Say The Brothers Name
John Scofield & Pat Metheny Lyrics
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is around you, say "Baby, I love you"
If you ain't runnin'
Say my name, say my name
You actin' kinda shady, ain't calling me baby
Why the sudden change
Say my name, say my name
If you ain't runnin' game
Say my name, my name
Say my name, my name
Any other day, I would call
You would say, "Baby, how's your day?"
But today, ain't the same
Every other word is "uh-huh," "yeah okay"
Could it be that you are at the crib with another lady?
And if you took it there, first of all, let me say
I am not the one to sit around and be played
So prove yourself to me, I'm the one that you claim
Why don't you say the things you said to me yesterday
I won't let you say I'm assuming things
If something's going down, that's the way it seems
It shouldn't be the reason why you actin' strange
Yeah, nobody's holding you back from me
'Cause I know how you usually do
When you say everything to me times two
Why can't you just tell the truth
If somebody's there, then tell me who
Say my name, say my name
If no one is around you, say "Baby, I love you"
If you ain't runnin' game
Say my name, say my name
You actin' kinda shady, ain't calling me baby
Why the sudden
Say my name, say my name
If no one is around you, say "Baby, I love you"
If you ain't runnin' game (oh no)
Say my name, my name
(My name)
I know they say that some things are better left unsaid
And it wasn't like you only talked to him and you know it
(Oh no no)
All of these things people told me keep messing with my head
You should've picked honesty
Then you may not have blown it
But you don't have to say just what you did
I already know
I found out from him
Now there's just no chance for you and me
And there'll never be
And don't it make you sad
You told me you loved me
Why did you leave me, all alone
Now you tell me you need me
When you call me, on the phone
Girl I refuse, you must have me confused
With some other guy
Your bridges were burned, and now it's your turn
To cry
So cry me a river
Just cry me a river
Just cry me a river (oh no)
Just cry me a river
Cry me, cry me
You say yeah yeah
You say yeah yeah
You say yeah yeah
You say yeah yeah
I say no no
You say yeah yeah
I say no no
You say no no no
Say my name, say my name
If no one is around you, say "Baby, I love you"
If you ain't runnin'
Say my name, say my name
You actin' kinda shady, ain't calling me baby
Why the sudden change
Say my name, say my name
If no one is around you, say "Baby, I love you"
If you ain't runnin' game (oh no)
Say my name, my name
Say my name then cry me a river
(My name)
Say my name then cry me a river
(My name)
Say my name then cry me a river
The lyrics of John Scofield & Pat Metheny's song Say The Brothers Name revolve around the themes of love, trust, and deceit. The singer is suspicious of their partner's behavior, as they are acting shady and suddenly changing their attitude towards the singer. The repeated refrain of "say my name" emphasizes the importance of recognition and validation in the relationship. The lyrics suggest that the singer's partner may be cheating on them and the singer challenges them to come clean and be honest. The song ends with the singer turning the tables on their partner, rejecting them and telling them to "cry me a river."
The lyrics of Say The Brothers Name have been interpreted as a commentary on the fragility of trust in relationships and the need for open communication in order to maintain trust. The repeated refrain of "say my name" can be seen as a plea for recognition and validation from the singer's partner, and the suspicion that their partner is cheating on them calls into question the foundation of their relationship. The singer's rejection of their partner at the end of the song suggests that the betrayal of trust is a deal-breaker in the relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Say my name, say my name
Call me by my name, address me properly
If no one is around you, say "Baby, I love you"
If you truly love me, express your feelings when we are alone
If you ain't runnin' game
If you genuinely have honest intentions
You actin' kinda shady, ain't calling me baby
You are behaving suspiciously and not treating me the way you used to
Why the sudden change
What caused the sudden shift in your behavior?
Say my name, my name
Address me fully and clearly
Any other day, I would call
On any other day, I would attempt to make contact
You would say, "Baby, how's your day?"
And you would ask me how my day is
But today, ain't the same
But today, something is different
Every other word is "uh-huh," "yeah okay"
You are not engaging with me as you usually do
Could it be that you are at the crib with another lady?
Is it possible that you are spending time with another woman?
And if you took it there, first of all, let me say
And if you are cheating, let me make myself clear
I am not the one to sit around and be played
I will not stand for being deceived or mistreated
So prove yourself to me, I'm the one that you claim
Show me through your actions that you are loyal and honest, as you claim to be
Why don't you say the things you said to me yesterday
Why can't you express your feelings as you did before?
I won't let you say I'm assuming things
I won't allow you to accuse me of jumping to conclusions
If something's going down, that's the way it seems
If something suspicious is happening, that's what it appears to be
It shouldn't be the reason why you actin' strange
But the possibility of infidelity shouldn't be the reason why you are behaving oddly
Yeah, nobody's holding you back from me
There is no one preventing you from being with me
'Cause I know how you usually do
Because I am familiar with your usual behavior
When you say everything to me times two
When you are excessively affectionate and expressive with your words
Why can't you just tell the truth
Why can't you be honest with me?
If somebody's there, then tell me who
If there is someone else, then identify that person
I know they say that some things are better left unsaid
I know that people suggest that some things are best kept unsaid
And it wasn't like you only talked to him and you know it
And it's not as though you only spoke to him, and you are aware of that
All of these things people told me keep messing with my head
The rumors and speculation people have shared with me are affecting me mentally
You should've picked honesty
You should have chosen to be truthful
Then you may not have blown it
Then you may not have ruined our relationship
But you don't have to say just what you did
You don't have to express your actions or words again
I already know
I am already aware of the truth
I found out from him
I learned the truth from the person you were unfaithful with
Now there's just no chance for you and me
Now, there is no opportunity for us to continue our relationship
And there'll never be
We will never be together again
You told me you loved me
You conveyed to me that you had affection for me
Why did you leave me, all alone
So why did you abandon me and leave me to deal with this pain by myself?
Now you tell me you need me
Now you are expressing that you require my presence
When you call me, on the phone
When you attempt to contact me via phone
Girl I refuse, you must have me confused
I refuse to believe what you say, and you have mistaken me for someone else
With some other guy
You may have confused me with a different man
Your bridges were burned, and now it's your turn
Your opportunities have been lost, and now you must deal with the consequences
To cry
To express your sadness and regret
So cry me a river
Express your emotions of remorse through tears
You say yeah yeah
You express your agreement with a casual "yeah yeah"
I say no no
I deny or counter your statement with a "no no"
You say no no no
You firmly deny or object to my statement with a repeated "no no no"
Say my name then cry me a river
Address me fully, and then express your remorse through tears
Contributed by Harper L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Maurice Green
This is my favorite song off of this album. John's roughness and Pat's texture makes this a very smooth collaboration. This is the first time John played an acoustic guitar. But he took it to heart and released the album Quiet afterwards
Kevin Ball
When he came in it was another magic moment in music for me cos he dug right in and didnt let go.
thefirst indonesia
Two legendary jazz guitarist's John Scofield & Pat Metheny teamed up in 1994 to produce this masterpiece. John's style of playing guitar is much different from Pats, but when you team them up, they go together like bread and butter. John's traditional sense of style combined with Pats more melodic style of playing compliment each other with the end result being a very jazzy progressive sound not commonly found in jazz music these days.
The cymbals from "Say The Brother's Name", sounds so real that it will freak you out. Listen to this song in the dark, lying down with your eyes closed and you will understand what I mean.
Albert Díez Ruiz
Pat is out of this world !!!!! Guitar GOD. 🙏🎸🔥
Tee Lu Rizzo
Master piece. This is the definitive version of this tune, w/ all due respect to Pat who re-recorded it on his 2007 trio effort 'Day Trip', this original version w/ the Sco, Steve Swallow and Bill Stewart is In My Humble Opinion 'The One'. Note Scofield's absolutely prime example of his masterful ability for soulful, sensitive, for the music 'Understatement' - playing the bare essentials to make the colours of the changes and still let the melody come through in his solo. But Pat's own lead is also revelatory for other reasons - it offers a classic example of Pat's 'thing', one of his melodic-pattern designs used to express 'linear harmony' from roughly 3:09 to about 4:00, you can find him using the same thematic and motivic intervalic designs in other solos on other songs of his in other albums.w/of course the necessary note adjustments to fit the chord changes of those other tunes (I believe there's a solo of his on one the parts of the last PMG album 'The Way Up' that spins out essentially out of those very same motifs). Matter of fact, this whole album is killer and also happens to be the very first 'Jazz record' I ever bought, came out just when I was starting college and an older, slightly more experienced guitar playing friend, knowing I was coming from Rock and needed to be eased into Jazz, recommend me to 'check out John Scofield's playing'. I went to a local record store and bought this record. It has grown immensely w/ me over these years.
thefirst indonesia
It's no surprise that their collaboration sounds so relaxed, fluid, and musically serene. Listeners shouldn't necessarily expect a series of slashing duels, but it's certainly not vapid new age or retrograde fusion
awwwyeaboyeeee
My favorite Scofield maybe ever. I walk down the street humming this solo to myself.
Hamilton Mays
Me too. Ain't it good?
Tee Lu Rizzo
Masterful solo indeed.
Brendan Morrison
This works so well and Pat's playing is just off the scale!