The definitive Afroamerican gospel group in the jubilee quartet style.
<… Read Full Bio ↴The definitive Afroamerican gospel group in the jubilee quartet style.

Founded as the Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet in Norfolk, Virginia in 1934 by A. C. “Eddie” Griffin, Robert “Peg” Ford, Henry Owens, and Bill Johnson, they began as a traditional jubilee quartet, combining the clever arrangements associated with barbershop quartets with rhythms borrowed from the blues and jazz.

The makeup of the group changed over the years, as some members were drafted during the war and new members were brought in to replace those who had retired or left to join other groups. William Langford joined the group when Griffin left in 1935 and Orlandus Wilson replaced Ford the same year. Clyde Riddick replaced Langford in 1938, Johnson left in 1948 to join “The Jubalaires” and Owens left the group later to become a preacher and solo artist. Riddick remained with the group until his retirement in 1995 and Wilson until his death in 1998.

The Gates had a broad repertoire of styles—from Owens’ mournful, understated approach in songs such as Anyhow or Hush, Somebody’s Calling My Name, to the group’s highly syncopated arrangements in Shadrach, Meshach and Abendigo. Like The Mills Brothers of popular music, they would often include vocal special effects in their songs, imitating train sounds in songs such as Golden Gate Gospel Train. Langford often sang lead, using his ability to range from baritone to falsetto, while Johnson narrated in a hip syncopated style that became the hallmark for the group.

Stormy Weather
The Golden Gate Quartet Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Don't know why
There's no sun up in the sky
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time

Life is bare
Gloom and misery everywhere

Stormy weather
Just can't get my poor old self together
I'm weary all the time, the time
So weary all of the time

When he went away
The blues walked in and met me
If he stays away, old rocking chair will get me
All I do is pray
The lord above will let me
Walk in the sun once more

Can't go on
Everything I had is gone
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time
Keeps raining all of the time

I walk around,
Heavy-hearted and sad
Night comes around
And I'm still feeling bad
Rain pourin' down
Blinding every hope I had
This pitter 'n patter 'n beatin' 'n spatterin' drivin' me mad

Love, love, love, love
This misery will be the end of me

When he went away
The blues walked in and met me
If he stays away, old rocking chair will get me
All I do is pray
The lord above will let me
Walk in the sun once more

Can't go on
Everything I had is gone
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together

Keeps raining all the time, the time
Keeps raining all the time

Overall Meaning

The Golden Gate Quartet's version of "Stormy Weather" expresses the depths of grief and sorrow that follow the end of a relationship. The song's first verse describes the bleakness of the world since the singer's man left: "There's no sun up in the sky," "Life is bare / Gloom and misery everywhere"; these descriptions convey a sense of hopelessness and despair. The second verse goes on to describe how the singer has been unable to move on, no matter how much time has passed: "Just can't get my poor old self together / I'm weary all the time". The final verse repeats the idea that the singer cannot move on and can think only of the man who left: "If he stays away, old rocking chair will get me / All I do is pray / The lord above will let me / Walk in the sun once more".

The song's message is supported by its musical style. The slow, mournful tempo, the minor chords, and the use of vibrato in the singing all work together to create a sense of deep sadness. The repetition of the phrase "Stormy weather" in the chorus drives home the idea of how long this pain has persisted; it's been sitting around for so long that it has started to manifest in the actual weather. Overall, "Stormy Weather" is a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of heartbreak.

Line by Line Meaning

Don't know why
I am unsure why

There's no sun up in the sky
The sky is without sunlight

Stormy weather
The current climate is tumultuous

Since my man and I ain't together
As my significant other and I are apart

Keeps raining all the time
The precipitation is consistent

Life is bare
Life is desolate

Gloom and misery everywhere
Sorrow is ubiquitous

Just can't get my poor old self together
I cannot manage to gather myself

I'm weary all the time, the time
I am constantly fatigued

So weary all of the time
Indefatigably tired always

When he went away
At the time he departed