Percy Sledge worked in the fields in Leighton before he worked as an orderly at Colbert County Hospital in Sheffield. By the mid-1960s, Sledge was touring the Southeast with the Esquires Combo on weekends and working at the hospital. A former patient who was a friend of producer Quin Ivy introduced the two, an audition followed, and Sledge was signed to a recording contract.
Sledge's smooth voice was perfect for the series of soul ballads produced by Ivy and Marlin Greene, which rock critic Dave Marsh called "emotional classics for romantics of all ages."
"When a Man Loves a Woman" was the first song recorded under the contract (released in 1966), and it became not only an international hit (it reached #1 in the US) but was also the first gold record released by Atlantic Records. The magnificent soul anthem became the cornerstone of Sledge's career and was followed by "Warm and Tender Love," "Take Time to Know Her," and "Cover Me."
Sledge charted with "I'll Be Your Everything" and "Sunshine" during the 1970s, and has become an international concert favorite throughout the world, especially in the Netherlands, Germany, and on the African continent.
His career enjoyed a renaissance in the 1980s when "When a Man Loves a Woman" re-entered the Top 10 in the UK after being used in a Levi's commercial.
Sledge was an inaugural Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award honoree in 1989. In 2005, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
My Adorable One
Percy Sledge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
I can't say you are my adorable one
You were dreamin' of someone else
You are the best to be my friend
I can't say you are my adorable one
There will be no tomorrow
When you are gone
For no good
For no good
And there will be no tomorrow
When you are gone
So please be fair
Please be true
No more nights
an-ymore with you
There will be no more tomorrow
When you are gone
So please be fair
Please be true
Whole my life
is depe-nding on you
I can't say you are my adorable one
I can't say you are my adorable one
The lyrics to Percy Sledge's song "My Adorable One" seem to express a sense of heartbreak and betrayal. The singer cannot call his love interest his "adorable one" because they were dreaming of someone else, indicating infidelity. Instead, the singer insists that there will be no tomorrow if his love interest leaves, and he no longer believes in "we." The lyrics then take on a plea for honesty and fairness, and the singer implores his love interest to be true and not to spend any more nights with him unless they are genuine. The song ends with a repetition of the refrain "I can't say you are my adorable one," reinforcing the heartbreak of the situation.
Overall, the lyrics seem to capture the pain of a failed relationship and the sense of powerlessness that comes with it. The repeated phrase "there will be no tomorrow" reinforces the idea that the singer is trapped in the moment of heartbreak and cannot see a way forward.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't say you are my adorable one
I am unable to refer to you as someone dear and beloved to me
Oh yeah
This line seems to express a feeling of agreement and enthusiasm on the part of the singer; and could imply that he loves spending time with the person he's addressing
You were dreamin' of someone else
The person being addressed is preoccupied or at least appears to be preoccupied with someone else, perhaps a romantic interest, which the singer is aware of
You are the best to be my friend
The artist believes that the person being addressed is perfect to be a friend but not necessarily a romantic partner, hence the difficulty in referring to them as an adorable one
There will be no tomorrow
The singer is insinuating that there may not be a future between him and the person he's addressing
And I don't believe in we
The singer does not have faith that a relationship between him and the person being addressed will work
When you are gone
The singer suggests that if the person being addressed leaves, then any chance of a relationship will be gone too
For no good
The artist appears to be lamenting that there is no apparent reason for the person being addressed not to stay or show him some affection
And there will be no tomorrow
The singer keeps emphasizing that there may not be a future between him and the person he's talking to, this time more forebodingly
So please be fair
The artist is asking the person being addressed to be just and equitable in their relationship
Please be true
The singer entreats the person being addressed to be honest and sincere in their feelings and treatment of him
No more nights
The singer is anguished that they will no longer have romantic nights together and is still hoping for things to change
an-ymore with you
The singer laments the possibility of not having more time with the person he's addressing
Whole my life
The singer's entire existence and well-being depend on the person being addressed
is depe-nding on you
The singer hopes that his romantic future will depend on the person he's addressing
Contributed by Mason B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.