Born Milton Sims Newbury, Jr. in Houston, Texas. As a teenager, Mickey Newbury sang tenor in a moderately successful vocal group called The Embers. The group opened for several famous performers, such as Sam Cooke and Johnny Cash. Although Mickey tried to make a living off of his music by singing in clubs, he put his musical career on hold at age 19 when he joined the Air Force. After four years in the military, Mickey again set his sights on making a living as a songwriter. Before long, he moved to Nashville and signed to the prestigious publishing company Acuff-Rose Music.
For a time, he was one of the most influential creative minds in Nashville and it's arguable that he was the first real "outlaw" of the outlaw country movement of the 1970s. Ralph Emery referred to him as the first "hippie-cowboy" and along with Johnny Cash and Roger Miller, he was one of the first to rebel against the conventions of the Nashville music society. After being disappointed by the production methods used by Felton Jarvis on his debut album, Mickey got himself released from his contract with RCA and signed the first offer he received to comply with his condition that he could either produce his own albums or hire a producer of his choice.
He went on to record three musically revolutionary albums in Wayne Moss's garage-turned-studio just outside of Nashville. The influence of the production methods can be heard in the albums Waylon Jennings went on to record in the 1970s (with instrumentation highly unconventional for country music) and his poetically sophisticated style of songwriting was highly influential on Kris Kristofferson.[citation needed] It was Newbury who convinced Roger Miller to record Kristofferson's "Me & Bobby McGee", which went on to launch Kristofferson as country music's top songwriter. Newbury is also responsible for getting Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark to move to Nashville and pursue careers as songwriters. However, he had no desire to cash-in on the Outlaw movement.[citation needed]
In 1974, he moved to a house on the McKenzie River in Oregon with his wife, Susan, and new born son, Chris, where they welcomed three more children over the years. He recorded several albums throughout the 1970s for Elektra and ABC/Hickory, all of them critically praised, but financially unsuccessful. In 1980, he was given the distinction of being the youngest songwriter ever inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Although he spent much of the 1980s retired from performing and recording music, he returned both to recording and touring in the late 1980s before he died following a prolonged battle with pulmonary fibrosis on September 29, 2002, aged 62.
Looks Like Baby's Gone
Mickey Newbury Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Not to sing to me no song
'Cause it's not the time for singin'
It's the time to be alone
Chase that sunshine from my window
Tell him to pack up his tone
Let them sad guitars keep strumin'
I just can't stand to face the mornings
Oh Lord, even when I'm stoned
Yes, it looks like I was born
When men were born to be alone
So won't you wake me when it's over
When it's over I'll go home
But for now please leave, I'm tired and sleepin'
Lord, it looks like baby's gone
The singer in Mickey Newbury's song "Looks Like Baby's Gone" is in a state of mourning and isolation after experiencing a significant loss. The lyrics suggest that the loss was so profound that the singer cannot find solace in the natural world around them. They do not want to hear the robin sing or see the sun shining through their window. Instead, they want to be left alone with their sadness, and the only sound they want to hear is the melancholy sound of guitars strumming. The singer's grief is so intense that they struggle to face the mornings and long for the end of the day so they can return to their bed to sleep. The repeated refrain of "it looks like baby's gone" suggests that the loss was that of a love interest, and the singer is struggling to come to terms with the end of the relationship.
The imagery used in the song is particularly powerful. The contrast between the robin singing and the singer's desire for silence highlights the depth of their sorrow. The mention of the "sad guitars" creates a sense of longing and melancholy. The line "I just can't stand to face the mornings" captures the sense of hopelessness that often accompanies grief. The singer's request to be woken when it's over suggests that they are struggling to see a way out of their pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Lord, tell that robin at my window
Asking a higher power to intervene and give a message to a bird that he does not want to hear any songs, as he is going through a tough time
Not to sing to me no song
Requesting the bird to stop singing, as the lyrics of the songs are tormenting him, making his loss hard to bear
'Cause it's not the time for singin'
Asking the bird to recognize the sadness of his current state, where it's not an ideal time for celebrations and joy, with the recent departure of his loved one
It's the time to be alone
Understanding the need to grieve the loss and spend time in solitude, to come to terms with it
Chase that sunshine from my window
Asking the sun to stop shining into his room, as it is a painful reminder of the happy times he had shared with his partner
Tell him to pack up his tone
Wanting the sunshine to take away its brightness and warmth, as he wants to be in sync with his sorrowful and melancholic emotions
Let them sad guitars keep strumin'
Asking for company in his misery, wanting the melancholic music to keep playing, giving solidarity in sadness
'Cause it looks like baby's gone
Acknowledging the pain of his lover's departure and realizing that this sorrow is not fleeting, as the lyrics say it looks permanent
I just can't stand to face the mornings
Looking to escape the reality of daily life, especially the morning time, where the feeling of loneliness is most acute
Oh Lord, even when I'm stoned
Even intoxication or drugs can't help him find a way out of the sadness and the feeling of loss
Yes, it looks like I was born
Feeling like this emptiness and loneliness is a part of him since he was born
When men were born to be alone
Drawing a comparison with older times, where men were meant to be alone and understand the inevitability of loss
So won't you wake me when it's over
Wishing for the sorrow to subside and return to normalcy, with the hope that the higher power will wake him up from this nightmare when it's over
When it's over I'll go home
Emphasizing the feeling of not belonging in his current environment because of the loss, and his readiness to leave to his real home once it's over
But for now please leave, I'm tired and sleepin'
Asking for some time in solitude, with the hope that eventually, the sorrow will wear off
Lord, it looks like baby's gone
Reiterating the central theme of the song and the depth of emotion it has invoked, hoping for a brighter tomorrow
Contributed by Maya M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.