I'll Close My Eyes
Kenny Burrell & Jimmy Raney Lyrics

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now baby please don't go back to New Orleans
you know i love you so, if you go take me with you

you got me waiting here now ill be a dog and walk along
now baby please don't go
if you gotta go take me with you

now don't you call my name

you got me waiting here like a ball and chain
now baby please don't go

i be a man and gone
he left the county foam he he had his shackles on
now baby please don't go

now baby please don't go back to New Orleans
you know i love you so, if you go take me with you

Overall Meaning

The song "I'll Close My Eyes" by Kenny Burrell is a plea from a man to his lover, begging her not to leave him and go back to New Orleans. The song starts with the man's desperation, as he pleads with her not to go, telling her that he loves her so much and begging her to take him with her if she does leave. He is so desperate that he is willing to "be a dog and walk along" with her, just so he won't lose her.

As the song continues, the man becomes more and more frenzied, telling her not to call his name and comparing his love for her to a "ball and chain". He even references the story of a man who left the county with his shackles on, implying that he is in a similar hopeless situation. Throughout the song, the man's love for his partner is palpable, as he tells her over and over again not to leave him behind.

Overall, "I'll Close My Eyes" is a poignant and emotional song, capturing the desperation and pain of losing someone you love. It speaks to the universal experience of heartbreak and the lengths to which we will go to keep the ones we love by our side.

Line by Line Meaning

now baby please don't go back to New Orleans
The singer is begging their loved one not to return to New Orleans, expressing their strong affection.

you know i love you so, if you go take me with you
The singer states their love for their partner and their willingness to follow them to New Orleans, should they leave.

you got me waiting here now ill be a dog and walk along
The singer is waiting for their partner, willing to do anything to be with them.

now baby please don't go
The artist is repeating their plea for their partner not to leave.

if you gotta go take me with you
The artist is willing to go anywhere with their partner, as long as they can be together.

now don't you call my name
The singer is frustrated with their partner for not being present, and possibly ignoring them.

you got me waiting here like a ball and chain
The singer feels trapped and constrained by their love for their partner, while they're absent.

i be a man and gone
The artist is expressing their willingness to leave everything behind to be with their partner.

he left the county foam he he had his shackles on
The artist is referencing a story or experience of someone who felt trapped, and compares it to their own desire to escape their current state.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BUDDY KAYE, BILLY REID

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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