James Andrew (Jimmy) Rushing (August 26, 1901 - June 8, 1972) was an Americ… Read Full Bio ↴James Andrew (Jimmy) Rushing (August 26, 1901 - June 8, 1972) was an American blues shouter from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He joined Walter Page's Blue Devils in 1927, then joined Bennie Moten's band in 1929. He stayed with the successor Count Basie band when Moten died in 1935. When the Basie band broke up in 1950 he briefly retired, then formed his own group.

His build earned him a nickname and a signature song, "Mr. Five by Five" ("he's five feet tall and he's five feet wide"). His best known recordings are probably those of "Going to Chicago" with Basie and "Harvard Blues" with the famous saxophone solo by Don Byas. George Frazier, author of "Harvard Blues", called Rushing's distinctive voice, "a magnificent gargle".

He died of leukemia in 1972 in New York City.

Blues in the Dark
Jimmy Rushing Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Kind treatment make me love you, be mean and you'll drive me away,
Kind treatment make me love you, be mean and you'll drive me away,
You're gonna long for me, baby, one of these old rainy days!

Did you ever dream, lucky baby, and wake up cold in hand?
Did you ever dream, lucky baby, and wake up cold in hand?
You didn't have a dollar, and somebody had your woman!

Woman, raise your right hand, and swear that you've been true.
Put it down!
Yes, raise your right hand, baby, and swear that you've been true.
Put it down!
Say you've been a real good woman, like the good man I've been to you!

Did you ever dream, lucky baby, and wake up cold in hand?
Did you ever dream, lucky baby, and wake up cold in hand?
You didn't have a dollar, and somebody had your woman, oh yeah!

Tell the truth, man!

Play it, Holme!

Did you ever dream, lucky babe, and wake up cold in hand, oh yeah?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Jimmy Rushing's "Blues In The Dark" song delve into the universal human need for kindness in relationships. Kindness attracts love, whereas meanness can drive a person away, as the singer notes in the opening line. Rushing's smooth voice lends depth to the lyrics and emphasizes the gravity of the situation. This theme is reinforced in the repetition of the first verse. Then, Rushing's metaphors paint an image of a person who has lost everything, including their lover and their fortune. The questions he asks in the third and fourth lines are almost rhetorical, and the listener can feel the weight of the possible answers. The use of the word "lucky" indicates that success, in this case, is largely due to chance, and the imagery of waking up cold in hand creates empathy for the person's plight.

The song makes a sharp turn in the third verse, where the male protagonist addresses his woman, demanding that she swear by raising her right hand that she's been true. The demand for truthfulness links to the idea that kindness is necessary in relationships. A person who is truthful is less likely to be mean and thus less likely to drive the other person away. In the end, the singer repeats the notion of waking up with nothing, but now broadens the experience to include others who may have suffered the same fate.

Line by Line Meaning

Kind treatment make me love you, be mean and you'll drive me away,
If you treat me with kindness and love, I will reciprocate those feelings, but if you show me malice and cruelty, I will be repulsed and pushed away.

You're gonna long for me, baby, one of these old rainy days!
Eventually, you will regret how you have treated me, and you will miss me on some gloomy, rainy day.

Did you ever dream, lucky baby, and wake up cold in hand?
Have you ever experienced a dream where you have everything you want, only to wake up empty-handed and with nothing?

You didn't have a dollar, and somebody had your woman!
In that dream, you realize that not only do you have nothing material, but someone has taken away the most important person in your life.

Woman, raise your right hand, and swear that you've been true.
Lady, raise your right hand and vow that you have been a faithful, loyal partner.

Yes, raise your right hand, baby, and swear that you've been true.
Yes, raise your right hand and swear to me, my love, that you have never strayed from our relationship.

Say you've been a real good woman, like the good man I've been to you!
Tell me that you have been kind, honorable, and honest, just like I have been as a good partner to you.

Tell the truth, man!
Be honest with me, friend!

Play it, Holme!
Begin playing the music, Holme!

Did you ever dream, lucky babe, and wake up cold in hand, oh yeah?
Have you ever encountered one of those terrible dreams where you lose everything, and wake up to a cold void of nothingness, my dear?

Contributed by Aubrey C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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