Laws is the fifth of eight children born to Hubert Laws, Sr. and Miola Luverta Donahue.
Laws attended Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas for two years. In 1972, Laws joined the fledgling group Earth, Wind & Fire, playing saxophone and flute on their album Last Days And Time. He left the band soon afterwards, long before they achieved their huge commercial success.
In 1976, he began his solo career with the album Pressure Sensitive, on which his most famous instrumental song, "Always There", was included. It became an instant jazz-funk classic, covered by numerous artists.
In 1978 he released an album called Flame under United Artsts (UA) records and from it a 12" single was released called "All for you" with a strong vocal presence and additional tracks entitled "Let's Keep it Together" and "Nuthin' 'bout nuthin" from other previous albums. The 12" single was his first issued in the UK as well as the US and paved the way for this format to be used for promoting artists' work at the time without the need to own the full LP.
Apart from saxophones, Laws also included vocals into his songs. Notable vocal makings include "Every Generation" (1980), "Stay Awake" (1981, included on the album Solid Ground) and "Mr. Nice Guy" (1983).
Laws has also recorded with numerous other artists, including Arthur Adams, Howard Hewett, Ramsey Lewis, Jeff Lorber, Hugh Masekela, Alphonse Mouzon, David Sea, and Sister Sledge.
In 1999 a tribute to Ronnie Laws' "Always There", mentioned earlier, was played by a group of musicians including Boney James, Rick Braun, Kirk Whalum and Larry Carlton performing the number at the Montreux Jazz Festival. This has been issued on DVD and is entitled Casino Lights '99'.
More recently in June 2005 the album Every Generation from 1980 was at last, after continued demand, issued on CD format. The original tracks are "Young Child", "Never get back to Houston", "Every Generation", "Tomorrow", "O.T.B.A.", "Love's Victory", "Thoughts and Memories" and "As one".
Stay Awake
Ronnie Laws Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Another night and you’re not here
Once again far from home
All alone to play my song
I know in just a little while
I’ll be right there to see your face
But until I can
(I stay awake and I want you, baby)
I stay awake and I want you by my side, baby
(I stay awake and I want you, baby)
I stay awake and I want you by my side, baby
(I stay awake and I want you, baby)
I stay awake and I want you by my side
In a special way I need your touch
To fill the warmth that comforts me
And you know it’s true
All and all I’d rather spend this time with you
But until I can
I stay awake and I want you by my side, baby
(I stay awake and I want you, baby)
I stay awake and I want you by my side, baby
(I stay awake and I want you, baby)
I stay awake and I want you by my side, baby
(I stay awake and I want you, baby)
I stay awake and I want you by my side, baby
I stay awake and I want you by my side, baby
(I stay awake and I want you, baby)
I stay awake and I want you by my side, baby
(I stay awake and I want you, baby)
I stay awake and I want you by my side
(I stay awake and I want you, baby)
The lyrics of Ronnie Laws's song Stay Awake convey a sense of longing and desire for the presence of a loved one. The singer of the song is away from home and singing about missing their partner, craving their touch and warmth. The repetition of the line "I stay awake and I want you by my side, baby" emphasizes the intensity of this desire and suggests that the singer is having trouble sleeping or finding peace without their loved one's presence.
The second verse reinforces this sense of longing, with lines like "In a special way I need your touch" and "All and all I’d rather spend this time with you." These lyrics suggest that the singer is not just lonely without their partner, but actively feels incomplete or lacking without them. The use of the word "need" in particular conveys a sense of urgency and importance that heightens the emotional impact of the song.
Overall, Stay Awake is a song about missing someone deeply and feeling incomplete without them. The repeated refrain of "I stay awake and I want you by my side, baby" underscores the intensity of this emotion and lends the song a sense of yearning and longing that is palpable.
Line by Line Meaning
Another day, another place
Every day brings something new and I find myself in different places.
Another night and you’re not here
Even though I am in a new place, I am still missing you just as strongly.
Once again far from home
Once again I am in a new place far from my comfort zone.
All alone to play my song
I am alone, but I have my music to keep me company.
I know in just a little while
I know that I will see you soon.
I’ll be right there to see your face
I am excited to see you and be close to you.
But until I can
Until I see you, there's something that can help me make it through.
I stay awake and I want you by my side, baby
I am trying to stay up and keep busy because I miss you and wish you were here with me.
In a special way I need your touch
Your touch makes me feel warm and comforted in a way that nothing else can.
To fill the warmth that comforts me
Your touch gives me a feeling of warmth and comfort that I crave when you're not here.
And you know it’s true
You are aware of how much I need you and how much you mean to me.
All and all I’d rather spend this time with you
I wish I could be with you instead of being alone and missing you.
But until I can
Until I see you, I will do what I can to keep myself busy and lessen the pain of missing you.
I stay awake and I want you by my side, baby
I am trying to stay up and keep busy because I miss you and wish you were here with me.
I stay awake and I want you by my side
I am trying to stay up and keep busy because I miss you and wish you were here with me.
Contributed by Luke E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.