Jimmy Clanton was born 2 September 1938 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, and… Read Full Bio ↴Jimmy Clanton was born 2 September 1938 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, and formed his first band in 1956 while in high school.

One of the few white singers to come out of the New Orleans R&B/rock & roll sound (he was known as the "swamp pop R&B teenage idol"), he rode the crest of the popular teen music wave in the 1950s and '60s with such songs as 'Just a Dream' and 'Venus in Blue Jeans'. He even continued to release hits after he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1961 and served for two years.

Clanton became a disc jockey in the 1970s and performed in an oldies revue, The Masters of Rock 'n' Roll, with Troy Shondell, Ray Peterson, and Ronnie Dove. He is reputed to have had a religious conversion in the 1980s. In the 1995 Jazz Fest in New Orleans, Clanton performed with Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, and Frankie "Sea Cruise" Ford.

Clanton starred in a rock 'n' roll movie produced by Alan Freed called "Go Johnny Go," and later starred in "Teenage Millionaire."

Part Of Me
Jimmy Clanton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've been restless every night
Since that night you held me tight
Please return, oh, how I yearn
To hold you just once more Please believe me when I say
That I need you every day
My heart is lonely, I need you only
To fill this love of mine Oh, Lord, won't you hear my plea
Touch her heart, make it long for me

Show her the way to my front door
And happiness will be ours forevermore Must I wait impatiently
What will be, I know will be
I see her face, feel her embrace
She's now a part of me Oh, Lord, won't you hear my plea
Touch her heart, make it long for me
Show her the way to my front door
And happiness will be ours forevermore Must I wait impatiently
What will be, I know will be

I see her face, feel her embrace
She's now a part of me

Overall Meaning

The song "Part of Me" by Jimmy Clanton tells the story of a man who is deeply in love with a woman who held him tight on a special night. Since that night, he has been restless and yearns to hold her just once more. He needs her every day and his heart is lonely without her. He pleads to the Lord to touch her heart and make it long for him, to show her the way to his front door so that they can be together and experience happiness forevermore. He knows that he must wait impatiently, but he is willing to do so because he sees her face and feels her embrace, she has become a part of him.

The lyrics of the song are straightforward and easy to relate to. Anyone who has been in love can understand the feeling of restlessness and yearning for the one they love. The use of religious imagery, such as praying to the Lord and asking for his assistance, adds depth to the meaning of the song.

Line by Line Meaning

I've been restless every night
I have been unable to rest or sleep every night

Since that night you held me tight
Ever since that night you held me in your warm embrace

Please return, oh, how I yearn
Please come back to me, my heart longs for you

To hold you just once more
To be able to hold you in my arms again, even just for a moment

Please believe me when I say
I am speaking the truth when I say

That I need you every day
I cannot go a day without needing you in my life

My heart is lonely, I need you only
My heart is empty without you, I need only you to fill it

To fill this love of mine
To fill the void in my heart and complete my love

Oh, Lord, won't you hear my plea
Oh, Lord, I am praying to you and asking for your help

Touch her heart, make it long for me
Please touch her heart and make her long for my love

Show her the way to my front door
Lead her to my doorstep so that we can be together