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 and Soul
Ruth Etting Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For you I sigh, for you dear only
Why haven't you seen it
I'm all for you body and soul
I spend my days in longing
And wondering why it's me you're wronging
I tell you I mean it
I can't believe it
It's hard to conceive it
That you'd turn away romance
Are you pretending
It looks like the ending
Unless I could have just one more chance to prove, dear
My life a wreck you're making
You know I'm yours for just the taking
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul
My life a wreck you're making
You know I'm yours for the very taking
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul
Ruth Etting's song "Body and Soul" is a tale of unrequited love and the desperation that comes with it. As the singer croons, she is sad and lonely, sighing for her love, but wonders why they haven't seen her feelings for them. She is all for them, body and soul, spending her days in longing and wondering why she's being wronged. She means it when she says she is all for them, body and soul. She's at a loss for words, unable to believe that they would turn away from romance, and it feels like the ending unless she could have one more chance to prove her love.
The lyrics paint a picture of a woman who is deeply in love and willing to do anything to be with the object of her desire, even if it means surrendering herself completely. It's a tragic story of love unrequited, desperation, and a plea for a second chance. The emotions that are evoked through the words are palpable, and the pain of the singer is felt through every note.
Line by Line Meaning
My heart is sad and lonely
I feel incredibly sad and lonely
For you I sigh, for you dear only
You are the only one I want, and I deeply long for you
Why haven't you seen it
I can't understand why you can't see my love for you
I'm all for you body and soul
I am completely devoted to you in every way
I spend my days in longing
I spend all my time longing for you
And wondering why it's me you're wronging
I can't understand why you're treating me badly
I tell you I mean it
I'm being completely honest with you
I'm all for you body and soul
I am completely devoted to you in every way
I can't believe it
I can't believe what is happening
It's hard to conceive it
It's difficult for me to understand
That you'd turn away romance
I can't believe that you would reject a relationship with me
Are you pretending
Are you pretending not to notice my feelings
It looks like the ending
It seems like it might be over between us
Unless I could have just one more chance to prove, dear
Unless I could have just one more chance to show you how much I love you
My life a wreck you're making
You're causing my life to fall apart
You know I'm yours for just the taking
You know I am fully devoted to you
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul
I would happily give myself to you in every way
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
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.