Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, he had studied piano as a child and by 1943 he was working on the West Coast in Benny Carter's orchestra. In 1946, he was playing with the likes of Parker and Miles Davis. He continued for a few years afterward and appeared on a Warne Marsh album in 1958, despite having battled a heroin addiction for most of the 1950s and 1960s. During this time, he was living in seclusion in Europe. He also had several unsuccessful marriages in the period. He returned to jazz in the 1970s and produced a few albums. He died in New York City in 1988, of upper respiratory failure and cardiac arrest at 63 years old.
He was the focus of a documentary in 1980 titled Joe Albany ... A Jazz Life and his daughter Amy Jo wrote the memoir Low Down: Junk, Jazz, and Other Fairy Tales From Childhood concerning him.
I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry
Joe Albany Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's worth its heartache in ransom
Now when that twilight steals
I know how the lady in the harbor feels
When I want rain, I get sunny weather
I'm just as blue, blue as the sky
Since love has gone, I can't get myself together
Guess I'll hang my tears out to dry
I've got to get a new alibi
I hang around at home, and ask myself, where is she?
Guess I'll hang my tears out to dry
Dry little tear drops, my little tear drops
Moving on a stream of dreams
My little memories, those precious memories
Remind me of our crazy schemes
Then somebody says, just forget about her
But I gave that treatment a try
Strangely enough, I got along without her
Then one day she passed me right by, oh well
I guess I'll hang my tears out to dry
In Joe Albany's song "I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry," the singer laments the loss of love and how it has left them feeling blue and unable to move forward. The torch they carry represents the pain they feel, and it feels like a ransom they must pay for having loved someone. The singer compares their pain to how the Statue of Liberty must feel when the sun sets and she is left alone in the darkness. The singer's mood is further described as sunny weather when they want rain—indicating a sense of confusion and unpredictability.
The singer's attempts to move on are contrasted with their inability to forget about their lost love. Despite telling friends they are too busy, they find themselves at home, wondering where their love is. The singer has tried to forget about their love, but it has only made them feel worse. Their memories remind them of happier times with their love that have now been lost. Despite being told to forget about their love, the singer cannot help but see their love pass them by, indicating that they are still caught up in their past feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
The torch I carry is handsome
My love is something special, worth fighting for
It's worth its heartache in ransom
Even though it hurts, it's worth it to hold on to my love
Now when that twilight steals
As the light fades and darkness falls
I know how the lady in the harbor feels
I understand the loneliness and longing that the Statue of Liberty represents
When I want rain, I get sunny weather
When I need to cry, it seems like the world is against me and won't let me
I'm just as blue, blue as the sky
I'm feeling really low, just like the clear expanse above
Since love has gone, I can't get myself together
Since my love has left me, I can't seem to function properly
Guess I'll hang my tears out to dry
I don't know what else to do with my sadness, so I'll just wait for it to pass
My friend ask me out, but I tell them I'm busy
I can't bring myself to go out and have fun with my friends
I've got to get a new alibi
I need to come up with a new excuse for why I can't go out
I hang around at home, and ask myself, where is she?
I spend all my time at home, wondering where my love is and what she's doing
Guess I'll hang my tears out to dry
I still don't know how to cope with my feelings, so I'll just wait
Dry little tear drops, my little tear drops
As my tears stop flowing, I feel more in control
Moving on a stream of dreams
As I reminisce, I keep getting lost in memories of happier times
My little memories, those precious memories
The memories of my love are all I have left of her
Remind me of our crazy schemes
Those memories also bring to mind all the silly, fun things we used to do together
Then somebody says, just forget about her
Others try to offer me advice, telling me to move on and forget about my love
But I gave that treatment a try
I tried to listen to their advice and move on, but it didn't work
Strangely enough, I got along without her
In spite of everything, life goes on, and I found a way to function without my love
Then one day she passed me right by, oh well
But when I finally did see my love again, all those feelings came flooding back
I guess I'll hang my tears out to dry
And so, I'm back to waiting and hoping I can eventually move on from this heartbreak
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., IMAGEM MUSIC INC
Written by: SAMMY CAHN, JULE STYNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind