I Went By
Jools Holland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I went by the private shop
I went by the things that we had done
I went by old johnsfords shop
I went by the steamy windows
I went by the open door
I went by the public houses
I went by the docks and wharves
I counted 1, 2, 3
I wondered were you all alone,
When you said goodbye to me
I bought you a pen to write with
I play your favourite song
I tried to buy time to work things out
But all I bought was wrong 9 months ago
Goodbye to the town we lived in
Goodbye to the place we met
Goodbye to our future
Goodbye our regrets
Goodbye to the grey streets
I say goodbye to us
I say goodbye to you
I say goodbye to love
Jump back when you call me
I counted 1, 2, 3
I wondered were you all alone,
When you said goodbye to me
The verses of this song, “I Went By”, by Jools Holland & His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra & Ruby Turner, are telling a story of a person who is taking a nostalgic walk through the places and locations where they spent time with their partner, and reminiscing on the things they had done together. The singer walks by places like St Joseph's boxing club, the private shop, old johnsfords shop, steamy windows, public houses, docks and wharves, recalling all the memories they had shared with their loved one.
The chorus of the song is a reflection of how much the singer misses their partner, wondering whether they were alone when they left, and recalling the time they tried to work things out but failed to make things better. The lines “Jump back when you call me” and “I counted 1, 2, 3” suggest that the singer is feeling jumpy and anxious because they are still not over their break-up.
The final verse of the song clearly outlines that the relationship has ended, and there is no chance of it ever being rekindled. The singer says goodbye to the town they lived in, the place where they met, their future, regrets, the grey streets, and most importantly, to their love. The song portrays a sense of regret and nostalgia, and it seems that the singer is still finding it difficult to move on from their past relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I went by St Joseph's boxing club
I passed by St Joseph's boxing club
I went by the private shop
I passed by the private shop
I went by the things that we had done
I passed by the things we did together
I went by old johnsfords shop
I passed by Old Johnsfords shop
I went by the steamy windows
I passed by windows that were steamed up
I went by the open door
I passed by an open door
I went by the public houses
I passed by pubs
I went by the docks and wharves
I passed by docks and wharves
Jump back when you call me
I get excited when you call me and want to jump back
I counted 1, 2, 3
I counted to three, maybe to prepare myself to hear what you had to say
I wondered were you all alone,
I wondered if you were alone at the time you said goodbye to me
When you said goodbye to me
When you said goodbye to me, it made me feel sad
I bought you a pen to write with
I bought you a pen so you could write
I play your favourite song
I play the song that you like the most
I tried to buy time to work things out
I tried to buy time so that we could fix our problems
But all I bought was wrong 9 months ago
Unfortunately, I made a mistake in judgment 9 months ago
Goodbye to the town we lived in
Goodbye to the town where we lived
Goodbye to the place we met
Goodbye to the place where we first met
Goodbye to our future
Goodbye to our plans for the future
Goodbye our regrets
Goodbye to our feelings of regret
Goodbye to the grey streets
Goodbye to the grey streets that we walked on
I say goodbye to us
I say goodbye to the two of us as a couple
I say goodbye to you
I say goodbye specifically to you
I say goodbye to love
I say goodbye to love, as it seems to be gone
Jump back when you call me
I get excited when you call me and want to jump back
I counted 1, 2, 3
I counted to three, maybe to prepare myself to hear what you had to say
I wondered were you all alone,
I wondered if you were alone at the time you said goodbye to me
When you said goodbye to me
When you said goodbye to me, it made me feel sad
Writer(s): Jools Holland
Contributed by Caleb M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dean Radford
This lady is so under estimated, but the best usually are!, check out Waterloo Bridge, I've heard her live, WOW, lets move her status up a notch
turnitback
She is as good as a singer can be!
Graeme Booth
A beautiful song, beautifully sung. I saw her sing with Jools Holland this evening and had to look her up on youtube as soon as I got home. A great singer.
Helen Marianne
Fantastic performance by Louise...but someone on strings didn't tune their instrument!
KryptoKryten
A great live performance that I keep revisiting. I also love the live version of Waterloo Bridge from this same episode. Shame that video is not on YouTube anymore.
Redtenbacher's Funkestra
Gotta love Lou Claire Marshall!
Carla Martin
Love this Jools and think she is fabulous.
Mehefinheulog1
but a great song :)
barry Quinn
Fantastic lady
Javier Alvarado
better if you get those violins in tune