McCorkle was born in Berkeley, California. She studied modern languages at the University of California, Berkeley. McCorkle began singing professionally after hearing recordings of Billie Holiday in Paris in the late 1960s. She nearly became an interpreter at the European Commission in Brussels, but moved instead to London in 1972 to pursue a career in singing. While in the UK, she made two albums which, although well received, enjoyed only limited circulation.
In the late 1970s, McCorkle returned to the United States and settled in New York City, where a five-month engagement at the Cookery in Greenwich Village brought her to wider public attention and elicited rave reviews from critics.
During the 1980s, McCorkle continued to record; her maturing style and the darkening timbre of her voice greatly enhanced her performances. In the early 1990s, two of the albums McCorkle made for Concord Records, No More Blues and Sábia, were enormously successful and made her name known to the wider world. She was recorded by the Smithsonian Institution which at the time made her the youngest singer ever to have been included in its popular music series. McCorkle played Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher and Alice Tully Halls five times and Carnegie Hall three times, and was featured soloist with Skitch Henderson and the 80-piece New York Pops in a concert of Brazilian music.
Thanks to her linguistic skills, McCorkle translated lyrics of Brazilian, French, and Italian songs, notably those for her Brazilian album Sabia. McCorkle also had several short stories published and, in 1991, began work on her first novel. She published fiction in Mademoiselle, Cosmopolitan Magazine, and non-fiction in the New York Times Magazine and in American Heritage, including lengthy articles on Ethel Waters, Bessie Smith, Irving Berlin and Mae West.
McCorkle suffered for many years from depression and cancer, and took her own life at age 55 by leaping off the balcony of her highrise Manhattan apartment. She was alone in her home at the time. The police immediately entered her home after identifying her body and found no foul play. Suicide was ruled the cause of death.
I Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle
Susannah McCorkle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Momma ain't gonna sit here and grieve
Pack up your stuff and get ready to leave
I stood your foolishness long enough,
So now I'm gonna call your bluff
Oh, I'm gonna call your hand,
So, now daddy here's my plan
I'm used to playin' lead
You must think that I am blind,
You've been cheatin' me all the time
Whoa yeah, you still flirt
And you'll notice I ain't hurt,
To see you with my chum
Do you think that I am dumb
You 'cause me to drink,
When I sit down and think
And notice that you never take heed
I went to your house the other night,
Caught you and your good girl havin' a fight
Ain't gonna play no second fiddle 'cause
I'm used to playin' lead
Caught you with your good-time tramp
So, now I'm gonna put out your lamp
Oh, poppa, I ain't sore
You ain't gonna mess up with me no more
I'm gonna flirt with another guy
Then you're gonna hang your head an' cry
Ain't gonna play no second fiddle 'cause
I'm used to playin' lead
The song "I Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle" by Susannah McCorkle is an empowering anthem of a woman who has had enough of her partner's infidelity, lies, and cheating. The song is a message of liberation and defiance, where the singer is standing up for herself and refusing to be the second choice or option anymore. She has been patient for long enough and is now ready to confront her partner and call him out on his lies. She urges him to pack his things and leave, as she is not going to tolerate his foolishness anymore.
The opening lines of the song show the singer's determination and strength, as she declares that she is not going to sit and grieve over her partner's behavior. She has made up her mind to take a stand and confront him. The song's chorus, "Ain't gonna play no second fiddle 'cause, I'm used to playin' lead," is a metaphor for the singer's determination to be the lead actor and not just a supporting character in her own life. She is taking control and not allowing her partner to treat her as a secondary option.
The lyrics also reveal the singer's hurt and frustration at her partner's actions. She is aware of his cheating and flirting with other women, and she is not fooled by his words or actions. She also refutes the notion of being labeled as 'dumb' by her partner and shows that she is intelligent enough to see through his lies. The song's upbeat tempo and catchy tune add to the song's empowerment message, and the listener cannot help but feel energized by the singer's resolve.
Line by Line Meaning
Let me tell you daddy,
Listen up, father,
Momma ain't gonna sit here and grieve
I will not sit here and be sad about this anymore,
Pack up your stuff and get ready to leave
Pack your things and get out of my life,
I stood your foolishness long enough,
I have tolerated your foolish behavior for too long,
So now I'm gonna call your bluff
I will reveal your true intentions,
Oh, I'm gonna call your hand,
I will expose your true nature,
So, now daddy here's my plan
This is my plan, father,
Ain't gonna play no second fiddle 'cause,
I refuse to be second-best,
I'm used to playin' lead
I am accustomed to being in charge,
You must think that I am blind,
You seem to believe that I am unaware,
You've been cheatin' me all the time
You have been unfaithful to me consistently,
Whoa yeah, you still flirt
You continue to engage in flirtatious behavior,
And you'll notice I ain't hurt,
You may notice that I am not affected,
To see you with my chum
To witness you with my friend,
Do you think that I am dumb
Do you believe that I am unintelligent,
You 'cause me to drink,
Your behavior causes me to drink alcohol,
When I sit down and think
When I contemplate my situation,
And notice that you never take heed
And realize that you never listen to me,
I went to your house the other night,
I visited your house recently,
Caught you and your good girl havin' a fight
I witnessed you arguing with your female companion,
Caught you with your good-time tramp
I caught you with a promiscuous woman,
So, now I'm gonna put out your lamp
So, I am ending our relationship,
Oh, poppa, I ain't sore
I am not upset, father,
You ain't gonna mess up with me no more
You will not be able to take advantage of me anymore,
I'm gonna flirt with another guy
I will engage in flirtatious behavior with another man,
Then you're gonna hang your head an' cry
Then you will feel sorry and regretful,
Ain't gonna play no second fiddle 'cause
I refuse to be second-best,
I'm used to playin' lead
I am accustomed to being the leader.
Contributed by Landon R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.