The Kingston Trio was formed in 1957 in the Palo Alto, California area by original lineup of Dave Guard (1934–1991), Bob Shane (1934–2020), and Nick Reynolds (1933–2008), who were just out of college. Greatly influenced by The Weavers, the calypso sounds of Harry Belafonte, and other semi-popular folk artists such as the Gateway Singers and the Tarriers, they were discovered playing at a college club called the Cracked Pot by Frank Werber, a local publicist then working at the Hungry i. He became their manager, and secured them a one-shot deal with Capitol Records.
Their first hit was a catchy rendition of an old-time folk song, "Tom Dooley", which went gold in 1958. It was so popular that it entered popular culture as a catchphrase: Ella Fitzgerald, for example, parodies it during her recorded version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". It won them the first Grammy award for Best Country & Western Performance in 1959. The next year, they won the first Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording category for the album The Kingston Trio at Large.
At one point in the early 1960s The Kingston Trio had four albums at the same time among the Top 10 selling albums, a record unmatched for nearly 40 years. In spite of this, they had a relatively small number of hit singles.
The group's music was simple and accessible, with much use of tight vocal harmony, signature riffs (often played on the banjo), and repetitive choruses. Capitol producer Voyle Gilmore[1] enhanced their vocal sound to great effect with reverb and the relatively new process of doubletracking, in which the performers sang along with their own pre-recorded part to produce a stronger sound than with a single voice, in part due to a natural time gap of a fraction of a second between the original recording and the overdubbed part. At first pairs of tape recorders were used, then later multitrack recording machines, to produce the effect.
Guard left the band in 1961 as part of a disagreement over its musical direction. He formed the group Whiskey Hill Singers, and was replaced by John Stewart, who led the group through several more years of popularity until the arrival of The Beatles and British invasion rock bands pushed them from the charts.
In 1967 the Trio disbanded after a final performance at the Hungry i, June 17, 1967.
Shane, the lone member to resist the break-up of the Trio, started a new group, aptly named, "The New Kingston Trio," in 1969. Eventually, Shane was successful in reaching a contractual agreement with his former partners, Guard, Reynolds, and Werber, to secure and license once again, the original name, "The Kingston Trio" (unencumbered by the adjective new), in 1976.(Blake et al. 1986.) Shane still owns the property today, 2006.
For a number of years in the 1980s Reynolds, one of the original three members, rejoined Shane.
In 2004 Shane retired from the group due to health problems. He was replaced by Bill Zorn, who had been with Shane in an iteration of the group called The New Kingston Trio; Zorn also has been a member of The Limeliters.
In 2005 Bobby Haworth (a one-time member of The Brothers Four) left the group to be replaced by Rick Dougherty, who also had been a member of The Limeliters.
As of 2006, The Kingston Trio consisted of George Grove, Bill Zorn and Rick Dougherty.
in October 2017, Grove, Zorn, and Dougherty were replaced as the Trio by new licensees Reynolds and Marvin and their friend, Tim Gorelangton. In 2018, Josh Reynolds left the group and was replaced by Bob Haworth, who became a member of the band for the third time. At the end of 2018, Haworth left the group and was replaced by Don Marovich.
If You See Me Go
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
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Chorus:
If you see me go, well, don't you look my way. You just turn your head. Don't you watch me walk away.
Well, you know, my gal, this time I'm a-leavin' you to stay 'cause you've injured this poor soul once too often for today.
Well, I wish for you the good times that I've never seen and for you the peace of mind that I never knew,
'Cause cryin' tired and lonely is a hard way to be and it's cryin' tired and lonely and you I wanta say.
Well, you know, my gal, this time I'm a-leavin' you to stay 'cause you've injured this poor soul once too often for today.
They say that talkin' at your mind can help a troubled soul but your mind has nothin' left to say
'Cause it's bad times and hard luck that's all I've come to know and it's bad times and hard luck, every day, I'm telling you.
(Chorus)
Well, you know, my gal, this time I'm a-leavin' you to stay 'cause you've injured this poor soul once too often for today.
'Cause you've injured this poor soul once too often for today.
The Kingston Trio's "If You See Me Go" is a raw and emotional song about leaving a toxic relationship. The lyrics express the singer's feelings of hurt and weariness after being repeatedly mistreated by their partner.
The opening lines of the chorus, "If you see me go, well, don't you look my way. You just turn your head. Don't you watch me walk away," suggest that the singer does not want their partner to witness their departure. They are likely seeking a clean break and do not want to be persuaded to stay. The following lines, "Well, you know, my gal, this time I'm a-leavin' you to stay / 'Cause you've injured this poor soul once too often for today," highlight the singer's decision to leave for good after being hurt one too many times.
The second verse discusses the futility of attempting to reason with someone who has caused so much pain, with the line "They say that talkin' at your mind can help a troubled soul but your mind has nothin' left to say." The final repetition of the chorus emphasizes the singer's sense of weariness and desire for a new beginning, singing "Well, you know, my gal, this time I'm a-leavin' you to stay / 'Cause you've injured this poor soul once too often for today."
Overall, "If You See Me Go" is a poignant and heartfelt song about the difficulties of leaving a harmful relationship and moving on to a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
If you see me go, well, don't you look my way. You just turn your head. Don't you watch me walk away.
If I have to leave, please don't make it harder for me by watching me go. It hurts me to say goodbye, and it will hurt me more if I have to see the pain on your face.
Well, you know, my gal, this time I'm a-leavin' you to stay 'cause you've injured this poor soul once too often for today.
I have to leave you permanently this time because you've caused me too much pain and I can't handle it anymore.
Well, I wish for you the good times that I've never seen and for you the peace of mind that I never knew,
Although I have to leave, I don't want you to suffer. I hope you will have a happy life filled with joy and peace that I never experienced.
'Cause cryin' tired and lonely is a hard way to be and it's cryin' tired and lonely and you I wanta say.
I don't want to cry alone and feel lonely anymore, and it's because of you that I have to say goodbye.
If you hear my voice, don't you look and see. Don't you turn and find that it really wasn't me.
If you happen to hear my voice, please don't mistake it for me returning. It's hard enough for me to leave once, and I can't go through it again.
They say that talkin' at your mind can help a troubled soul but your mind has nothin' left to say
People say that talking to someone can help them when they're troubled, but in my case, I don't think talking will help because my mind is already made up.
'Cause it's bad times and hard luck that's all I've come to know and it's bad times and hard luck, every day, I'm telling you.
I've had a rough time in life, and it seems like bad luck follows me everywhere. This is my reality, and I want you to understand that leaving isn't easy for me.
Well, you know, my gal, this time I'm a-leavin' you to stay 'cause you've injured this poor soul once too often for today.
I'm leaving for good because you've hurt me too many times, and I can't take it anymore.
'Cause you've injured this poor soul once too often for today.
You've caused me pain and suffering many times, and I can't deal with it anymore.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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