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.
I'm Nobody's Baby
Ruth Etting Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wonder why
Each night and day I pray the Lord up above
Please send me down somebody to love
But nobody wants me
I'm blue somehow
Won't someone hear my plea and take a chance with me
Nobody's baby
And I've got to know the reason why
Last week I was walking down the street and met a boy and I said
"Hey! Maybe I was meant for you"
But he only shook his head and said "Goodbye"
He kept on walking down the avenue
Nobody wants me
I'm mighty blue somehow
Won't someone hear my plea and take a chance with me
Because I'm nobody's baby now
The lyrics of Ruth Etting's song "I'm Nobody's Baby" express the desire for love and companionship from someone who is currently feeling lonely and unloved. The singer wonders why she is still alone and prays for someone to come into her life. However, she finds herself rejected and unlovable, causing her to feel blue and unimportant. The encounter with the boy on the street only reinforces her feelings of rejection and isolation.
The lyrics showcase the universal theme of the longing for human connection and the pain that comes with the feeling of being unwanted or unloved. The sentiment of the song is further intensified by Etting's emotive vocal delivery, which conveys a sense of vulnerability and desperation.
Overall, "I'm Nobody's Baby" captures the emotional nuances of the human experience, reminding listeners of the power of love and the deep need for human connection.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm nobody's baby
I am currently single and not in a romantic relationship with anyone
I wonder why
I am questioning why I am currently alone
Each night and day I pray the Lord up above
I regularly pray to God to send me someone to love
Please send me down somebody to love
I am hoping that God will bring me a partner who will reciprocate my love
But nobody wants me
I have not yet found someone who wants me as their partner
I'm blue somehow
I feel sad and lonely because of my single status
Won't someone hear my plea and take a chance with me
I am asking for someone to give me a chance to be their partner
Because I'm nobody's baby now
I am currently alone and not in a romantic relationship with anyone
And I've got to know the reason why
I am trying to understand why I have not yet found a partner
Last week I was walking down the street and met a boy and I said
I recently saw a potential partner while walking down the street and tried to initiate a conversation with him
"Hey! Maybe I was meant for you"
I suggested that maybe we were meant to be together as a couple
But he only shook his head and said "Goodbye"
The potential partner rejected my advances and said goodbye
He kept on walking down the avenue
He walked away from me and continued down the street
I'm mighty blue somehow
I feel even sadder and lonelier after being rejected by a potential partner
Won't someone hear my plea and take a chance with me
I am still asking for someone to give me a chance to be their partner
Because I'm nobody's baby now
I am still currently alone and not in a romantic relationship with anyone
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, MUSIC.INFO FINLAND OY, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MILTON AGER, BENNY DAVIS, LESTER SANTLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MsMadKim
I used to be my mother's baby,
When I was near my dad went wild
Whenever we had company
They'd bounce me on their knee,
The neighbors thought I was a darling child.
Once I was everybody's baby,
But right now I'm lonesome as can be.
You see, I'm nobody's baby,
I wonder why
Each night and day I pray the Lord up above
Please send me down somebody to love
But nobody wants me, I'm blue somehow
Won't someone hear my plea
And take a chance with me
Because I'm nobody's baby now
No, no, no, no, no nobody's baby,
I, I just wonder why
Each night and day, night and day
I pray, I pray the Lord up above
Do please, please send me down some sweet
Somebody to love
Because, no, no, no, nobody wants me,
I'm, I'm blue somehow
Oh, won't someone hear my plea
Come take a little chance with me
Because I'm no, no, no, nobody's baby now
@johnrussell8749
I like the artist, the song and the quality of the sound. and I'm only 83 years old. Whoopy=doo!
@samh3305
Haha 🤣
@oedipussy
sir i don’t understand most of what you just said but i appreciate you
@nekinusanda-chan9888
Wow ... my respects sir
@FeedMyBalls
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@mrjackelbox4418
I'm 16 I like it to
@nicholsjoshua15
I wonder what she would say if she knew that people would be listening to and collecting her music almost ninety years later.
I bet her mind would be blown away, and it would make her feel so good.
@davidbrown9402
Joshua yes............i totally agree. im 50 and i listen to as well as have a number of her original 78s. this music reaches parts that .much modern music never will!
@idreamtadreamlastnight
Joshua I totally agree! I'm 17 and a huge fan of her!
@SimuKiseru
We were born closer to her than she was born closer to President McKinley since she passed away in 78. Thus, I'm 99 years younger than her.