He began his adult life as a young preacher in Philadelphia, where he hosted a gospel radio show. In the 1960s, he signed with Atlantic Records and began moving towards more secular music. His first hit was Just Out Of Reach Of My Open Arms, a cover of a country song. Though well-received by both peers and critics, and attaining a few moderate pop and several major R&B hits, Burke never could quite break through into the mainstream as did his contemporaries like Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin.
Nevertheless, his emotive delivery, polished production, as well as the touches of country and pop sensibility in his music won him admirers and imitators. In 1964 he wrote and recorded Everybody Needs Somebody To Love his most prominent bid for an enduring soul standard. Covered by the Rolling Stones the same year, other well-known versions include one by Wilson Pickett and another a decade and a half later in the 1980 feature film by The Blues Brothers. Burke's biggest hit was a 1969 cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's Proud Mary.
His career was to some degree revived in 2002, with the release of the album Don't Give Up On Me, produced by Joe Henry, where he sang songs written specifically for the album by a roster of top-rank artists, including Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits and Joe Henry himself.
He is featured in the 2004 movie Lightning in a Bottle singing Turn on Your Love Light and Down in the Valley.
As of October 2002 Burke was the father of 14 daughters and 7 sons with 64 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. Several of his children and grandchildren have had successful careers in various facets of the music industry, though none as much so as their patriarch.
Burke died, arriving at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam where he was supposed to perform with Dutch band De Dijk with whom he recorded an album, entitled Hold on Tight.
Rock icon Mick Jagger performed a tribute to Burke at the 2011 Grammy Awards, laying down Burke's classic hit "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love".
A cover of Everybody Needs Somebody To Love received huge exposure as the music for Amazon's 2019 Christmas commercial.
Sit This One Out
Solomon Burke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Than your eyes aren't aware
You can't see clearly
And your nerves are thinning
I hadn't fit meal
And I'll kill on the table
We don't seen able
To hold and hang
Love sometimes
Takes the form of frustration
It's a sad combination
Of emptiness and down
But a only human connection
Is expressed for the shown
Will I think I'm gonna have to just sit this one out?
There was a time
That we could sit and talk about things together
No, we didn't shut about things, at all
But let the love we play
To say what we have to say
But there are nothing to do now
And I don't have a clue (...) at all
Love sometimes
Takes the form of frustration
It's a sad combination
Of emptiness and down
But a only human connection
Is expressed for the shown
Will I think I'm gonna have to sit this one out?
Well, I know you understand what we've talked about
Love sometimes
Takes on a form of frustration
A sad combination
Of emptiness and down
But a only human connection
Is expressed for the shown, hey!
Cut down and run
I think I'm gonna have to sit down and sit this one out?
Let me say it again:
I think I'm gonna have to just sit this one out
Can I borrow it all at all?
I don't even have a clue
Sometimes what I feel like I'm going to fall
Sometime I just hold on, don't let go
Don't give up of everything that you work for, so hold on
Don't destroy your self in a second
With anger
Hold on. A chain will go
I just wanna say:
I think I'm gonna have to sit and work this one out
Solomon Burke's song "Sit This One Out" is a powerful song about the struggles that can arise in a romantic relationship. The lyrics describe the frustration and sadness that can come from being unable to communicate effectively with a partner. As the night wears on, the singer's nerves are frayed and they feel unable to connect with their partner. The line "we don't seem able to hold and hang" suggests that there is a lack of stability and trust in the relationship, making it difficult to work through their issues.
The chorus of the song repeats the idea that sometimes love takes the form of frustration and emptiness. The line "a only human connection is expressed for the shown" suggests that despite the difficulties, the singer still cares deeply about their partner and wants to find a way to connect. However, the final line of the chorus - "Will I think I'm gonna have to just sit this one out?" - implies that sometimes it's necessary to take a break from trying to fix things and just let the situation cool off.
In the second verse, the singer reflects on a time when they and their partner were able to talk openly and honestly with each other. However, they describe the present situation as having "nothing to do" and feeling completely lost. The song ends with a reminder to hold on and not give up, even when things feel hopeless.
Overall, "Sit This One Out" is a deeply emotional song about the challenges of maintaining a loving relationship when communication breaks down. It is a poignant reminder that sometimes the best thing to do is step back and let things settle before trying again.
Line by Line Meaning
The night's getting old
Time is passing by and it's getting late
Than your eyes aren't aware
You're tired and not thinking clearly
You can't see clearly
You're not thinking clearly and can't make good decisions
And your nerves are thinning
You're stressed and anxious
I hadn't fit meal
I haven't eaten a good meal
And I'll kill on the table
I'm hungry and would eat anything on the table
We don't seen able
We don't seem capable of resolving our issues
To hold and hang
To remain calm and composed
Love sometimes
Takes the form of frustration
It's a sad combination
Of emptiness and down
But a only human connection
Is expressed for the shown
Will I think I'm gonna have to just sit this one out?
Love can be frustrating and depressing, but it's a human connection that we express. The singer feels like he wants to take a break from it all and sit this particular incident out.
There was a time
That we could sit and talk about things together
No, we didn't shut about things, at all
But let the love we play
To say what we have to say
But there are nothing to do now
And I don't have a clue (...) at all
There was a time when we could talk about anything and everything, but now there's nothing left to say. The singer is clueless about what to do now.
Well, I know you understand what we've talked about
The singer believes that the other person understands where he's coming from
Cut down and run
I think I'm gonna have to sit down and sit this one out?
Let me say it again:
I think I'm gonna have to just sit this one out
The singer is considering ending things and walking away from the situation. He repeats that he wants to sit this one out.
Can I borrow it all at all?
I don't even have a clue
Sometimes what I feel like I'm going to fall
Sometime I just hold on, don't let go
Don't give up of everything that you work for, so hold on
Don't destroy your self in a second
With anger
Hold on. A chain will go
The singer is questioning everything and feels like he's going to fail. He advises not to give up and to hold on. He doesn't want to self-destruct in a moment of anger.
I just wanna say:
I think I'm gonna have to sit and work this one out
The singer wants to take time to figure things out and work through any issues.
Contributed by Joseph N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.