Tammi Terrell (born Thomasina Montgomery) (April 29, 1945 to March 16, 1970… Read Full Bio ↴Tammi Terrell (born Thomasina Montgomery) (April 29, 1945 to March 16, 1970) was an American Motown singer in the 1960s, best known for her duets with Marvin Gaye.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she entered the music business at the age of 13, regularly performing live. In 1961 she was signed to the fledgling Scepter Records (later Wand Records), recording under the name "Tammy Montgomery". After coming to the attention of James Brown she recorded one single apiece for Brown's own Try Me record label and, in 1964, Checker Records. The year after that, she was spotted by Berry Gordy Jr. while playing live, and signed to his Motown label. Attractive and talented, she became romantically linked with both James Brown and David Ruffin, lead singer of The Temptations.

Tammy Montgomery changed her name to "Tammi Terrell" at the time of her Motown signing, and was teamed with producers Harvey Fuqua and Johnny Bristol. After releasing a pair of minor R&B chart hits, "I Can't Believe You Love Me" and "Come On and See Me," Terrell was chosen to replace Kim Weston as Marvin Gaye's duet partner. The duo recorded a number of successful hits which remain popular today: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Your Precious Love," "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," and "You're All I Need to Get By", all written (and in the case of the latter two, produced by) Ashford & Simpson.

While on tour with Gaye in Virginia in mid-1967, Terrell fainted on stage, and was later diagnosed as having a malignant brain tumor. While Terrell endured several operations and continued to record new material, her health steadily deteriorated. Fuqua and Bristol resorted to having Gaye overdub archived Terrell solo tracks to fill out the Gaye/Terrell duets albums. The final album attributed to Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, "Easy" (1969), actually features co-producer Valerie Simpson subbing for Terrell on all but two of the tracks.

Twelve of Tammi Terrell's solo Motown recordings, including "I Can't Believe You Love Me", "Come On and See Me," and a minor hit cover of The Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)", were issued as Terrell's only solo album, "Irresistible," in January 1969. Terrell died of brain cancer at age 24 on March 16, 1970.

I Can't Go On Without You
Tammi Terrell Lyrics

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(La la la la la la la, I can't go on without you)
I can't stop my tears from falling since you've been gone
Over & over your name I'm calling since you left me alone
There's an awful pain inside me 'cause you're breaking my heart
Slowly but surely, I can feel myself falling, falling apart
'Cause I know
I can't go on, I just can't make it
I can't go on without you

Your picture was staring at me from on the wall
I had to take it down, couldn't stand to see it at all
That didn't help me, baby; I still see your face
That old memory is haunting me, floating there in space
Ooo I say
I can't go on, I just can't make it
I can't go on without you

I don't hang around the old gang since you've been gone
My presence seems to bring them pain 'cause I am all alone
Even the weeping willow tree is crying for me
It's plain as day, without you, babe, I'm slowly wasting way
'Cause I know
I can't go on without you
I can't go on, I just can't make it
I can't go on, I just can't take it

I can't go on, no no baby
I can't go on, I just can't take it

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Tammi Terrell's "I Can't Go On Without You" are a deeply emotional expression of heartbreak and despair. The song describes the singer's intense emotional pain following the departure of a loved one, relentlessly calling out their name, haunted by their memory, and unable to move on. The chorus reinforces this feeling of helplessness and hopelessness, with the repeated refrain "I can't go on, I just can't make it, I can't go on without you."

The first stanza captures the singer's intense grief, describing the tears that won't stop falling since the loved one's departure, and the gradual disintegration of their heart. The second stanza expands on this feeling, with the singer removing the loved one's picture from the wall, only to find that the memory lingers on, haunting and tormenting them. The third stanza reveals the extent of the singer's isolation, with the old gang gone, and even the willow tree weeping for their plight.

Overall, "I Can't Go On Without You" is a moving expression of the pain of heartbreak, despair, and isolation that can follow the loss of a loved one.

Line by Line Meaning

La la la la la la la, I can't go on without you
The pain of losing you is too much for me to bear, and I can't imagine living without you

I can't stop my tears from falling since you've been gone
Ever since you left, the tears keep flowing, and I can't seem to stop them

Over & over your name I'm calling since you left me alone
I keep calling your name, hoping you'll come back to me, but you're not there anymore

There's an awful pain inside me 'cause you're breaking my heart
The pain of losing you is unbearable, and my heart feels like it's breaking into pieces

Slowly but surely, I can feel myself falling, falling apart
I feel like I'm losing myself, and my world is falling apart bit by bit

'Cause I know I can't go on, I just can't make it I can't go on without you
I know I can't continue living without you, and it's too hard to bear

Your picture was staring at me from on the wall
Your picture was hanging on my wall, reminding me of you

I had to take it down, couldn't stand to see it at all
Seeing your picture on the wall was too painful, so I had to take it down

That didn't help me, baby; I still see your face
Even without your picture on the wall, your face is always on my mind

That old memory is haunting me, floating there in space
The memories of us together keep haunting me, and they seem to be everywhere I go

Ooo I say I can't go on, I just can't make it I can't go on without you
Oh, it's just too difficult to go on living without you, and I can't bear the pain

I don't hang around the old gang since you've been gone
I don't hang out with my old friends since you left me

My presence seems to bring them pain 'cause I am all alone
My friends seem to feel my pain when I'm around, because I'm all alone without you

Even the weeping willow tree is crying for me
Even nature seems to feel my pain, as the weeping willow tree seems to be crying for me

It's plain as day, without you, babe, I'm slowly wasting way
It's clear to me that without you, I'm slowly losing myself, and my life is wasting away

'Cause I know I can't go on without you I can't go on, I just can't make it I can't go on, I just can't take it I can't go on, no no baby I can't go on, I just can't take it
Because I know I can't live without you, it's just too hard to keep going on, and I can't handle the pain any longer

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HARVEY FUQUA, JOHNNY WILLIAM BRISTOL, SYLVIA MOY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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