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.
That's How It Is
Tammi Terrell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I just can't read no more
'Cause the words upon its face are sayin' goodbye
There's a plate upon the table
Filled with food I could not eat
There's a made-up bed in the bedroom where I couldn't sleep
I just sit and weep
Oh baby, that's how it is since you've been gone
Now the curtains are drawn in my lonely room
And the darkness fills the air
And this old empty heart of mine is in despair
Even though the tears I shed
Washed the words away
I could still remember every word you had to say
They just wouldn't go away
Oh baby, that's how it is since you've been gone
That's how it is, I'm so all alone
Oh baby, you knew right from the start
That my heart was in your hands
And your every, every wish, boy, was my command
That's why I can't understand
How you could leave me here helpless, dear
Alone and afraid, oh how could such a mistake be made?
But that's how it is since you've been gone
That's how it is, I'm so alone, oh baby
That's how it is since you've been gone
That's how it is, I'm so alone
That's how it is since you've been gone
In Tammi Terrell's song "That's How It Is," the lyrics describe a heartbroken woman who is struggling to cope with the aftermath of a breakup. The first verse of the song talks about a letter that the woman has received from her ex-partner, which she cannot bear to read anymore because it is a goodbye note. The second line of this verse describes a plate of food that the woman cannot eat, which highlights her grief and lack of appetite. The bed in the bedroom also holds no comfort for her anymore, as she can't sleep on it without her ex-partner beside her, so she just sits and weeps. The chorus of the song repeats the lyrics “Oh baby, that's how it is since you've been gone, that's how it is, I'm so all alone,” which really underlines her sense of loneliness and abandonment.
The second verse of the song describes the woman's lonely room and the darkness that fills the air. She remembers the words her ex-partner spoke when they were together, but as much as she tries to forget them, they linger with her, causing her continued pain. Even though she has shed tears and tried to move on, the memory of their relationship still haunts her, and she feels as though she will never find a way to fully heal. The final verse confronts her ex-partner, bemoaning how they could leave her in such a state of despair. She expresses her confusion about how things could have gone so wrong and the fact that he left her alone and afraid without him in her life. That last repetition of the chorus leaves the listener with a poignant and lingering sense of loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh baby, there's a letter on the floor
I found a letter left by you on the floor but I can't bring myself to read it because I know it says goodbye.
That I just can't read no more
I can't bear to read the words that will confirm you have left me.
'Cause the words upon its face are sayin' goodbye
The words on the letter will undoubtedly tell me that you have decided to leave me alone.
There's a plate upon the table
There is a plate of food that I cannot bring myself to eat because I have no appetite.
Filled with food I could not eat
Despite feeling hungry, I cannot bring myself to eat the food in front of me.
There's a made-up bed in the bedroom where I couldn't sleep
I have made the bed in the bedroom but I cannot sleep in it because I feel so alone.
I just sit and weep
I cannot help but cry at the thought of you leaving me behind.
Now the curtains are drawn in my lonely room
I have closed the curtains in my empty room that now feels much more empty since you left.
And the darkness fills the air
The room is dark which further adds to my sadness and sense of loneliness without you.
And this old empty heart of mine is in despair
My heart feels empty and broken without you here and the thought of being without you leaves me in despair.
Even though the tears I shed
I have cried so many tears since you left.
Washed the words away
The tears have not made the hurt go away and the memories of what we had still remain.
I could still remember every word you had to say
I still remember the words you said to me and the memories we shared together.
They just wouldn't go away
Despite trying to forget, the memories of you and our time together still linger.
Oh baby, you knew right from the start
You knew from the start that I loved you unconditionally and that my heart was in your hands.
That my heart was in your hands
My heart belonged to you and I trusted you to take care of it.
And your every, every wish, boy, was my command
I did everything in my power to make you happy and to fulfill your every desire.
That's why I can't understand
I am struggling to understand why you would leave me behind when I gave you everything I had.
How you could leave me here helpless, dear
I feel helpless and lost now that you are no longer here with me.
Alone and afraid, oh how could such a mistake be made?
I am alone and scared at the thought of being without you and I cannot understand how you could make such a mistake in leaving me behind.
That's how it is since you've been gone
My life has been hard and sad ever since you left me here alone without you.
That's how it is, I'm so alone, oh baby
I feel so alone and lost without you, my heart aches and I long for you to come back to me.
That's how it is since you've been gone
My life has been a struggle and filled with pain since you walked away from me and I cannot help but feel the absence of your love and comfort every day.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HARVEY FUQUA, JOHNNY BRISTOL, JOHNNY WILLIAM BRISTOL, VERNON BULLOCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alan McEwen
Just love this especially when Tammi comes in on the second verse.
John Marshall
whole album is phenomenal
fourtops100
Had this album since release, and love every track, but this one is a stand out tune