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.
She Even Woke Me up to Say Goodbye
Mickey Newbury Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The sunshine standing quietly at my door
Just like the dawn my heart is silently breaking
And with my tears it goes tumbling to the floor
Once again the old town will be talking
Yes Lord, I've seen the pity that's in their eyes
'Cause they could never understand
No matter what they say, we know she tried
Baby's packed her soft things and she's left me
I just know she didn't mean to make me cry
It's not her heart, Lord, it's her mind
She didn't mean to be unkind
Why she even woke me up to say goodbye
It's not her heart, Lord, it's her mind
She just didn't mean to be unkind
Why she even woke me up to say goodbye
Mickey Newbury's song She Even Woke Me up to Say Goodbye is a hauntingly beautiful reflection on lost love and heartbreak. The singer is struggling to come to terms with his broken heart, as he wakes up to find his lover gone. The sun is shining, but he can only see darkness, as his mind is consumed by the pain of his heartbreak. The imagery of his heart silently breaking, and his tears tumbling to the floor, is evocative and powerful. The pain is so intense that he knows the whole town will be talking, with pity in their eyes, as they try to make sense of his sorrow.
The singer's love has left him, packing her soft things and leaving him alone. He is devastated, but he knows deep down that it was not her heart that led her to leave him. It was her mind, and she didn't mean to be unkind. The singer is left with the memory of her waking him up to say goodbye, a final act of kindness amidst the pain. The lyrics are poignant and emotional, capturing the heartbreak of lost love in a way that is both raw and honest.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, mornings come and Lord, my mind is aching
Every morning I wake up and my mind is consumed with pain and misery.
The sunshine standing quietly at my door
The sunshine outside my door is a stark contrast to my inner turmoil and highlights the loneliness I feel.
Just like the dawn my heart is silently breaking
My heart is slowly shattering, just like how the darkness fades away with the arrival of dawn, but it's happening quietly and without any notice.
And with my tears it goes tumbling to the floor
My tears are the only physical evidence of my sorrow, dripping down and landing on the floor, symbolizing the futility of my emotions.
Once again the old town will be talking
Everyone in the town will be gossiping about me and wondering what went wrong between us.
Yes Lord, I've seen the pity that's in their eyes
I can sense the looks of sympathy and compassion in the eyes of the people around me.
'Cause they could never understand
No one in the town can truly understand the emotions and complexities that come with a broken relationship.
It's her sorrow, it's not a man
People might speculate that I must have done something wrong, but in reality, it's her own personal struggles and demons that caused the split.
No matter what they say, we know she tried
Despite the judgement and opinions of others, we believe that she gave it her all and did her best to keep the relationship together.
Baby's packed her soft things and she's left me
My partner has packed up her belongings and left me in this empty and desolate place.
I just know she didn't mean to make me cry
I have faith that the pain she caused me was unintentional and that she never wanted to hurt me in this way.
It's not her heart, Lord, it's her mind
Her decision to leave was not fueled by a lack of love in her heart but rather due to the turmoil and confusion in her mind.
She didn't mean to be unkind
Her actions were not malicious or harmful, she simply had to make a difficult decision for herself.
Why she even woke me up to say goodbye
Even though it would have been easier to leave without saying anything, she chose to wake me up and say goodbye, which shows that she still cared about me and wanted to leave on good terms.
Contributed by Aaliyah G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
remy A
Mornings come and lord my mind is achin'
Yes it is
Sunshine standing quietly at my door
Just like the dawn my heart is silently breaking
With my tears it goes tumbling to the floor
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Once again
The whole town will be talking
Yes they will
Lord I've seen the pity that's in their eyes
They could never understand it's her sorrow it's not a man
And no matter what they say we know she tried
Baby's packed her soft things and she's left me
She's left me
She's left me
And I know she didn't mean to make me cry
It's not her heart lord it's her mind
She didn't mean to be unkind
Why she even woke me up to say goodbye
It's not her heart lord it's her mind
She didn't mean to be unkind
Why she even woke me up to say goodbye
Goodbye baby
Read more: Jerry Lee Lewis - She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye Lyrics | MetroLyrics
BloozeDaddy76
One of the finest country songs ever written by one of the most overlooked singer-songwriters in American music. Newbury had three times more talent than any cookie-cutter clown on the country charts today and yet he is literally unknown to most music fans today. Glad to find him on youtube. Jerry Lee Lewis had a great hit with this song in 1969, but Newbury sings it as well any anyone, including the great Ronnie Milsap who had an obscure recording of this song as well.
I.P. Daily
The master lyricist. The man who could paint a picture of your soul in your mind using your feelings a canvas and your own memories as a brush. There will never be another. Rest in peace Mickey.
Ronald Goossens
What a voice !!!!
KR
Love Mickey. His songs will lift as well as break hearts forevermore. This is one of the best country songs in the history of country music.
Swinde
Dozens of artists recorded Mickey's compositions and these songs charted before he recorded them, but in my opinion Mickey's tracks were the absolute best.
Twyla H
I disagree... Jerry Lee Lewis , nailed this song like NO other ...
A Rose
One of the best songs by one of my main influences as a songwriter. He literally raised the bar for me as a writer... John Fowler
Twyla H
Jerry Lee Lewis , nailed this song like NO other ...
federalist46
Could this guy turn a phrase or what? Been listening for over 50 years his genius still amazes me.
Dan Brown
Agree. His lyrics were marvelous, he was a master at painting pictures and stirring emotion! And when he sang them so beautifully to his wonderful melodies, it was a rare treat!