Ruth Etting (November 23, 1897 – September 24, 1978) was an American singin… Read Full Bio ↴Ruth Etting (November 23, 1897 – September 24, 1978) was an American singing star and actress of the 1920s and 1930s, who had over sixty hit recordings and worked in stage, radio, and film. She was known as America's Radio Sweetheart, and was the top female vocalist in America for several years, often singing in the 'torch' song style. In 1925, Ruth Etting was discovered by a Columbia record executive in Chicago and was signed to a nation-wide deal. In 1927 she was recommended by Irving Berlin to Florenz Ziegfeld for a spot in his Follies. She was an instant success in New York, and the top vocalist in the country for a number of years.

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.

Somebody Loves Me
Ruth Etting Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Love me or leave me and let me be lonely
You won't believe me that I love you only
I'd rather be lonely than happy with somebody else

You might find the night time the right time for kissing
But night time is my time for just reminiscing
Regretting instead of forgetting with somebody else
There'll be no else unless that someone is you, you, you

I intend to be independently blue
I want your love but I don't want to borrow

I have it today and give back tomorrow
For my love is your love but there's no love for nobody else

Overall Meaning

This song is about a woman who wants a man to be with her only if he truly loves her. She would rather be lonely than be with someone who doesn't truly love her. The lyrics suggest that the man doesn't believe that she really loves him, even though she says she does. The woman sings that while the man might want to be with her at night, that time is reserved for her to think about him and reflect on their relationship. She feels regret and cannot forget about him, even though there might be others who are interested in her. She insists that there is no one else for her except him.

The chorus of the song states her ultimate message: "Love me or leave me and let me be lonely." She doesn't want to be a part of a relationship in which she isn't truly loved. She also declares that she wants to be independently blue, which means she wants to be sad on her own and not because of someone else. She wants the man's love but she doesn't want to borrow it. She hopes to have it today and give it back tomorrow, meaning their love should be reciprocal.

The song is full of raw emotion and reflects the complexity of human relationships. It's a statement about the importance of love, its immeasurability, and its power. It speaks to the value of respecting one's own self-worth and not settling for less than genuine love.

Line by Line Meaning

Love me or leave me and let me be lonely
Either express your love for me or abandon me completely and let me be solitary

You won't believe me that I love you only
You refuse to accept that my affection is only directed at you

I'd rather be lonely than happy with somebody else
I prefer to be alone than to be content with someone other than you

You might find the night time the right time for kissing
You may consider the night as the ideal moment for romance

But night time is my time for just reminiscing
However, I use the nighttime to reflect on the past

Regretting instead of forgetting with somebody else
I would only have regrets and no chance of moving on if I were with someone who isn't you

There'll be no else unless that someone is you, you, you
I won't have anyone else in my life except you

I intend to be independently blue
I plan to remain melancholic on my own

I want your love but I don't want to borrow
I desire your affection without needing to rely on it

I have it today and give back tomorrow
I may have your love now, but I don't expect it to last forever

For my love is your love but there's no love for nobody else
I only have love for you and no one else

Lyrics © DONALDSON PUBLISHING CO, TOBAGO MUSIC COMPANY, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Gus Kahn, Walter Donaldson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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