Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American rhyt… Read Full Bio ↴Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American rhythm and blues singer.

Most of her career has been as lead singer for The Staple Singers. She first recorded solo for the Stax subsidiary Volt in 1969. Subsequent efforts included a Curtis Mayfield-produced soundtrack on Curtom, a nod to disco for Warner Bros. Records in 1979, a stab at electro-pop with Holland-Dozier-Holland in 1984, and a collaboration with Prince in the late 1980s and early 90s (producing the two solo albums Time Waits for No One in 1989 and The Voice in 1993, and various other collaborations). Staples has a rich contralto voice that has neither the range of Aretha Franklin nor the power of Patti LaBelle. Her otherworldly power comes instead from a masterful command of phrasing and a deep-seated sensuality expressed through timbre manipulation. Both the Staple Singers and Mavis found fresh audiences stemming from their participation on the CD Rhythm, Country and Blues, and in 1996 she issued Spirituals and Gospel: Dedicated to Mahalia Jackson. Her next recording project didn't land for another eight years, although Have a Little Faith on Alligator Records became her highest profile release in years.

Staples released a new album for Anti- Records titled We'll Never Turn Back on April 24, 2007. The Ry Cooder-produced concept album focuses on songs of the civil rights movement and includes two new original songs.

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Official Site

A House Is Not A Home
Mavis Staples Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

A chair is still a chair
Even when there's no one sitting there
But a chair is not a house
And a house is not a home
When there's no one there to hold you tight,
And no one you can kiss good night

A room is still a room

Even when there's nothing there but gloom
But a room is not a house,
And a house is not a home
When the two of us are far apart
And one of us has a broken heart

Now and then I call your name
And suddenly your face appears
But it's just a crazy game
When it ends it ends in tears

Darling, have a heart
Don't let one mistake keep us apart
I'm not meant to live alone
Turn this house into a home
When I climb the stairs and turn my key,
Oh, please be there still in love with me

Oh oh oh, I'm not meant to live alone
Turn this house into a home

When I climb the stairs and turn the key,
Darling, please be there still in love with me

Overall Meaning

In Mavis Staples's song "A House Is Not A Home," the lyrics explore the concept of what a home truly means. The first verse explains that a chair, no matter if someone is sitting or not, will always just be a chair; it does not become a home. The second verse then compares a room to a house, stating that just having a room to be in does not make a home; a home requires more than just a physical space. The chorus emphasizes the importance of having someone to hold you tight and kiss good night, as well as being with someone you love to make a house feel like a home.

The bridge of the song brings a sense of longing as the singer calls out the name of the person they miss, and although the person's face appears, it is just a game that always ends in tears. The last verse pleads with the missing person not to let one mistake keep them apart and for the other person to turn the house into a home so they can be together. The singer ends the song by expressing how they need the missing person to still be in love with them and waiting at home when they come back.

Line by Line Meaning

A chair is still a chair
A chair remains a chair

Even when there's no one sitting there
Even when no one sits on it

But a chair is not a house
However, a chair cannot replace a house

And a house is not a home
And a house is not a home when it is empty

When there's no one there to hold you tight,
When there is no one to embrace you

And no one you can kiss good night
And no one to kiss good night

A room is still a room
A room remains as it is

Even when there's nothing there but gloom
Even when it feels empty and dark

But a room is not a house,
But a room does not suffice as a home

When the two of us are far apart
When we are separated

And one of us has a broken heart
And when one of us is hurting