Michelle ("Terry") Martin, 17 lead vocalis… Read Full Bio ↴"Terry and the Tunisions"
Michelle ("Terry") Martin, 17 lead vocalist
Born April 14, 1947, Malverne, New York.
Louis (Lou) Miceli 20, 2nd tenor
Born March 1, 1944, New York, NY
Deceased May 14, 1993
Bruce (Brew) Mineo, 19, baritone
Rich (Cuz) Bartolotta, 19, first tenor
Born February 18, 1945, Bronx, NY
Left group in 1963
Pete(little sweety petey) Mineo, 22 1st tenor
Joe (Jo-Jo Base) Ashford, 22 bass singer
Clifford (Cliff) Roberts, 22 1st tenor
The group was started in 1961 and made it's public debut at Lou Dean's "Night Train Dances", weekend dances and rock-and-roll shows which were held in Bayshore NY at the roller-rink, on friday and saturday nights, where in it's first year, was attended by close to 40,000 Long Island youths.
each week, in addition to top recording stars, the night train show introduced and featured many talented local singing groups and bands from the long island area.
On January 26th 1964, when the night train audience voted for the first annual "Louie" awards for outstanding performance and popularity at the night train shows, the Tunisions placed first among the four award winners.
There were only two records recorded which were of any significance. They were " The Street" and "Tom-Tom", recorded on the Seville record label. Shortly after recording these records, the group appeared on the then wildly popular TV rock program, "The Clay Cole Show", live from Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey, to promote their record.
The lyrics and music to "The Street" were composed by the second tenor, Lou Miceli, who tragically passed on May 14, 1993 at the young age of 49.
Michelle (Martin) DeGroat is alive and well living comfortably on the north shore of Long island, NY.
Rich Bartolotta is also alive and well, retired from IBM, living in Eastern Long Island, NY.
Ed Martin, (Michelle's brother) as LongIslandEddie, is currently soliciting any relative material related to these deeply revered years, here on Long Island.
As time keeps moving along, please keep in touch.
Ain't that a Shame
Terry & The Tunisians Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell me to save my tears
Well I'm so mad about him
I can't live without him
Never treats me sweet and gentle
The way he should
I've got it bad
My poor heart is so sentimental
Not made of wood
I've got it so bad
And that ain't good
But when the fish are jumpin'
And Friday rolls around
My man an' I, we gin some
We pray some, and sin some
He don't love me like I love him
The way he should
I've got it bad
And that ain't good
Yes I've got it bad
And that ain't good
The lyrics of Terry & The Tunisians's song Ain't That a Shame are about unrequited love and overwhelming emotions. The singer is deeply in love with someone who does not treat her well, but despite everyone's advice to move on and save her tears, she cannot let go. This love has taken hold of her heart, which is described as "sentimental" and "not made of wood." The pain of longing is so great that even the happy moments, like when "the fish are jumpin'" and it's Friday, are tinged with the bittersweetness of knowing that her love is not returned in the way she desires.
The singer's desperation for this love comes through in lines like "I can't live without him" and "I've got it so bad," which suggest that her happiness and well-being are entirely dependent on being with this person. Despite his mistreatment, they still find a connection through their shared experiences of "ginning" and "praying" and "sinning." However, this connection is not enough to compensate for the lack of affection she receives in return, which only deepens her despair.
Overall, the song is a poignant exploration of how love can consume and devastate us, even when it is not reciprocated in the same way. It captures the painful tension between holding on and letting go, and the way that our hearts can hold conflicting emotions at once.
Line by Line Meaning
Though folks with good intentions
Tell me to save my tears
Even though people with good intentions advise me to stop crying and move on from my heartbreak,
Well I'm so mad about him
I can't live without him
I am so deeply in love with him that I cannot imagine living without him, despite how much he hurts me.
Never treats me sweet and gentle
The way he should
He never treats me with the kindness and affection that I deserve and long for.
I've got it bad
And that ain't good
My love for him is so intense that it is causing me great pain and sadness, which is not a desirable situation to be in.
My poor heart is so sentimental
Not made of wood
My heart is very sensitive and emotional, and is not like an object that is unaffected by feelings.
But when the fish are jumpin'
And Friday rolls around
My man an' I, we gin some
We pray some, and sin some
Although he is not always loving towards me, sometimes we enjoy each other's company and engage in activities like drinking, praying, and possibly even sinful behavior together.
He don't love me like I love him
The way he should
He does not return my love in the same way that I give it to him, and he does not treat me as well as he should.
Yes I've got it bad
And that ain't good
My intense love for him is causing me pain and sorrow, and this is not a desirable state to be in.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Duke Ellington, Paul Francis Webster
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind