow she'll be back home again
The singer is hopeful that his lover will return home soon and that they can resolve their issues.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JAMES CROCE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Matthew Pullen
Never heard this before..
Goes well with both other Tomorrow songs in title
Zach Wilson
Genius