If You Knew Susie
The Charleston City All-Stars Lyrics
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I’m in love with you
‘Cause I’ve been up all night
To dream of you, yeah yeah
I’ve been such a fool
Pretending I’m with you
I’m stuck in my head
If you only knew...
I am here without you
Life’s so cruel without you
I remember yesterday you on the run
But now I can bring you home
And dry your eyes for you
I am here without you
Life’s so cruel without you
Hope and pray for when our love has just begun
But which words will I say
To bring you closer to…
I’m in love with you
I have thought it through
But my time is comin’ to
If you only knew
If you only knew
The Charleston City All-Stars's song "If You Knew Susie" is a love song about a lover who is deeply in love with someone they cannot have. In the first verse, the lover confesses that they have been up all night thinking and dreaming about the person they love. They further express regret for pretending that they are with the person they love when it is not true. The lover is brokenhearted and wishes that the person knew about their feelings.
The second verse shows the impact of the absence of the loved one, with the lover feeling life is cruel without them. It expresses the memory of the loved one being on the run in the past but now having the opportunity to console and dry their eyes for them. The third verse expresses the hope that their love has just begun, and they wish to bring the loved one closer to them.
This song's message is more about unrequited love, the feelings of desperation that it brings, and the hope that the love will be acknowledged. The lyrics were written by Buddy DeSylva, with music composed by Joseph Meyer in 1924.
Line by Line Meaning
If you only knew
If you only knew the depth of my love for you
I’m in love with you
I have fallen in love with you
‘Cause I’ve been up all night
I have been spending sleepless nights thinking about you
To dream of you, yeah yeah
I dream of being with you
I’ve been such a fool
I have been foolish to pretend that I am with you
Pretending I’m with you
I have been pretending to be with you, even though I am not
I’m stuck in my head
I can't stop thinking about you
And my heart’s breaking too
My heart is breaking because I am not with you
I am here without you
I am alone without you
Life’s so cruel without you
Life is very difficult without you
I remember yesterday you on the run
I remember when you were running away from me
But now I can bring you home
But now I can bring you back to me
And dry your eyes for you
And comfort you when you are sad
Hope and pray for when our love has just begun
I hope and pray that our love will continue to grow
But which words will I say
But I don't know which words to say
To bring you closer to…
To make you feel closer to me
I have thought it through
I have carefully considered my feelings
But my time is comin’ to
But I know that my time with you may be limited
If you only knew
If you only knew how much I care about you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Adam Obermeier, Adam Miller
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bob Hulsey
Enoch Light and his All-Stars made several recordings in the 1950s for RCA to sell as demos for their stereo systems. At least three were on the Roaring 20s, one on the Torchy 30s and one or two sampler albums including Broadway numbers. They had superb sound quality which was why they were combined with the stereo systems. My parents had at least four of these and the album covers revealed there were more in the series. They were also a great introduction to music as a child although some of the lyrics (such as this one) were a bit suggestive for the time period: "Holy Moses, what a chassis!" and "What a future she possesses" were comments on Susie's figure.
Dakka Skintab II
This has the benefit of a full orchestra and 50s-era production values. I could say so many more things about it, but they too are obvious - such as great material and one of history's most talented band-leaders. .
Easy Aspi
Jean Shepherd sang along with this track you are hearing now on his WOR show. I don't have the date. All his shows are on The Brass Filigree web site. Also on archive.org.
Hugh Jones
Jean Shepherd used this on his funny talk show on WOR.