Mercer was born in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. Her mother was a young, white English music hall performer, and her father was a black American jazz musician whom Mabel never knew. At age fourteen, she left her convent school in Manchester, and toured Britain and Europe with her aunt in vaudeville and music hall engagements.
In 1928, she was an unknown member of the black chorus in the London production of Show Boat, but she had become the toast of Paris by the 1930s, with admirers who included Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Cole Porter.
When World War II broke out, she traveled to America to sing in the finest supper clubs in New York City. She also made many concert appearances across the U.S. In the late 1960s, she gave two legendary concerts with Bobby Short at Town Hall in New York City. Both were released by Atlantic Records: Mabel Mercer & Bobby Short at Town Hall, in 1968, (Atlantic SD 2-604) and Mabel Mercer & Bobby Short Second Town Hall Concert, in 1969 (Atlantic SD 2-605). In 1969, she made two appearances on the television program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
Her original and reissued albums are collector's items. Atlantic Records reissued four of her early LPs in a boxed set in 1975, in honor of her 75th birthday. She was awarded Stereo Review Magazine's first Award for Merit, for her lifetime achievement and for "outstanding contributions to the quality of American musical life." This award was officially renamed the Mabel Mercer Award in 1984.
A photograph of Mercer in later life, from the archives of The Mabel Mercer Foundation.
When Mercer returned on 4 July 1977 for her first performance in England in 41 years, the BBC filmed three evenings' performances and later broadcast it in a week-long late-night television program, a BBC first for an entertainer.
In 1978, "Midnight at Mabel Mercer's," her 1956 album on Atlantic, was praised as "one of the best recordings of the past twenty years" by Stereo Review. That same year, Mercer played at San Francisco's Club Mocambo to sold-out audiences, in celebration of her 78th birthday.
Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
Mabel Mercer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every time we say goodbye, I wonder why a little
Why the gods above me, who must be in the know
think so little of me that they allow you go
When your near there's such an air of Spring about it
I can hear a lark somewhere begin to sing about it
There's no love song finer but how strange
Every time we say goodbye
Mabel Mercer's song Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye is an emotional ballad about the pain of parting. The first two lines of the song - "Every time we say goodbye, I die a little / Every time we say goodbye, I wonder why a little" - express the deep sorrow and confusion that comes with saying goodbye to someone you love. It's clear that the singer is deeply affected by the separation, and the repetition of the phrase "every time" emphasizes the frequency and intensity of this feeling.
The next two lines of the song shift the focus to a higher power, as the singer wonders why the gods would allow her love to leave her. Here, the lyrics take on a more vulnerable and introspective tone. It's as if the singer is questioning her own worthiness, wondering why she's not deserving of love and happiness in her life.
The final verse of the song is particularly poignant, as it juxtaposes the joy and beauty of being near the person you love with the pain of having to say goodbye. The image of a lark beginning to sing as a symbol of hope and renewal is particularly powerful, as it underscores the idea that even in the midst of pain and sorrow, there is always the promise of new beginnings. The shift from a major to a minor key in the song's final line reinforces this idea, as it suggests that even the most beautiful love songs must eventually come to an end.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time we say goodbye, I die a little
Parting from you makes me experience a painful death on the inside.
Every time we say goodbye, I wonder why a little
Whenever we bid farewell, I feel perplexed and question the reason behind it.
Why the gods above me, who must be in the know
I mull over the thought that the divine powers must be aware of our situation,
think so little of me that they allow you go
and I fail to understand why they permit you to leave me behind.
When your near there's such an air of Spring about it
In your presence, there is a delightful atmosphere like that of the season of renewal and rebirth, Spring.
I can hear a lark somewhere begin to sing about it
The chirp of a lark nearby conveys the sentiment of merriment and joy I feel when I'm with you.
There's no love song finer but how strange
To me, there is no better love song than our story, but it's ironic that,
The change from major to minor
whenever we bid farewell, the melody of our love shifts from a major to a minor key, indicating a sense of sadness and farewell.
Every time we say goodbye
Each time we part ways.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind