Siffre released his first six albums of songs between 1970 and 1975, and a further three albums between 1988 and 1998. During this period he had several solo hits, including "It Must Be Love" (No. 14, 1971) (later covered by and a No. 4 hit for Madness, for which Siffre himself appeared in the video); "Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying" (No. 11, 1972); and "Watch Me" (No. 29, 1972). In 1978 two of his songs, "Solid Love" (performed by Siffre) and "We Got It Bad" (co-written and performed by Bob James) reached the UK finals of the BBC's A Song for Europe. His 1987 hit "(Something Inside) So Strong", which reached No. 4, was an anti-Apartheid anthem that won the Ivor Novello Award for "Best Song Musically and Lyrically", and has since been used in Amnesty International campaigns, a television advertisement and Alice Walker's film against female genital mutilation: Warrior Marks.
In 1997, Siffre's play "DeathWrite" was staged at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff and later televised. His song "I Got The..." was sampled in rapper Eminem's hit single "My Name Is," though Siffre objected to what he described as "lazy writing" and it had to be edited to get the sample cleared.
In 1984 Siffre began writing poetry and has since released three books of poetry: "Blood on the Page" 1995 and "Monument" 1997. His poetry addresses a variety of themes, from theology and childhood to sociology, love, hate, language, critical thinking, and communication. In 2006, he released a new album, The Last Songs.
I Got the Blues
Labi Siffre Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Interesting Facts ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All I have to do is get to you
And then I feel just fine
I'm on a downer, but not all the way
When I'm feelin' low you do your thing just so
And then I feel OK
So good, you're the best there is
I got the blues, got it oh so bad
When I think of me its hard to be
A person quite so sad
You got the answer and it makes me glad
When I'm feelin' small you give me rock n' roll
And then I'm feelin' bad
Your so good, the way you give
So good, you're the best there is
Just a lonely soul
Slowly dyin'
I was smilin' hard
But I was lyin'
Then you sailed along
With you're sweet dream
When you stole my heart
I was with it
Mornin' come, sun don't shine
I'll get by without you
I was lost, but now I'm found
Tell me love it was you
Mornin' come, sun don't shine
I'll get by without you
I was lost, but now I'm found
Tell me love it was you
Just a lonely soul (Mornin' come, sun don't shine)
Slowly dyin' (I'll get by without you)
I was smilin' hard (I was lost, but now I'm found)
But I was lyin' (Tell me love it was you)
Then you sailed along (Mornin' come, sun don't shine)
With you're sweet dream (I'll get by without you)
When you stole my heart (I was lost, but now I'm found)
I was with it (Tell me love it was you)
Interesting Facts
Note: This section uses generative AI, which can be inaccurate.
Line by Line Meaning
I got the blues but I don't mind
Despite feeling low, I am not bothered by it
All I have to do is get to you
Being with you is all I need to feel better
And then I feel just fine
Your presence makes everything better for me
I'm on a downer, but not all the way
I am feeling sad, but not completely overwhelmed by it
When I'm feelin' low you do your thing just so
You have a way of making me feel better when I am sad
And then I feel OK
With you around, my mood improves
Your so good, the way you give
Your behavior towards me is amazing
So good, you're the best there is
You are the best at making me happy
I got the blues, got it oh so bad
I am feeling very sad right now
When I think of me its hard to be
I struggle to feel good about myself
A person quite so sad
Being so sad is difficult for me
You got the answer and it makes me glad
You have a solution that makes me happy
When I'm feelin' small you give me rock n' roll
You give me something to feel great about
And then I'm feelin' bad
You always bring me out of my sadness
Just a lonely soul
I am feeling alone
Slowly dyin'
I am struggling and losing hope
I was smilin' hard
I pretended to be happy
But I was lyin'
I was not truthful about my true emotions
Then you sailed along
You came into my life
With you're sweet dream
You brought your amazing personality
When you stole my heart
You won my affection
I was with it
I was happy to be with you
Mornin' come, sun don't shine
A new day has begun, but I am still sad
I'll get by without you
I will find a way to cope with you not being here
I was lost, but now I'm found
I was unhappy before, but now I am content
Tell me love it was you
Please confirm that you were the source of my happiness
Writer(s): Labi Siffre
Contributed by Charlie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
udontknow
I got the blues but I don't mind
All I have to do is get to you
And then I feel just fine
I'm on a downer, but not all the way
When I'm feelin' low you do your thing just so
And then I feel OK
You're so good, the way you give
You so good, you're the best there is
I got the blues, got it oh so bad
When I think of me
It's hard to be a person quite so sad
You got the answer, and it makes me glad
When I'm feelin' small, you gimme rock 'n roll
And then I feel laid back
You're so good, the way you give
So good, you're the best there is
Just a lonely soul
Slowly dyin'
I was smilin' hard
But I was lyin'
Then you sailed along
With your sweet dream
When you stole my heart
I was livid
Mornin' come, sun don't shine
I'll get by without you
I was lost, but now I'm found
Tell me love it was you
Mornin' come, sun don't shine
I'll get by without you
I was lost, but now I'm found
Tell me love it was you
Just a lonely soul (Mornin' come, sun don't shine)
Slowly dyin' (I'll get by without you)
I was smilin' hard (I was lost, but now I'm found)
But I was lyin' (Tell me love it was you)
Then you sailed along (Mornin' come, sun don't shine)
With your sweet dream (I'll get by without you)
When you stole my heart (I was lost, but now I'm found)
I was livid (Tell me love it was you)
Tobi Won Kanogy
I got the blues but I don't mind
All I have to do is get to you
And then I feel just fine
I'm on a downer but not all the way
When I'm feelin' low you do your thing just so
And then I feel okay
You're so good, the way you give
So good, you're the best there is
I got the blues, got it oh so bad
When I think of me it's hard to be
A person quite so sad
You got the answer and it makes me glad
When I'm feelin' small you give me rock n' roll
And then I feel laid back
You're so good, the way you give
So good, you're the best there is
Just a lonely soul
Slowly dyin'
I was smilin' hard
But I was lyin'
Then you sailed along
With your sweet dream
When you stole my heart
I was livid
Mornin' come, sun don't shine
I'll get by without you
I was lost, but now I'm found
Tell me love it was you
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Mornin' come, sun don't shine
I'll get by without you
I was lost, but now I'm found
Tell me love it was you
Just a lonely soul (Mornin' come, sun don't shine)
Slowly dyin' (I'll get by without you)
I was smilin' hard (I was lost, but now I'm found)
But I was lyin' (Tell me love it was you)
Then you sailed along (Mornin' come, sun don't shine)
With your sweet dream (I'll get by without you)
When you stole my heart (I was lost, but now I'm found)
I was livid (Tell me love it was you)
TheDrFunkenstein
a LOT LOT LOT of rappers and producers owe there whole career to this man.
Labi Siffre was a fucking genius and needs to be recognized like it.
Martin Hofvenstam
Is.
Dragon4Fire
Yes, and *their
MichelleMyBelle
I'm here because of a Beck article saying he had this sample on hold then em got it. I'd love to know what other songs he has that rappers have used because this song is 🔥🔥🔥
TMiii
@MichelleMyBelle “Streets is Watching” by Jay-Z is one.
noleafclover2200
Agreed
Jenny Fox
I can't beleive I've never heard him. He's just fabulous.
Jason Brian
You've never heard something inside so strong? Absolutely outstanding record :)
willam Estrada
Im with you miss jenny!! I feel like dancing solo if necessary!
McK
Better late than never