In 1930, she joined Andy Kirk's Twelve Clouds of Joy, of which her first husband, saxophonist John Williams, was already a member, and became the band's leading soloist, composer, and arranger. Williams contributed to the band book of most of the other swing bands too; for Benny Goodman she wrote "Roll 'Em".
In 1941 she worked as a staff arranger with Duke Ellington for about six months, although "Trumpet No End" (an arrangement derived from the standard "Blue Skies") was not recorded by Ellington until 1946. In 1942 she formed her own group with her second husband Harold Shorty Baker and also continued working as a solo act into the 1970s, incorporating modern ideas into her playing. As the 1940s progressed she became a mentor to the emerging generation of bebop, becoming close to Thelonious Monk.
On a personal front she had a varied spiritual journey which included preaching as an Abyssinian Baptist for a time. However by the mid-1950s a jazz-loving priest named John Crowley, not to be confused with the author John Crowley, began her move toward Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church in Harlem.
Her spiritual advisor in the Church would be Father Anthony S. Woods who baptized her in 1957. After this she became involved in charities like "Bel Canto" and had thrift shops for the poor, also becoming a counsellor for people with drug related problems. She wrote and performed religious music like Black Christ of the Andes. She vowed to donate ten percent of its profits to the poor, but the sales were disappointing toward that end and Bel Canto ultimately collapsed in 1968. Her evangelism returned to spreading jazz, but the two drives merged in the 1970s when she conducted the first Catholic Mass to be entirely jazz music.
She taught at Duke University as an Artist-in-Residence from 1977 until her death in 1981 from cancer at the age of 71.
In 1976 Williams received a D.F.A. from Bates College. In 1983, Duke University established the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture.
Don't Blame Me
Mary Lou Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've hung around you just like a fool
Falling head and heels in love like a kid out of school.
My poor heart is in an awful state now
But it's too late now to call a halt
So if I become a nuisance it's all your fault!
Don't blame me for falling in love with you
I'm under your spell but how can I help it!
Don't' blame me!
Can't you see when you do the things you do!
If I can't conceal the thrill that I'm feeling,
Don't blame; me.
Ican't help it if that doggoned moon above
Makes me need someone like you to love!
Blame your kiss as sweet as a kiss can be
And blame all your charms that melt in my arms
But don't blame me.
I like every single thing about you
Without a doubt you are like a dream
In my mind I find a picture of us as a team
Ever since the hour of our meeting
I've been repeating a silly phrase
Hoping that you'll understand me one of these days.
Don't blame me for falling in love with you
I'm under your spell but how can I help it!
Don't' blame me!
Can't you see when you do the things you do!
If I can't conceal the thrill that I'm feeling,
Don't blame; me.
Ican't help it if that doggoned moon above
Makes me need someone like you to love!
Blame your kiss as sweet as a kiss can be
And blame all your charms that melt in my arms
But don't blame me.
Mary Lou Williams's song Don't Blame Me is a love song about being helplessly under the spell of someone. The opening lines of the song say, "Ever since the lucky night I found you, I've hung around you just like a fool, falling head and heels in love like a kid out of school." These lines make it clear that the singer has fallen deeply in love with someone, and is willing to do anything for them. The subsequent lines say, "My poor heart is in an awful state now, but it's too late now to call a halt, so if I become a nuisance it's all your fault!" These lines reveal that the singer is aware of their current emotional state, but is unable to control it because they are under the spell of the person they have fallen in love with.
The song's chorus begins with "Don't blame me for falling in love with you, I'm under your spell but how can I help it! Don't blame me!" Here, the singer is telling their lover not to blame them for falling in love with them because they are unable to control it. The next lines say, "Can't you see when you do the things you do! If I can't conceal the thrill that I'm feeling, Don't blame me." The singer is essentially saying that their lover's actions are responsible for their emotional state, and they should not be blamed for it. The song ends with "But don't blame me," emphasizing once again the helplessness of the singer's situation.
Overall, Don't Blame Me is a classic love song that beautifully captures the angst of falling in love with someone and being unable to control it. The lyrics are simple and straightforward, but they manage to convey a deep emotion that many people can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
Ever since the lucky night I found you
From the moment I met you, I have been incredibly lucky.
I've hung around you just like a fool
I have been following you around like an idiot.
Falling head and heels in love like a kid out of school.
I have fallen deeply in love with you, like a school kid experiencing their first crush.
My poor heart is in an awful state now
I am in a terrible emotional state due to my feelings for you.
But it's too late now to call a halt
However, it is too late for me to try and stop myself from falling for you.
So if I become a nuisance it's all your fault!
Therefore, if I become a bother to you, it's entirely your fault for having such an effect on me.
Don't blame me for falling in love with you
Please don't hold it against me for falling in love with you.
I'm under your spell but how can I help it!
I am deeply entranced by you, but what else can I do?
Don't' blame me!
Again, please don't hold it against me.
Can't you see when you do the things you do!
It should be quite apparent that your actions are what have caused me to feel this way.
If I can't conceal the thrill that I'm feeling,
I cannot help but express my excitement when I am near you.
Ican't help it if that doggoned moon above
It's not my fault that the moon above has its own influence over me.
Makes me need someone like you to love!
It has made me desire someone like you to love.
Blame your kiss as sweet as a kiss can be
Your kiss is so incredibly sweet that it is to blame for my love for you.
And blame all your charms that melt in my arms
The charms you possess that make me feel so comfortable and loved are also to blame.
But don't blame me.
Ultimately, though, please don't hold me responsible for my feelings for you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: DOROTHY FIELDS, JIMMY MC HUGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind