Louis Jordan (July 8, 1908 - February 4, 1975) was a pioneering African-Ame… Read Full Bio ↴Louis Jordan (July 8, 1908 - February 4, 1975) was a pioneering African-American jazz and rhythm & blues musician and songwriter who enjoyed his greatest popularity from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "The King of the Jukebox", Jordan was highly popular with both black and white audiences in the later years of the swing era.

Jordan was one of the first black recording artists whose popularity crossed over into the mainstream white audience and who scored hits on both the "race" charts and the mainstream white pop charts. He is now acknowledged as one of the most successful African-American musicians of the 20th century, ranking fifth in the list of the all-time most successful black recording artists.

Jordan scored at least four million-selling hits during his career, regularly topping the "race" charts, as well as scoring simultaneous Top Ten hits on the white pop charts on several occasions. Many of the songs he wrote or co-wrote have become 20th century popular music classics.

With his dynamic Tympany Five bands (which also pioneered the use of electric guitar and electric organ) Jordan largely mapped out the main parameters of the classic R&B, urban blues and early rock'n'roll genres with a series of hugely influential 78 rpm discs for the Decca label that presaged virtually all of the dominant black music styles of the 1950s and 1960s and which exerted a huge influence on many leading performers in these genres.

Ain't Nobody's Business but My Own
Louis Jordan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You got a gal you love on Sunday
Then you get another for Monday

Ain't nobody's business but my own

You say you're always home alone
How come I can't get you on the phone?

Well, that ain't nobody's business but my own

Nobody's business
Nobody's business
Nobody's business but my own
Nobody's business
Nobody's business
Nobody's business but my own

All night long you're playin' poker
Tell me, what's the name of that joker?

Ain't nobody's business but my own

I come over, say, "Here I am"
Then I hear the back door slam

Well, that ain't nobody's business but my own

[Chorus]
Nobody's business
Nobody's business
Nobody's business but my own
Nobody's business
Nobody's business
Nobody's business but my own

You tell me you're in bed by seven
But your light's on past eleven

Well, that ain't nobody's business but my own

Now you ain't so smart and you ain't good lookin'
How come you got so much cookin'?

Ain't nobody's business but my own

[Chorus]

And you wear the prettiest ties and collars
Whereabouts do you get those dollars?

Ain't nobody's business but my own

You always talk about settlin' down
When I bring a ring, you're not around

Well, I'll be there the next time that you call

Well, let's not fuss and let's not fight

I'm sick and tired of sayin' goodnight

Well, let's make up and hold each other tight

We both know we're birds of a feather
Let's go into business together
We can start a business of our own

[Chorus]

Overall Meaning

In Louis Jordan's song Ain't Nobody's Business But My Own, the singer is addressing a lover who seems to be leading a double life. Jordan describes the lover's infidelity, their lies about being alone, and their mysterious source of income. However, he asserts that despite all of this, it's nobody's business but his own. Jordan's point is that what happens in their relationship should not concern anyone else, and he is telling his lover that as long as they are happy together, there is no need to worry about what others may think.

Throughout the song, Jordan repeats the chorus "ain't nobody's business but my own," emphasizing that their relationship is their own private affair. He also mentions the lover's lies and evasions, but again suggests that these things do not matter as long as they are happy together. The final lines of the song hint at a desire to start a business together, suggesting a potential solution to the issues in their relationship.

Overall, the lyrics of Ain't Nobody's Business But My Own suggest a casual and lighthearted attitude towards relationships and an insistence on privacy and autonomy.

Line by Line Meaning

You got a gal you love on Sunday Then you get another for Monday
You have different partners on different days and it's no one's business but your own

Ain't nobody's business but my own
It's nobody else's business what you do with your love life

You say you're always home alone How come I can't get you on the phone?
You claim to be alone, but I can't reach you, which is your own business

Well, that ain't nobody's business but my own
The fact that I can't reach you is still none of anyone's business

Nobody's business Nobody's business Nobody's business but my own
It's continually emphasized that whatever's happening is private.

All night long you're playin' poker Tell me, what's the name of that joker?
You're spending all night playing poker with someone else and your partner has a right to know who it is.

Ain't nobody's business but my own
But in truth, it's not for anyone else to care about

I come over, say, "Here I am" Then I hear the back door slam
You say you want to be with me, but I hear you sneaking out, which is your personal matter.

Nobody's business Nobody's business Nobody's business but my own
The secrecy is emphasized again.

You tell me you're in bed by seven But your light's on past eleven
You claimed to be asleep early, but your light is still on hours later, which again would be your own to account for

Now you ain't so smart and you ain't good lookin' How come you got so much cookin'?
You don't have much going for you, yet you're still somehow successful--which is again no one else's business

And you wear the prettiest ties and collars Whereabouts do you get those dollars?
You have an expensive taste in clothes, even though you can't seem to afford it which is still no other concern.

You always talk about settlin' down When I bring a ring, you're not around
You keep talking about wanting to settle down, but when it comes time to take action, you're nowhere to be found, still, that's of no importance to anyone else.

Well, I'll be there the next time that you call
Regardless of what's happened, the singer is promising to answer the next time they call.

Well, let's not fuss and let's not fight I'm sick and tired of sayin' goodnight Well, let's make up and hold each other tight
Let's forget about any issues and reconcile, as it's not worth fighting over personal complications.

We both know we're birds of a feather Let's go into business together We can start a business of our own
Let's put aside personal concerns and enter into business together, something that we share an interest in, potentially/probably opening up our own business if we both agree.

Nobody's business Nobody's business Nobody's business but my own
The secrecy of personal matters reiterated one last time.

Lyrics © NEXT DECADE ENTERTAINMENT,INC.
Written by: I TAYLOR

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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