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.
Take Me With You
Jimmy Rushing Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And when you smiled at me,
In my heart I felt a thrill you see,
That it was love at sight and
I was right to love you as I do.
Still I never dreamed that you could love me too.
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
I'm on your mind each place we go
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
I have always placed you far above me.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
And after all is said and done,
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
Skies are gray. I'm blue each day
When you are not around.
Ev'ry thing goes wrong, my dear I've found
But when you're by my side I fill with pride
For I'm so proud of you
It all seems too good to me to all be true
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
I never knew what they could do.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
I'm on your mind each place we go
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
I have always placed you far above me.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
And after all is said and done,
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
The lyrics of Jimmy Rushing's song "Tell Me I" express the incredulity and amazement of the singer upon realizing that someone he loved and thought was beyond his reach is actually in love with him too. The opening lines of "Yesterday you came my way, And when you smiled at me, In my heart I felt a thrill you see, That it was love at sight and I was right to love you as I do" describe the moment when the singer realizes that his love for this person was reciprocated. He had felt a thrill in his heart when he saw their smile, and now he knows that it was because they were in love too.
The singer is overwhelmed by the fact that this person, who he looked up to and placed on a pedestal ("I have always placed you far above me"), is now in love with him. He struggles to believe it and is almost in disbelief: "I just can't imagine that you love me." However, despite his doubts, he knows that he is the lucky one: "And after all is said and done, To think that I'm the lucky one." The singer's amazement and gratitude are palpable throughout the song.
Overall, "Tell Me I" is a song about the unexpected nature of love and the joy that comes from realizing that someone you love loves you back. It conveys the wonder and amazement of such a realization and the joy and gratitude that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday you came my way,
You showed up in my life yesterday
And when you smiled at me,
I felt a thrill in my heart when you smiled
In my heart I felt a thrill you see,
I felt an exciting sensation in my heart
That it was love at sight and
I knew instantly that it was love
I was right to love you as I do.
It was right for me to love you this deeply
Still I never dreamed that you could love me too.
I never imagined that you could love me in return
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
Your blue eyes and kisses are powerful
I never knew what they could do.
I didn't realize how much they could affect me
You're telling ev'ry one I know
You're telling everyone that you know
I'm on your mind each place we go
You think of me everywhere we go
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
They find it hard to believe that you love me
I have always placed you far above me.
I've always believed you were better than me
I just can't imagine that you love me.
It's hard for me to imagine that you love me
And after all is said and done,
After everything we've been through
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I can't believe that I'm the lucky one
Skies are gray. I'm blue each day
My days are gloomy without you
When you are not around.
When you're not here with me
Ev'ry thing goes wrong, my dear I've found
Everything goes wrong without you
But when you're by my side I fill with pride
I feel proud when I'm with you
For I'm so proud of you
I'm proud of you for everything you are
It all seems too good to me to all be true
It feels like everything is too perfect to be real
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Word Collections Publishing, Capitol CMG Publishing, Spirit Music Group, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CLARENCE GASKILL, JIMMY MC HUGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind