Shirley Brown is a soul singer, born January 6, 1947 in West Memphis, Arkan… Read Full Bio ↴Shirley Brown is a soul singer, born January 6, 1947 in West Memphis, Arkansas. She had a classic Soul background, having started to sing in a Baptist Church in St Louis, Missouri at the end of 10. Very much a singer in the southern Deep Soul tradiiton, she is one of the few vocalists whose range and power invite comparison with Aretha Franklin.

She had sung professionally since the age of 22, and recorded for small labels in St Louis and Nashville. Her manager, bluesman Albert King negotiated a recording deal with Stax records in Memphis, and, resulted in national attention with the 1974 hit 'Woman to Woman' taken from the 1974 album of the same name. Soul critic Ron Wynn went on to call 'Woman to Woman' a 'seminal confessional and confrontational soul masterpiece,' and it was actually the last hit for the Stax label and its success actually delayed its collapse into bankruptcy for several months.

Left musically orphaned by the collapse of Stax in 1975, Shirley Brown looked around for another label, and was one of the first signings to Clive Davis' Arista where she cut the undervalued 'Shirley Brown' album in 1976. She then recorded for several other labels, including 20th Century, the revamped and relaunched Stax, and Malaco. Surprisingly, none of her other recordings have enjoyed anything like the commercial success of 'Woman to Woman.'

Stay With Me Baby
Shirley Brown Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Where did you go, when things went wrong, baby
Who did u run to; find a shoulder to lay your head upon
Ooh wasn't I there, didn't I take good care of you
Oh no can't believe, your leaving me

Stay, Stay With Me Baby,
Stay With Me Baby,
Please Stay With Me Babe,

I can't go on

Where did you go, in search of tenderness?
Didn't I give you everything in return for a memory?
Ooh wasn't I there, baby I, maybe I was too good for you
Oh no can't believe, your leaving me

Stay, Stay With Me Baby,
Stay With Me Baby,
Please Stay With Me Babe,
I can't go on

Oh remember, you said you'd never leave me
Oh remember, you said you would always need me
Remember, Remember
I'm asking you, begging you, begging you

Ooh Stay with Me Babe,
Please Stay With Me Baby,
Oh please stay with me babe
I just can't go on
No stay, stay
I'll stay, stay, so don't go
Stay with me babe

You know I Can't go on, can't go on
Can't so, can't so stay please, stay

Overall Meaning

In Shirley Brown's soulful song "Stay With Me Baby," the singer addresses her lover who has left her. She asks him where he went when things went wrong and whom he went to for comfort. She then laments that she was not enough for him and questions why he is leaving her. Brown pleads with him to stay with her, begging and reiterating the importance of his presence in her life. Through her powerful and emotive voice, Brown captures the desperation and heartbreak that comes with the loss of love.

The lyrics of this song could mean different things to different people. To some, it could be interpreted as a message to a romantic partner, while to others, it could be a plea to a friend or family member who has drifted away. The singer expresses regret, self-doubt and anxiety over the future, indicating that the relationship might have been toxic or emotionally draining. The repetition of the words "stay with me" underscores the strong desire to hold on to the love that the singer once shared with her partner, illustrating the passion and intensity of the emotions involved.

Line by Line Meaning

Where did you go, when things went wrong, baby
When you faced difficulties, who did you turn to for support?

Who did u run to; find a shoulder to lay your head upon
Whose shoulder did you rely on to comfort you?

Ooh wasn't I there, didn't I take good care of you
I was always there for you and took great care of you, why did you leave?

Oh no can't believe, your leaving me
It's hard to believe that you would leave me.

Stay, Stay With Me Baby,
Please don't leave me

Please Stay With Me Babe,
Please don't abandon me

I can't go on
I can't continue without you

Where did you go, in search of tenderness?
Where did you find love and affection?

Didn't I give you everything in return for a memory?
I gave you everything I had in exchange for a memory of us together, why did you leave?

baby I, maybe I was too good for you
Maybe I loved you too much and you couldn't handle it.

Oh remember, you said you'd never leave me
You promised that you would never leave me