Ain't That a Shame
Pat Boone with Lew Douglas And His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell me to save my tears
Well I'm so mad about him
I can't live without him
Never treats me sweet and gentle
The way he should
I've got it bad
My poor heart is so sentimental
Not made of wood
I've got it so bad
And that ain't good
But when the fish are jumpin'
And Friday rolls around
My man an' I, we gin some
We pray some, and sin some
He don't love me like I love him
The way he should
I've got it bad
And that ain't good
Yes I've got it bad
And that ain't good
The lyrics of Ain't That A Shame express the singer's intense infatuation with her partner, despite the fact that he mistreats her and does not reciprocate her feelings fully. She acknowledges that people advise her to move on and save her tears, but her devotion to him is so strong that she cannot imagine living without him. The singer's heart is sentimental and not made of wood, which suggests that she feels deeply and is vulnerable to emotional pain. She admits that her partner does not treat her sweetly or gently, which is what she deserves and desires, but she cannot help the way she feels.
While the singer's relationship is less than ideal, she finds comfort and solace in spending time with her partner. They engage in vices like drinking and sinning together, which suggests that their bond is based on more than just affection. However, the singer recognizes that her partner does not love her as much as she loves him, which makes her feel vulnerable and exposed. The lyrics highlight the complexity of love and the pain that often comes with it, especially when feelings are not reciprocated equally.
Line by Line Meaning
Though folks with good intentions
Tell me to save my tears
Although people with good intentions advise me to stop crying
Well I'm so mad about him
I can't live without him
I am deeply in love with him and cannot imagine my life without him
Never treats me sweet and gentle
The way he should
He does not treat me with the proper care and love that I deserve
I've got it bad
And that ain't good
I am in a very bad situation and it is not good for me
My poor heart is so sentimental
Not made of wood
My heart is very emotional and sensitive, not hard and unfeeling
I've got it so bad
And that ain't good
I am really struggling with my feelings and it is not good for me
But when the fish are jumpin'
And Friday rolls around
But when things are going well and it's the end of the week
My man an' I, we gin some
We pray some, and sin some
My man and I enjoy some drinks together and sometimes we even do things we shouldn't
He don't love me like I love him
The way he should
He does not love me the way he should or the way I love him
I've got it bad
And that ain't good
Yes I've got it bad
And that ain't good
I am really struggling with my feelings and it is not good for me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Duke Ellington, Paul Francis Webster
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@timothythorne9464
This was Pat Boone's first hit record, in the spring of '55. It kicked off a tremendous career for this great artist.
@yarabamba
Good tune.
@sauquoit13456
On this day in 1955 {February 19th}, Dot Records released Pat Boone's first charted record, a covered version of "Two Hearts"*, and on April 14th, 1955 it peaked at #16 {for two non-consecutive weeks} on Billboard's Best Sellers In Stores chart, it spent twelve weeks on the chart...
Between 1955 and 1969 the Jacksonville, Florida native had sixty records on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; sixteen made the Top 10 with six reaching #1, "Ain't That A Shame" for 2 weeks in 1955, "I Almost Lost My Mind" for 4 weeks in 1956, "Don't Forbid Me" for 1 week in 1957, "Love Letters in the Sand" for 7 weeks in 1957, "April Love" for 6 weeks in 1957, and "Moody River" for 1 week in 1961...
Patrick Charles Eugene Boone will celebrate his 87th birthday in four months on June 1st, 2021...
* "Two Hearts" was originally recorded in 1954 by the doo-wop group The Charms, their version reached #8 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart...
@robertmalone3525
My birthday is February 19, 1955
@TheLeonhamm
A good go at it .. for sure - easy to stomp-hop to as a Juke Box spinner; though not quite the Perfect Pop (Ouh! Ouh! Whoop-de-do-da!) of the Charm's lighter jump rendition. I'll play the Doris Day chirpy version, thanks. ;o)
What an era.
@walterhaight5382
I'd love to hear the Sinatra version. I thought he hated rock & roll.
@kentlewis987
Sinatra probably didn’t consider it a rock & roll song since Pat had more of a crooner voice.
@kentlewis987
I listened to the Sinatra version & it’s in more of a swing style. There was often a thin line between swing and early r&b. I wonder if Frank felt threatened by rock & roll since it indicated a changing of the guard.
@johnnyjackson3923
I would imagine it felt threatening to most of the old style crooners for their time was cut short for the most part
@TheLeonhamm
@@johnnyjackson3923 Snatters was no novice at 'swinging' out on a 'race' tune (The Hucklebuck and Castle Rock etc). Much of the Mid-Late 50's popular R'n'B/ R'n'R tune output was a little twee for the Sinatra, Crosby, Cole and Ecstine taste, let alone the Martino/ Damone style; but Perry Como quite happily rode the wave, Tony Bennett less so.