I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry
Jools Holland/Richard Hawley Lyrics


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Hear that lonesome whippoorwill?
He sounds too blue to fly.
The midnight train is whining low,
I'm so lonesome I could cry.

I've never seen a night so long,
When time goes crawling by.
The moon just went behind a cloud,
To hide its face and cry.

Did you ever see a Robin weep,
When leaves begin to die?
That means he's lost his will to live.
I'm so lonesome I could cry.

The silence of a falling star,
Lights up a purple sky.
And as I wonder where you are,




I'm so lonesome I could cry.
I'm so lonesome I could cry.

Overall Meaning

In Jools Holland & Richard Hawley's song "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," the singer mournfully describes their feelings of intense loneliness. The lyrics use vivid and powerful imagery, such as the lonesome sound of a whippoorwill, the weeping of a robin, and the falling of a star, to convey a sense of deep sadness and despair. The singer longs for company and feels the weight of the passage of time in their solitude. Even nature seems to echo their feelings, as the moon hides its face and cries.


Through their evocative lyrics, Jools Holland & Richard Hawley capture a universal feeling of loneliness and longing that many people can relate to. The use of animal imagery, particularly the robin weeping, adds a layer of symbolism and metaphor to the song. The falling star also represents a moment of beauty and wonder, but it only serves to emphasize the singer's sense of isolation as they wonder where their loved one is.


Overall, "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" is a poignant and emotionally powerful song that expresses the pain of loneliness in a beautiful and evocative way.


Line by Line Meaning

Hear that lonesome whippoorwill?
Do you hear the lonely sound of the whippoorwill?


He sounds too blue to fly.
The bird sounds very sad and unwilling to fly away.


The midnight train is whining low,
The train in the distance is making a lonely, sad sound.


I'm so lonesome I could cry.
I'm feeling incredibly lonely and sad.


I've never seen a night so long,
This night feels endless, like time is moving very slowly.


When time goes crawling by.
The passing of time feels slow and painful.


The moon just went behind a cloud,
The moon disappeared behind a cloud and is no longer visible.


To hide its face and cry.
It seems like the moon is crying because of the sadness in the air.


Did you ever see a Robin weep,
Have you ever witnessed a Robin crying?


When leaves begin to die?
If you see a Robin cry, it's because the fall is causing the leaves to die.


That means he's lost his will to live.
When a Robin cries during the fall, it's a sign that it's lost the motivation to live.


I'm so lonesome I could cry.
I feel very lonely and sad, like I could cry at any moment.


The silence of a falling star,
When a shooting star falls, the quietness that follows is haunting.


Lights up a purple sky.
The sight of the falling star illuminates the purple sky in a beautiful yet melancholy way.


And as I wonder where you are,
As I contemplate where you might be right now,


I'm so lonesome I could cry.
I'm still feeling intensely lonely and sad.


I'm so lonesome I could cry.
I'm so consumed by loneliness and sadness that it feels almost unbearable.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Hank Williams, Sr.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@johnwilliams2479

Old Hank would be proud

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