Ruth was born in David City, Nebraska. Her mother died when she was 5, and her father left her with her grandparents, George and Hannah Etting, who owned a roller mill. Her father remarried and moved away, seldom visiting his daughter. When she was 17 she moved to Chicago to attend art school, and got a job designing costumes at a night club. One night the tenor got sick and since she was the only one who could sing low enough, she took his place, and landed a job in the chorus. By 1918 she was one of the club's featured vocalists. It was there she met Moe "The Gimp" Snyder, a wanna-be gangster who took over management of Ruth's career and married her in 1922.
After her New York sucess, she moved to Los Angeles and had roles in a number of films including Roman Scandals with Eddie Cantor. There are conflicting stories about the scandal that virtually ended her career. The marriage between Ms. Etting and The Gimp was virtually loveless from the beginning, and he was a demanding and controlling manager who would not let other men near his wife. They were divorced in 1937. While in Los Angeles she began spending time with Myrl Alderman, a pianist who had played with her earlier in her career. In 1938, The Gimp forced his way into Ruth's house, and shot Alderman, wounding him. The subsequent trial put a halt to her career, although she did make some appearances in 1947. Ruth and Myrl married and retired to Colorado Springs, where she died in 1978. The academy award nominated movie version of her life story, Love me or Leave Me, with Jimmy Cagney and Doris Day, was apparently highly fictionalized.
Body & Soul
Ruth Etting Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where is the spark
For my love?
I'm lost in the night,
Holding the light
Of my love.
The heavens opened and closed,
As well I might have supposed,
So far removed from all that I had planned on.
My days have grown so lonely,
For I have lost my one and only;
My pride has been humbled,
But I am his, body and soul.
I was a mere sensation,
My house of cards had no foundation,
Although it has tumbled,
I still am his, body and soul.
What lies before me?
The future is stormy,
A winter that's gray and old;
Unless there's magic
The end will be tragic,
And echo the tale that's been told so often.
My life revolves about him,
What earthly good am I without him?
My castles have crumbled,
But I am his, body and soul.
What lies before me?
The future is stormy,
A winter that's gray and old;
Unless there's magic
The end will be tragic,
And echo the tale that's been told so often.
My life revolves about him,
What earthly good am I without him?
My castles have crumbled,
But I am his, body and soul.
The lyrics to Ruth Etting's song "Body & Soul" depict the feelings of loss and loneliness after losing one's true love. The singer expresses a desperate search for emotional fulfillment, asking where the spark for their love is as they are lost in darkness. The heavens have opened and closed, leaving them feeling abandoned and far removed from what they had planned on. The days have grown lonely and their pride has been humbled, yet they still belong to their love body and soul.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm lost in the dark,
I'm feeling lost and uncertain, unsure of where to turn.
Where is the spark
What happened to the romance and passion that used to be there?
For my love?
I'm searching for a way to reignite the love that has gone cold.
I'm lost in the night,
I feel like I'm wandering aimlessly through life, unsure of my direction.
Holding the light
Hoping that the love and support of another person will guide me.
Of my love.
The love that I'm holding onto for direction and guidance.
The heavens opened and closed,
Life has presented me with opportunities and taken them away, leaving me feeling out of control.
As well I might have supposed,
Deep down, I knew that things wouldn't always work out, but I hoped for the best.
And I am left in disabandon,
I'm feeling abandoned and alone, with no one to turn to.
So far removed from all that I had planned on.
Life has taken me down a path that's far from the one I thought I'd be on.
My days have grown so lonely,
I'm feeling isolated and alone.
For I have lost my one and only;
The person I loved and depended on is no longer by my side.
My pride has been humbled,
I've been brought down to a level where I feel vulnerable and weak.
But I am his, body and soul.
Despite it all, I'm still devoted to him with all my being.
I was a mere sensation,
I used to feel like I had it all, but now I see that it was just surface-level.
My house of cards had no foundation,
Everything I built was based on a weak foundation that couldn't withstand the pressures of life.
Although it has tumbled,
Everything I thought was stable has come crumbling down.
I still am his, body and soul.
Despite it all, my loyalty and devotion to him remain.
What lies before me?
I'm filled with uncertainty and fear about what the future holds.
The future is stormy,
Things look bleak and uncertain ahead.
A winter that's gray and old;
The future seems bleak, with no promise of new life or growth.
Unless there's magic
The only hope for something better is if some sort of miracle happens.
The end will be tragic,
If things don't change, the outcome will be painful and full of sorrow.
And echo the tale that's been told so often.
My story will be just another example of the pain and heartbreak that so many others have gone through.
My life revolves about him,
He is the center of my world, the focus of my attention and energy.
What earthly good am I without him?
Without him, I feel like I have no purpose or value in this world.
My castles have crumbled,
Everything I built up for myself has come crashing down around me.
But I am his, body and soul.
Despite it all, my loyalty and devotion to him remain strong.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: PAUL MICHAEL BARRY, PHIL SIMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mohamedalaa5431
I'm lost in the dark,
Where is the spark
For my love?
I'm lost in the night,
Holding the light
Of my love.
The heavens opened and closed,
As well I might have supposed,
And I am left in dis abandon,
So far removed from all that I had planned on.
My days have grown so lonely,
For I have lost my one and only;
My pride has been humbled,
But I am his, body and soul.
I was a mere sensation,
My house of cards had no foundation,
Although it has tumbled,
I still am his, body and soul.
What lies before me?
The future is stormy,
A winter that's gray and old;
Unless there's magic
The end will be tragic,
And echo the tale that's been told so often.
My life revolves about him,
What earthly good am I without him?
My castles have crumbled,
But I am his, body and soul.
What lies before me?
The future is stormy,
A winter that's gray and old;
Unless there's magic
The end will be tragic,
And echo the tale that's been told so often.
My life revolves about him,
What earthly good am I without him?
My castles have crumbled,
But I am his, body and soul.
@nagihanturna4507
Elliot ve Esther'in şarkısı...
@davidclarke10
I love this song very much
@nerminalp5202
Mart Menekşeleri...Harikaydi teşekkürler SARAH JIO❤❤
@treatb09
wow, transcends the decades, sounds almost as fresh as it was back then
@donnakaysings
Recorded the same year it was published with the intro/verse! Wow! Thanks!
@jojobacon
Glorious! As so many other people have said, I was born long after the era of this song but I long for these tunes of the 20s and 30s
@TripleR-jz8qy
My absolute favorite song. Campy nostalgic rendition.
@mohamedalaa5431
I'm lost in the dark,
Where is the spark
For my love?
I'm lost in the night,
Holding the light
Of my love.
The heavens opened and closed,
As well I might have supposed,
And I am left in dis abandon,
So far removed from all that I had planned on.
My days have grown so lonely,
For I have lost my one and only;
My pride has been humbled,
But I am his, body and soul.
I was a mere sensation,
My house of cards had no foundation,
Although it has tumbled,
I still am his, body and soul.
What lies before me?
The future is stormy,
A winter that's gray and old;
Unless there's magic
The end will be tragic,
And echo the tale that's been told so often.
My life revolves about him,
What earthly good am I without him?
My castles have crumbled,
But I am his, body and soul.
What lies before me?
The future is stormy,
A winter that's gray and old;
Unless there's magic
The end will be tragic,
And echo the tale that's been told so often.
My life revolves about him,
What earthly good am I without him?
My castles have crumbled,
But I am his, body and soul.
@rboyd3435
Beautiful lyrics.
@user-st4sy7km4w
I am grateful to you for the correct lyrics of this beautiful song. I, who study English every day but cannot understand what native Americans say usually at all, am an idiot indeed.