Johnny Hammond was a pseudonym John Robert Smith (b. 16 Dec 1933, Louisvill… Read Full Bio ↴Johnny Hammond was a pseudonym John Robert Smith (b. 16 Dec 1933, Louisville, KY, USA - d. 4 Jun 1997 - aka Johnny "Hammond" Smith), a jazz organist. He was renowned for playing the Hammond B-3 organ, thus earning "Hammond" as a nickname. Smith recorded a series of albums on the well-regarded CTI Records (Creed Taylor) jazz record label. Hammond's song "Shifting Gears" was featured on the breakbeat compilation "Ultimate Breaks and Beats".

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Never Can Say Goodbye
Johnny Hammond Lyrics

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I never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, now
Never can say goodbye

Even though the pain and heartache
Seem to follow me wherever I go
Though I try and try to hide my feelings
They always seem to show,

Then you try to say you're leaving me
And I always have to say no
Tell me why is it so

That I never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, now
Never can say goodbye

Every time I think I've had enough
And start heading for the door
There's a very strange vibration
Piercing me right through the core
It says, turn around, you fool
You know you love him more and more
Tell me why is it so

Don't wanna let you go
I never can say goodbye girl
Ooh ooh baby (don't wanna let you go girl)
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no
Ooh, oh I never can say goodbye girl
Ooh ooh ooh (don't wanna let you go girl)
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no, ooh

Never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, now
Never can say goodbye

I keep thinking that our problems
Soon are all gonna work out
But there's that same unhappy feeling
There's that anguish, there's that doubt
It's the same old dizzy hangup
Can't do with you or without
Tell me why is it so
Don't wanna let you go

I never can say goodbye girl
Ooh ooh baby (hey baby)
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no
Ooh, oh I never can say goodbye girl
Ooh oh (hey baby)
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no, ooh
I never can say goodbye girl
Ooh ooh baby (hey baby)
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no

Ooh, oh I never can say goodbye girl
Ooh oh (hey baby)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Johnny Hammond's song Never Can Say Goodbye focus on the singer's inability to let go of a past relationship. The first verse talks about how the pain and heartache of the relationship continue to follow the singer even when they try to ignore it. They can't hide their feelings, and when their partner tries to leave, they always say no. The chorus repeats the titular line, emphasizing how the singer never seems to be able to say goodbye.

The second verse talks about how whenever the singer thinks they've had enough and wants to leave, there's a strange feeling that keeps them from doing so. The feeling tells them to turn around and stay with their partner because they love them more and more. The song ends with the same chorus, emphasizing once again the singer's inability to let go of their past relationship.

Overall, the lyrics of Never Can Say Goodbye convey a sense of confusion and pain. The singer is torn between wanting to move on and being unable to let go of their former lover. It's a common theme in many love songs, but the way the lyrics are written and sung gives the song a powerful and emotional feel.

Line by Line Meaning

I never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, now
I always struggle to say goodbye, despite it being the right thing to do.

Even though the pain and heartache Seem to follow me wherever I go Though I try and try to hide my feelings They always seem to show,
Although I try to hide my emotions, the pain and heartache of leaving you always follows me and my true feelings always surface.

Then you try to say you're leaving me And I always have to say no Tell me why is it so
When you tell me you're leaving, I always say no because I can't bear to part with you, but I don't know why I feel this way.

Every time I think I've had enough And start heading for the door There's a very strange vibration Piercing me right through the core It says, turn around, you fool You know you love him more and more Tell me why is it so
Whenever I try to leave, a strange feeling hits me and tells me to turn back because I love you even more than I realize and I don't know why I feel this way.

Don't wanna let you go I never can say goodbye girl Ooh ooh baby (don't wanna let you go girl) I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no Ooh, oh I never can say goodbye girl Ooh ooh ooh (don't wanna let you go girl) I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no, ooh
I don't want to let you go, and no matter how hard I try, I can never bring myself to say goodbye because I'm afraid of the pain it will bring.

I keep thinking that our problems Soon are all gonna work out But there's that same unhappy feeling There's that anguish, there's that doubt It's the same old dizzy hangup Can't do with you or without Tell me why is it so Don't wanna let you go
Although I keep thinking our problems will resolve themselves, I still feel unhappy, anxious, and doubtful. I can't seem to function with or without you, and I don't know why I feel this way. I don't want to let you go.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Clifton Davis

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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