Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me
Joe Williams & Count Basie and His Orchestra Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Someone told someone and someone told you
But they wouldn't hurt you, not much
Since everyone spread the story
With his own little personal touch

Do nothin' till you hear from me
Pay no attention to what's said
Why people tear the seam of anyone's dream
Is over my head
Do nothin' till you hear from me
At least consider our romance
If you should take the word of others you've heard
I haven't a chance
True I've been seen with someone new
But does that mean that I'm untrue
When we're apart the words in my heart
Reveal how I feel about you
Some kiss may cloud my memory
And other arms may hold a thrill
But please do nothin' till you hear it from me
And you never will
Do nothin' till you hear from me

Do nothin' till you hear from me
Pay no attention to what's said
Why people tear the seam of anyone's dream
Is over my head
Do nothin' till you hear from me
At least consider our romance
If you should take the word of others you've heard
I haven't a chance
True I've been seen with someone new
But does that mean that I'm untrue
When we're apart the words in my heart
Reveal how I feel about you
Some kiss may cloud my memory
And other arms may hold a thrill




But please do nothin' till you hear it from me
And you never will

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Joe Williams & Count Basie and His Orchestra's song "Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me" are written from the perspective of someone who is defending their loyalty to their lover against rumors and gossip. The song starts by acknowledging the spread of rumors and how everyone has their own personal spin on the story. The singer then implores his lover to not pay attention to what's being said and to wait until she hears it directly from him.


The singer goes on to state that even though he has been seen with someone new, it does not mean that he has been unfaithful. He emphasizes the importance of considering their romance and not blindly believing what others have heard. He reveals that when they are apart, he thinks about her and his feelings for her are sincere.


Overall, the song is a plea for communication and waiting for the truth before jumping to conclusions. It highlights the dangers of rumor-spreading and how it can damage relationships.


Line by Line Meaning

Someone told someone and someone told you
Rumors spread and get distorted as they pass from one person to another.


But they wouldn't hurt you, not much
These rumors aren't intended to harm you, but they can still cause problems.


Since everyone spread the story
The rumor has spread far and wide.


With his own little personal touch
Each person added their own embellishments to the story.


Do nothin' till you hear from me
Don't take action until you hear the truth directly from me.


Pay no attention to what's said
Don't believe everything you hear.


Why people tear the seam of anyone's dream
Why people enjoy spreading rumors that can ruin someone's life, I don't know.


Is over my head
I can't understand why people do this.


At least consider our romance
Our relationship deserves to be judged based on the truth, not rumors.


If you should take the word of others you've heard
If you believe the rumors, our romance may be in trouble.


I haven't a chance
If you believe the rumors, you might end our relationship.


True I've been seen with someone new
Yes, I've been seen in public with someone else.


But does that mean that I'm untrue
But that doesn't mean I'm cheating on you.


When we're apart the words in my heart
When I'm away from you, I'm still thinking about you.


Reveal how I feel about you
My true feelings for you are always with me.


Some kiss may cloud my memory
Yes, I might have shared a kiss with someone else.


And other arms may hold a thrill
And I might find someone else attractive.


But please do nothin' till you hear it from me
Please don't act on rumors. Wait until you hear the truth directly from me.


And you never will
But you won't hear any truth from me that confirms the rumors.


Do nothin' till you hear from me
Once again, don't trust the rumors. Wait until you hear the truth directly from me.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DUKE ELLINGTON, BOB RUSSELL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

nemo227

Joe Williams was a very special singer and it's a delight to me that, thanks to youtube, many young people will get a chance to hear a master sing.

NaturalFlirtGamer

Joe Williams' voice was so warm & smooth. I love this version... but I love the original with Duke Ellington & those great horns with Cootie Williams. Actually the song is so good, there's never a wrong version. Gladys Knight's was cute too! Thanks for the upload.

Luis F Castro

Gladys is cute in every song she interprets, either soul, pop, jaz, R&B, blues. Any thing genere she sings gets better. She is one of the greatest but quite underrated

MiracleBigEvent

Duke Ellington was one of the greatest composers of the 20th - or any - Century. Joe Williams is one of the great singers of that century, or forever. Billy Taylor was a great musician, broadcaster and jazz historian.

mortyfromc

I love this song and Joe Williams does it up right.

Linda Barnett

Indeed. Would like to hear it more simple with less orchestration, as well.

Voklst Westie

Timing, phrasing, tonal quality! Phenom!
Never dissappointed!!

Pam Tebelman

What a great band, incredible!

M C

Billy Taylor is tearing that piano up!!

Mark Bridwell

yea _ _ and it didn't necessarily need to be torn up .

More Comments

More Versions