The song features Wonder on foreground vocals, piano and synthesizer, with accompanying background vocals. The relatively sparse instrumentalization of the song resides in common with a number of other songs on the album, and this song is also seen as one of Wonder's darkest, most brooding lyrical or musical compositions.
"They Wont Go When I Go" has been covered by George Michael (in his album Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1) and Kevin Max (in his album The Blood). It was also the latter of two songs, alongside "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer", performed live by Wonder on piano during Michael Jackson's post-funeral memorial concert service at Los Angeles, California's Staples Center on July 7, 2009.
They Won't Go When I Go
Stevie Wonder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wanting tragic ends
Though they do pretend
They won't go when I go
All those bleeding hearts
With sorrows to impart
Were right here from the start
And I'll go where I've longed
To go so long
Away from tears
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Gone from painful cries
Away from saddened eyes
Along with him I'll bide
And they won't go when I go
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Big men feeling small
Weak ones standing tall
I will watch them fall
'Cause they won't go when I go
And I'll go where I've longed
To go so long
Away from tears
Unclean minds mislead the pure
The innocent will leave for sure
For them there is a resting place
People sinning just for fun
They will never see the sun
For they can never show their faces
There ain't no room for the hopeless sinner
Who will take more than he will give
He'll give, he'll give
He ain't hardly gonna give, oh yeah
The greed of man will be
Far away from me
And my soul will be free
They won't go when I go
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Since my soul conceived
All that I believe
The kingdom I will see
'Cause they won't go when I go
And I'll go
Where I'll go
No one can keep me
From my destiny, yeah
Oh, oh, oh, oh
They won't go when I go
"They Won't Go When I Go" is a song by the legendary Stevie Wonder from his 1974 album "Fulfillingness' First Finale". The song is about Stevie's desire to escape from the destructive and negative influences around him. The lyrics indicate that Stevie has had enough of his friends who are always lying and pretending to be what they are not. He seems to be tired of their tragic ends, and he wishes they could just leave him alone. Stevie acknowledges that some of his friends have good intentions and are wallowing in sorrow, but they are irrelevant to his desire. He expresses his hope of moving away from sadness and pain, and joining a place where he can be free from harm.
The lyrics of this powerful song are much deeper than what they seem. Stevie Wonder takes his audience on an emotional journey with a mix of sadness, hopefulness, and liberation. He seems to be concerned about the people he is surrounded by, who are mostly negative and insincere. Some people in his life are feeling weak, while others are evil and unscrupulous, indulging in sins such as greed and deceitful intentions. The song indicates that Stevie has had enough of this energy and wants to move on. The lyrics present a story of a man yearning for freedom from his social circle, in order to achieve peace, and fulfil his destiny. "They Won't Go When I Go" is a perfect example of Stevie Wonder’s profound creativity in delivering beautiful and thought-provoking lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
No more lying friends
I'm done with fake friends who pretend to care
Wanting tragic ends
I don't need friends who thrive on drama and pain
Though they do pretend
Even if they put on a show, I know they're not genuine
They won't go when I go
They won't follow me to where I'm headed
All those bleeding hearts
I've known too many people who are always sad and hurt
With sorrows to impart
They always have something to complain about
Were right here from the start
I've known them all for a long time
And they won't go when I go
But they won't follow me on my journey
I'll go where I've longed to go so long
I'm finally going where I've always wanted to go
Away from tears
I'm leaving behind sadness and pain
Gone from painful cries
I'll no longer hear the sounds of suffering
Away from saddened eyes
I won't be surrounded by sorrowful people anymore
Along with him I'll bide
I'll be with someone else on this journey
And they won't go when I go
But those sad, fake friends won't be with me
Big men feeling small
Even powerful people can feel weak and vulnerable
Weak ones standing tall
And even those who might seem weak can be incredibly brave
I will watch them fall
But eventually everyone will face their own challenges
'Cause they won't go when I go
But again, those fake friends won't be with me
Unclean minds mislead the pure
People with bad intentions can manipulate and hurt innocent people
The innocent will leave for sure
But eventually the good people will find a better place to be
For them there is a resting place
There will be somewhere safe and peaceful for the pure at heart
People sinning just for fun
But there are also those who don't care about others and just want to cause chaos
They will never see the sun
They'll never find true happiness or light in their lives
For they can never show their faces
They're too ashamed of their own actions to face the world
There ain't no room for the hopeless sinner
But there's not enough space for those who never change their ways
Who will take more than he will give
Those selfish people who only care about themselves
He'll give, he'll give
They'll eventually have to give back what they've taken
He ain't hardly gonna give, oh yeah
But they won't be eager to give willingly
The greed of man will be
Man's greed will always exist
Far away from me
But I'm leaving it behind
And my soul will be free
I'll be truly free from negativity
They won't go when I go
Those negative people won't be with me
Since my soul conceived
Since I was born
All that I believe
Everything I hold true
The kingdom I will see
I'll find my own paradise
'Cause they won't go when I go
Those fake friends and negative influences won't be with me
And I'll go
But I'll keep going
Where I'll go
To where I feel truly happy and free
No one can keep me
No one can stop me from living my life
From my destiny, yeah
From finding where I truly belong
They won't go when I go
Again, those fake friends and negative people won't join me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Stevie Wonder, Yvonne Wright
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cheryl Rowland Hall
on Isn't She Lovely
Dedicated to my lovely daughter, Amy Kathleen Rawson, the lovely child who helped mom to grow up!