Mayfield was born in Minden, Louisiana. As a youth, he showed a talent for poetry, so he thought he would try songwriting and singing. He began his performing career in Texas and had moved to Los Angeles by 1942.
He auditioned his song "Two Years of Torture" to Supreme Records (a Los Angeles-area record label) because he thought it would be a good song for Jimmy Witherspoon. The label liked his performance and asked him to record it in 1947. Although his vocal style was influenced by such stylists as Charles Brown, Mayfield did not focus on the white market as did many West Coast bluesmen. Rather, he sang blues ballads, mostly his own songs, in a gentle vocal style.
In 1950, he signed with Specialty Records and released several well-received R&B records. His most famous performance: "Please Send Me Someone to Love" was a number one R&B hit in 1950. His career continued to blossom with songs like "Strange Things Happening", "Lost Love," "What a Fool I Was," "Prayin' for Your Return," "Cry Baby," and "Big Question." A 1953 auto accident left him seriously injured, including a facial disfigurement that limited his performing.
Mayfield's songs tend to be downbeat and his lyrics tend to be heartbreaking, but his vulnerability and emotional sensitivity prevent songs like "Life Is Suicide" and "The River's Invitation" from being maudlin.
Mayfield continued to write and record for Specialty until 1954 and then recorded for Chess Records and the Imperial label. In the early 1960s, he became one of Ray Charles's favorite songwriters, writing classic songs such as "Hit the Road Jack", "At the Club", and "Danger Zone" (which has the same melody of "Please Send Me Someone to Love". Charles signed Mayfield to his Tangerine logo in 1962.
When Mayfield died of a heart attack in 1984, at the age of 63, he had fallen back into obscurity.
Mayfield hit his creative peak in the years before his music became a mainstream sound. Thus it was always a struggle to gain recognition that he was due. But available examples of his music demonstrate his writing and performing talent and his enormous influence on other performers
Hopeless
Percy Mayfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And win my train fare home
If I ever get lucky
And win my train fare home
I′m gonna pack my grip, grab me a fast train
And down the road I'm gone
I used to love a woman
That I thought was in love with me
That I thought was in love with me
But she played me for a fool
As anyone can plainly see
No need of me to keep begging
There′s no need of me to cry
There's no use for me to keep begging
There's no use for me to cry
I know I′m hooked behind that woman
Until the day I die
In Percy Mayfield's song "Hopeless," the lyrics describe a man who is longing to leave his past behind and move on from a failed relationship. The opening lines suggest that he is looking for a stroke of luck to come his way, so that he can afford to leave his current situation and start anew. He expresses a desire to "pack [his] grip" and "grab [himself] a fast train" out of town. It's clear that the man is in a state of emotional turmoil, and he feels hopeless about the prospect of his life improving.
The lyrics then dive into the heart of the matter: the man is struggling to get over a woman who betrayed him. He believed that she loved him, but in reality, she was playing him for a fool. Despite this, the man is unable to let go of his attachment to her. He knows that he should stop begging and crying for her to come back, but he can't help feeling hooked on her. It's as if he believes that he will be tied to her for the rest of his life.
The lyrics of "Hopeless" are a poignant reminder of the depths of despair that can result from heartbreak. Percy Mayfield's expressive delivery and soulful tone make this song an emotional tour de force, resonating with anyone who has ever experienced the pain of a broken relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
If I ever get lucky
In the unlikely event that I find good fortune
And win my train fare home
And obtain the money needed to travel back to where I belong
If I ever get lucky
If this improbable event does occur
And win my train fare home
And I can afford the train ticket to travel back home
I'm gonna pack my grip, grab me a fast train
I will quickly and efficiently pack my belongings and take the fastest train available
And down the road I'm gone
I'll immediately and confidently leave, without looking back or lingering
I used to love a woman
At one point, I had feelings for a certain woman
That I thought was in love with me
I believed that she reciprocated my feelings of love
I used to love a woman
I had strong emotions towards a specific woman previously
That I thought was in love with me
I held the belief that our feelings towards each other were mutual and equally strong
But she played me for a fool
However, I was deceived by this woman
As anyone can plainly see
It was an obvious betrayal, one that is clear to anyone who knows the situation
No need of me to keep begging
There is no reason for me to plead or request something from this person
There’s no need of me to cry
I do not need to weep or express sadness over this circumstance
There's no use for me to keep begging
Persisting in my pleadings is pointless
There's no use for me to cry
Tears are an unnecessary response to this current situation
I know I'm hooked behind that woman
I am trapped by my attachment to this woman
Until the day I die
I will remain entangled with her until I pass away
Writer(s): Percy Mayfield
Contributed by Avery D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Arjun Upadhya
If I ever get lucky
And win my train fare home
If I ever get lucky
And win my train fare home
I'm gonna pack my grip, grab me a fast train
And down the road I'm gone
I used to love a woman
That I thought was in love with me
I used to love a woman
That I thought was in love with me
But she played me for a fool
As anyone can plainly see
No need of me to keep begging
There's no need of me to cry
There's no use for me to keep begging
There's no use for me to cry
I know I'm hooked behind that woman
Until the day I die
============================
Duncan Mitchel
One of my favorite songs of all times! PERCY IS AMAZING! Ray Charles got all the attention, but what about Percy Mayfield!! Two amazing artists..Its the same story with Billie Holiday & Dinah Washington:-) Cheers, D
BearRyan
Hands up of you heard this on True Blood!
Zagheera
I came here because True Blood!! :D
RAMLIA1
❤️❤️❤️
berder johnson
I can remember him well.
Kruno🎵
💙😩🎸💙
Kruno🎵
Thank you for❤
Jay
☻