Coolidge's early career was as a backing vocalist, for artists such as Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, and Leon Russell. Her performance of "Superstar" on the Cocker/Russell Mad Dogs and Englishmen album helped gain her attention. She became known as "The Delta Lady" and inspired Leon Russell to write a song of the same name for her. It was during this time that she met Kris Kristofferson; the two married in 1973. With him, she recorded several duet albums which sold well, and earned them a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1974 for From the Bottle to the Bottom, and in 1976 for Lover Please.
In 1997, Coolidge was one of the founding members of Walela, a Native American music trio, that also includes Coolidge's sister Priscilla and Priscilla's daughter Laura Satterfield. The trio released albums in 1997 and 2000. Walela means hummingbird in Cherokee.
I Can't Afford That Feeling Anymore
Rita Coolidge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know I was born lonely
You took the only love Iβ²d ever found
And gave it to another
I don't want to let you go
But by now, I oughtβ²a know
I can't afford that feeling anymore
And who you do it for
I can't afford that feeling anymore
To know that someone holds the one
That all my love was for, you know
I canβ²t afford that feeling anymore
Itβ²s funny that you chose to call today
And tell me that you love me
I thought I'd finally put those thoughts away
And left the past behind me
While in my mind I can see
Just how good it used to be
I canβ²t afford that feeling anymore
To lie and wonder what you do
And who you do it for
I can't afford that feeling anymore
To know that someone holds the one
That all my love was for, you know
I canβ²t afford that feeling anymore
Now I know why lonely people do
Anything the night has asked them to
Making love to strangers in regret
Because it helps them to forget
I can't afford that feeling anymore
To lie and wonder what you do
And who you do it for
I canβ²t afford that feeling anymore
To know that someone holds the one
That all my love was for, you know
I can't afford that feeling
I can't afford that feeling anymore
To lie and wonder what you do
And who you do it for
I canβ²t afford that feeling anymore
The lyrics to Rita Coolidge's song "I Can't Afford That Feeling Anymore" speaks about a past love that the singer is struggling to move on from emotionally. The first verse talks about how the singer used to wait for her lover to come around but he ended up leaving her for someone else. Though the singer doesn't want to let him go, she knows she can't hold onto this feeling anymore. She can't keep lying and wondering about who her former lover is with and what he is doing. It's clear she's been hurt before and doesn't want to go through that pain again.
In the second verse, the singer talks about how she was finally moving on from her past and was surprised to receive a call from her former lover saying that he loves her. Though she remembers how good it used to be between them, she also knows she can't afford to hold onto these feelings anymore. She doesn't want to keep thinking about what her former lover is doing or who he is seeing. The singer also recognizes that loneliness can lead people to do things that they may later regret.
Overall, the lyrics speak to the pain of heartbreak and the difficulty of moving on from someone who you once loved deeply. It's a universal feeling that anyone can relate to, and the lyrics are beautifully written and sung.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to wait for you to come around
I used to eagerly wait for you to visit me.
You know I was born lonely
I was lonely from the moment I was born.
You took the only love I'd ever found
You took the only love I had found in my life so far.
And gave it to another
You gave that love to someone else.
I don't want to let you go
I don't want to end our relationship.
But by now, I ought'a know
I should know by now that letting go is the right thing to do.
I can't afford that feeling anymore
I cannot handle the pain that comes with loving you anymore.
To lie and wonder what you do
To constantly think and worry about what you're doing.
And who you do it for
And who you are doing it with.
To know that someone holds the one
To know that someone else has the love that was meant for me.
That all my love was for, you know
The love that I had was solely for you.
It's funny that you chose to call today
It's interesting that you decided to call me today.
And tell me that you love me
And say that you still have feelings for me.
I thought I'd finally put those thoughts away
I thought I had moved on from those feelings.
And left the past behind me
And left the memories of our past behind me.
While in my mind I can see
But in my mind, I can still remember.
Just how good it used to be
Just how happy and fulfilling our relationship was before.
Now I know why lonely people do
Now I understand why lonely people do certain things.
Anything the night has asked them to
They do anything that the night offers them for temporary comfort.
Making love to strangers in regret
They make love to strangers but regret it afterwards.
Because it helps them to forget
Because it provides relief and helps them forget their loneliness, even if only for a moment.
Contributed by William B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@juanball5480
She is my favorite female singer of all time. I never get tired of listening to her music . Her voice is very relaxing. I also like the Song We're All Alone. β€οΈ
@omiebautista5807
I was born in 1972 and I'm proud to say that I grew up with this kind of music,everytime I heard this kind of music definitely it brings me back to my childhood days,good thing there is YouTube,we can listen whenever we want to immortal classic like this
@jonspengler5891
Was the last good American generation- been totally replaced with nothing but trash
@tomjunio2272
Me too i was born 1972. This song is 1 of my favorite
@mementomori8685
Those are the days.
@user-di1rz4is5u
I was also born in 1972.I love Rita Coolidge and her songs β€
@kellenjeremymacabenta2748
My dearest friend gave this song to me, he said I should listen and understand the song this is for you. I love the song and I really like it paulit ulit kong pini-play..... Kaso siya nagbigay, iniisip ko lang baka nagsawa naba siya sa kakatawag ko sa kanya , I always asked him to fix something related to our work.... or was it LOVE na hindi puede sabihin? haist!!!! To my dearest friend thank you for this song......love it
@Jokarilon
Hello!
@virgieestayane2651
It melts my heart every time i hear It,i sink and fell lonely π₯Ί,the world move backward,in retro & classic mode.
@Jokarilon
Hello! πβπ₯ππ