Born Ruth Alston Weston on 30th January 1928 in Portsmouth, Virginia, she attended I. C. Norcom High School, a historically black high school. Brown's father was a dockhand who directed the local church choir, but the young Ruth showed more of an interest in singing at USO shows and nightclubs. She was inspired by Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington. In 1945, Brown ran away from her home in Portsmouth along with a trumpeter, Jimmy Brown, whom she soon married, to sing in bars and clubs. She then spent a month with Lucky Millinder's orchestra, but was fired after she brought drinks to the band for free, and was left stranded in Washington, D.C.
Blanche Calloway, Cab Calloway's sister, also a bandleader, arranged a gig for Brown at a Washington nightclub called Crystal Caverns and soon became her manager. Willis Conover, a Voice of America disc jockey, caught her act and recommended her to Atlantic Records bosses, Ahmet Ertegün and Herb Abramson. Brown was unable to audition as planned though, because of a serious car accident that resulted in a nine-month hospital stay. In 1948, however, Ertegün and Abramson drove to Washington from New York City to hear her sing in the club. Although her repertoire was mostly popular ballads, Ertegün convinced her to switch to rhythm and blues. His productions for her, however, retained her pop style, with clean, fresh arrangements and the singing spot on the beat with little of the usual blues singer's embroidery.
In her first audition, in 1949, she sang "So Long", which became a hit. This was followed by "Teardrops from My Eyes" in 1950; written by Rudy Toombs, it was the first upbeat major hit for Ruth Brown, establishing her as an important figure in R&B. Recorded for Atlantic Records in New York City in September 1950, and released in October, it was on Billboard's List of number-one R&B hits (United States) for eleven weeks. The huge hit earned her the nickname "Miss Rhythm", and within a few months Ruth Brown became the acknowledged queen of R&B.
She followed up this hit with "I'll Wait for You" (1951), "I Know" (1951), "5-10-15 Hours" (1953), "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean" (1953), "Oh What a Dream" (1954), "Mambo Baby" (1954), and "Don't Deceive Me" (1960). She also became known as "Little Miss Rhythm" and "the girl with the teardrop in her voice". In all, she was on the R&B charts for 149 weeks from 1949 to 1955, with sixteen top-ten blues records including five number ones, and became Atlantic's most popular artist, earning Atlantic records the proper name of "The House that Ruth Built".
During the 1960s, Brown faded from public view to become a housewife and mother, and only returned to music in 1975 at the urging of Redd Foxx, followed by a series of comic acting gigs, including roles in the sitcom Hello, Larry and the John Waters film Hairspray as local DJ Motormouth Maybelle, as well as Broadway appearances in Amen Corner and Black and Blue, which earned her a Tony Award for her performance and a Grammy award for her album Blues on Broadway, featuring hits from the show.
Brown's fight for musicians' rights and royalties in 1987 led to the founding of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. She was inducted as a Pioneer Award recipient in its first year, 1989. In 1993, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as "The Queen Mother of the Blues".
She has become an iconic symbol to many black women for later generations, where she is also a favourite artist and inspiration for later blues artists such as Bonnie Raitt. Brown recorded and sang along with fellow rhythm and blues performer Charles Brown, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and toured with Raitt on Raitt's tour in the late 1990s, "Road Tested". Her 1995 autobiography, Miss Rhythm, won the Gleason Award for music journalism.
Brown died in a Las Vegas-area hospital on 17th November 2006, from complications following a heart attack and stroke she suffered after surgery in October 2006. A memorial concert for her was held on 22nd January 2007 at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York.
Someday
Ruth Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Someday, someday
Yeah, it hurts to say, but I want you to stay
Sometimes, sometimes
When we was young, oh man, did we have fun
Always, always
Promises, they break before they're made
Oh, My-ex says I'm lacking in depth
I will do my best
You say you wanna stay by my side
Darlin', your head's not right
See, alone we stand, together we fall apart
Yeah, I think I'll be alright
I'm working so I won't have to try so hard
Tables, they turn sometimes
Oh, someday...
No, I ain't wastin' no more time
And now my fears
They come to me in threes
So, I
Sometimes
Say, "Fate my friend,
You say the strangest things
I find, sometimes"
Oh, My-ex says I'm lacking in depth
Say I will try my best
You say you wanna stay by my side
Darlin', your head's not right
See, alone we stand, together we fall apart
Yeah, I think I'll be alright
I'm working so I won't have to try so hard
Tables, they turn sometimes
Oh, someday...
I ain't wasting no more time
Ruth Brown's song "Someday" talks about the transition from youth to adulthood and how it affects people. The song is an emotional plea for someone to stay with the singer, even though they both know that it is time to move on from the good old days. The first part of the song acknowledges that while they will miss the youth and the fun they had, they must look ahead and move on. The second part of the song focuses more on the present time. The singer has realized that the promises that were made when they were young are not kept. The chorus is a plea for the partner to stay even though the time has passed.
The verses talk about the challenges that the singer is facing in the present. The ex-partner is not satisfied with the level of depth in the singer's character. The singer promises to try his best to be a better partner. The partner is not fully aware of the current situation and wants to stay with the singer. The singer acknowledges that working hard and focusing on the present will ensure that he will be alright. The final chorus reiterates the message that the singer is ready to move on and not waste any more time.
Overall, the song is a reflection of the challenges that people face when transitioning from youth to adulthood. The message is that it is important to focus on the present and move on from the good old days.
Line by Line Meaning
In many ways, they'll miss the good old days
People will always long for the past and reminisce about the good times
Someday, someday
Maybe one day, things will change for the better
Yeah, it hurts to say, but I want you to stay
Admitting you need someone is painful but necessary to keep them close
Sometimes, sometimes
Occasionally, things don't go as planned
When we was young, oh man, did we have fun
Life was exciting and carefree in our youth
Always, always
Consistently, we found joy in the simple things
Promises, they break before they're made
People make empty promises they cannot keep
Oh, My-ex says I'm lacking in depth
My ex-partner believes I lack serious emotion or commitment
I will do my best
I will try to prove them wrong
You say you wanna stay by my side
You promise to remain loyal and supportive
Darlin', your head's not right
I sense that something is off or troubling you
See, alone we stand, together we fall apart
While we are strong individuals, we struggle as a couple
Yeah, I think I'll be alright
I'm hopeful that I can get through this and come out stronger
I'm working so I won't have to try so hard
I'm putting in effort now to make things easier in the future
Tables, they turn sometimes
Fortunes can change unexpectedly
No, I ain't wastin' no more time
I refuse to dwell on the past or waste any more time on pointless endeavors
And now my fears
My worries and anxieties
They come to me in threes
They seem to overwhelm me in groups of three
So, I
As a result, I
Sometimes
Occasionally
Say, 'Fate my friend,
Speak to fate and address it like a companion
You say the strangest things
I do not understand the ways of the universe
I find, sometimes'
It baffles and confuses me at times
I ain't wasting no more time
I'm choosing to be more productive and purposeful with my time
Contributed by Xavier O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.