Stormy Weather
Kay Starr and Crystalette All Stars Lyrics

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Don't know why
There's no sun up in the sky
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time

Life is bare
Gloom and misery everywhere

Stormy weather
Just can't get my poor old self together
I'm weary all the time, the time
So weary all of the time

When he went away
The blues walked in and met me
If he stays away, old rocking chair will get me
All I do is pray
The lord above will let me
Walk in the sun once more

Can't go on
Everything I had is gone
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time
Keeps raining all of the time

I walk around,
Heavy-hearted and sad
Night comes around
And I'm still feeling bad
Rain pourin' down
Blinding every hope I had
This pitter 'n patter 'n beatin' 'n spatterin' drivin' me mad

Love, love, love, love
This misery will be the end of me

When he went away
The blues walked in and met me
If he stays away, old rocking chair will get me
All I do is pray
The lord above will let me
Walk in the sun once more

Can't go on
Everything I had is gone
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together

Keeps raining all the time, the time
Keeps raining all the time

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Stormy Weather" by Kay Starr and Crystalette All Stars describe the feelings of heartbreak and despair that the singer experiences after her lover leaves. The song poetically illustrates the metaphorical "stormy weather" that roars outside and inside of her. Without her lover, the world around her seems grey and miserable, and she can't seem to shake off the sadness. Even when she prays for a better future, the rain continues to pour down, a symbol of her tears and the pain she feels. The song conveys the longing for the return of her lover, with the final lines repeating the idea that without him, the storm will never subside.

Overall, the lyrics of "Stormy Weather" are a powerful representation of the emotional hurricane of heartbreak and hopelessness. They beautifully portray the feelings of loss, loneliness, and pain that one experiences after losing a loved one, making the song a classic of the genre.

Line by Line Meaning

Don't know why
I am unsure of the cause

There's no sun up in the sky
The sky is overcast with no sunlight

Stormy weather
The weather is bad

Since my man and I ain't together
The cause of my distress is my separation from my significant other

Keeps raining all the time
It is constantly raining, which adds to my misery

Life is bare
My life is bleak and empty

Gloom and misery everywhere
Everywhere I look, there is darkness and sadness

Just can't get my poor old self together
I am unable to get myself into a positive state of mind

I'm weary all the time, the time
I am constantly tired and worn out

So weary all of the time
I am tired all the time

When he went away
My significant other left me

The blues walked in and met me
I became very sad when my significant other left me

If he stays away, old rocking chair will get me
If he does not return to me, I will be alone forever and waste away in my old age

All I do is pray
All I can do is hope and pray for his return

The lord above will let me
I hope that God will grant my request to be reunited with my significant other

Walk in the sun once more
I hope to be happy and in the sun again

Can't go on
I am unable to continue

Everything I had is gone
I have lost everything I had

Night comes around
When night falls, my sadness persists

And I'm still feeling bad
I am still sad

Rain pourin' down
It is raining hard

Blinding every hope I had
The heavy rain has dashed all my hopes

This pitter 'n patter 'n beatin' 'n spatterin' drivin' me mad
The sound of the rain is driving me crazy

Love, love, love, love
Love, which is causing my sadness

This misery will be the end of me
This sadness will destroy me

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, S.A. MUSIC
Written by: HAROLD ARLEN, TED KOEHLER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Kay Starr and Crystalette All Stars

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@savannahmarie9115

9y↑2

Don't know why there's no sun up in the sky
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together,
Keeps rainin' all of the time

Oh, yeah
Life is bare, gloom and mis'ry everywhere
Stormy weather
And I just can't get my poorself together,
I'm weary all the time
So weary all the time
When he went away the blues walked in and met me.
Oh, yeah
If he stays away old rockin' chair will get me.

All I do is pray the Lord above will let me walk in the sun once more.
I can't go on, can't go on, can't go on, ev'ry thing I had is gone
Stormy weather

Since my man and I ain't together,
Keeps rainin' all the time

All comments from YouTube:

@MrPoetnscribe

9y↑17

In my opinion, no one could do this song better than Kay. And not only did she have an incredible voice, she was incredibly beautiful!

@leahmay1506

4y↑3

She is by far my favourite singer. Never heard a voice so amazing!

@bernicekelley3875

9y↑6

I was fortunate enough to meet Kay Starr, in Maine a few years ago. Oh, for those days gone by.

@JosePerez-tk8dc

9y↑16

I feel like I'm the only teenager who listens to the talented Kay Starr
A legend in my heart

@beverlymontebello6992

7y↑3

I do! im 19, have all her recordings, talked to her on the phone five times and i have her autograph

@Ragemous

7y↑4

RIP Kay - Sad to see her go, heard she was singing live a bit even this year at 94, we were graced.

@arlenekasicky4235

8y↑11

Listen to that voice! So great!

@user-yb2mk8cm1f

So Great Dane - Stormy weather

@ottloblundly8

5y↑2

Love her and this recording.

@craigmclanachan1663

9y↑11

Great, and the backing is a real bonus - superb package!

@maf5454

9y↑1

Straight up Craig! I'm always amazed when I listen to this kind of music, nothing is out of place or out or balance. Count Basie said one time it was precision music, nothing out of place or balance. I think I'm beginning to understand what he was talking about.

@fencerex1

10y↑3

She is great!

@hep2jive

13y

It's storming this Sunday afternoon 56 floors above Chicago. Thanks for posting.

@taddyd1

12y↑1

Right on with the Ella remark. Later on Kay sounded more like Dinah Washington. STARR was the definiton of versatile. One of the few singers that is highly respected by critics and fans of country, jazz., blues and pop!

@MaddieEP101

13y

thanks so much for this. I had never heard this song until last week. I have to perform it for Uni and this has helped me so much!

@savannahmarie9115

9y↑2

@pisspisspisspissp

Wish I could find a karaoke track for this!! Want to audition with it for a 40s themed dinner at my school..... might have to make my own lol

@charlotteswincicki2226

6y↑1

The year I was born 1946!! Wow!!!!

@Angrygamer49

11y

Have u guys heard etta james cover? Beautyfully done

@Marielena5058

11y↑1

Can someone please upload this great lady's Lazy River?

@jtsct

11y

I'll have to listen Lena sing it

@jtsct

11y↑1

I'm not the authority like the rest of you, but you have to give this woman her due, Damn she could sing!!!!!!

@PeteTheGael

13y

thanks for the upload man :D

@Shadepuppy

12y

I'm referring to a video titled "Stormy Weather by Ella Fitzgerald" here on YouTube. I found the Amazon version of Kay Starr and it matches the music here. I grew up listening to Kay Starr (some Ella, but not as much), but Kay's big hits in the 50's were in the "belting" manner. Her style in this arrangement is smoother/sweeter than she used in "Wheel of Fortune", ".. Waltz Again with You", etc. No offense intended - she used different styles.

@ccdg1066

11y

WHY is Doris Day plugged in to the "Artist:"? I like the Lena Horne version best, but nothing wrong with hearing other versions ...in fact I like that! Thank you for uploading!! Also, if you like this song look for Etta James' version, too.

@ummmhelloo

11y↑2

It's definitely Kay

@maf5454

9y↑1

Does anyone know who played trumpet in the band on this? I played, well sort of, and NEVER could get the muted sound like that on the intro. I tried a bunch of different mutes and well, I guess the rest is history. Probably for the best! BTW listen to the person blow on the sax and those slurs are like honey running out of a bottle!

@craigmclanachan1663

Could be the limitations on technology of the day when it came to recording. Maybe the earlier microphones gave a sound that is hard to reproduce today, just a thought.

@maf5454

Craig McLanachan
Thanks Craig never thought of that, living in our current sound reproduction technology era! I am an electrical engineer by discipline and you would have thought I might have concidered that. I imagine that with limited bandwidth on the mics, electronics, and reproduction media, tape or disk, the sound would be compressed and would be very different than if you were in person. Never the less those guys could blow couldn't they?

@craigmclanachan1663

maf5454 Glad I could help. Early in the 20th Century Rachmaninov realised the limitations of the day's systems and went for the most effective and pure method which was the Ampico music roll technology. This refined and ultra expensive system reproduced music hard to distinguish from a live performance on a piano. Late last century Wayne Stahnke devised a computer based method for retrieving and restoring this music using a Bosendorfer player piano. There are two CDs , both 'A Window in Time', the first Rachmaninov playing his own works and the second from his concert pieces of other composers. You may want to look them out, they are very effective and truly a window in time!

@ezequielbanuelos4016

8y↑4

Better than Yoko Ono

@Richard40171

12y

Actually, the intonation is like Ella, though the timbre is darker, and with greater vibrato. just like Ella sounds like Connie Boswell whom I think influenced her in her phrasing. Incidentally, one of the definitive recordings of this torch song was done by JUDY GARLAND on her legendary LIVE AT CARNEGIE HALL two-record set (1961 or 1962).

@leblancdejuan92

11y

Judy Garland's version was the best to me but I like every last version! But of Lena Horne and Judy Garland make you feel the pain of the song

@doulikeamericanmusic

13y

@Shadepuppy its clearly not ella fitzgerald...

@DHL1930

10y↑4

It's Kay Starr, not Ella. History hasn't been too kind to Kay Starr. We should remind ourselves that Billie Holiday once said of Kay Starr that she was the finest of all white blues singers. Similar to Ella, yes, but all Kay Starr. And we should remember, too, that Kay Starr has likely been around a good deal longer than Ella. I'll have to research that.

@LuannOsbourne

R.i.p for last year

@arlenecerf8833

Ella has been around longer than Kay Starr - Ella was born in 1917 whilst Kay was born in 1922

@arlenecerf8833

Ella recording first in 1934

@costernocht

11y↑1

No, it really is Kay. But I know what you mean!

@msattler111

I think Lena had more in it.
She at the time, had more race card issues to deal with and she was fiighting just to be heard at all. I happen to have a copy of Lena's version on 78rpm shellac, which is unique in and of itself, as I have no clue how my grandparents came to own it.
I don't have a clue.

@benjaminbrubaker331

Surely, you must have a clue.

@msattler111

Benjamin Brubaker What do you want me to surmise?
My grandparents were German immigrants from the holocaust........they were escaping. I don't have a clue what this disc was doing there at the time I found it./
Except at the time, they had this old music box and played what they could find on shellac at the time. I still own the box.

@taddyd1

12y

This IS Early Ella, VERY Ella. You obviously are unfamiliar with the first 15 yrs of ELLA's discography. Just like Richard 4071 wrote: this is Boswell Ella. You can purchase the entire amazing Decca catalog very reasonably ($40) from Amazon France "The Complete Masters 1935-55" (14 cds.) The collection is much less high brow than the Normzn Granz material but totally great, a lotta swinging funk, way underated

@jujitusuka

3y↑1

ITS KAY STARR YOU MUPPET…..

@michaelriley2892

12y

it is assine to even play this song lena owns it

@Marielena5058

11y

no way is this Ella

@Richard40171

12y

Is this a schoolyard ("My daddy can beat your daddy")? You state your likes (or "aesthetic judgments"), I'll state mine. But compare your statement & mine: ". . . ONE of the definitive recordings. . . ." I don't tell people what to think. I'm glad you like Ethel Waters but (this may come as a surprise) not everyone thinks like you, at least regarding "Stormy Weather." If you like Horne and Waters then all I can say is, open up a can of beer, sit back, relax & listen to them. I have my own way.

@taddyd1

12y

The definitive is Ethel and then Lena. Judy hasta step way back on this one.

@TheRollerKitty

12y↑1

This is definitely not Ella. You should probably go and listen to her version. Because Ella's version has a bit of a darker sound to it.

@Shadepuppy

13y

Sounds like the Ella Fitzgerald version to me...

@chestnutfilly

10y↑1

Love Kay Starr.... Love Ella even more.... THIS IS KAY.... THIS IS NOT ELLA!!!!

@msattler111

9y↑1

I know both of them.
I undestand those who find it hard to differentiate.
Ella's voice was deeper; Kay's was able to reach upper ranges that Ella could or did not wish to explore.