(It's Easy To See) The Trouble With Me Is You
Before his international acclaim as a pop vocalist, Nathaniel Adams Coles b… Read Full Bio ↴Before his international acclaim as a pop vocalist, Nathaniel Adams Coles built an indelible reputation as a jazz pianist in the groundbreaking combo, The King Cole Trio. Born into a musical family, young Nat Coles (later changed to Cole) recorded with his older brother, Edward, in 1936 for the Decca label. The four sides cut by Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers gave the general public its first glimpse of Nat's gentle yet lively piano riffs. After touring with a revival show of Eubie Blake's revue Shuffle Along, Cole settled in Los Angeles, playing various nightclubs as a soloist. In 1937, club owner Bob Lewis suggested that Cole assemble a small band to work at his Swanee Inn on North La Brea. The group's unorthodox instrumentation and size - they had no drummer and, at the time, big bands were the rage - featured Wesley Prince on bass and the innovative phrasings of electric guitarist Oscar Moore. The Trio's blend of jump blues and jazzy instrumentals with bouncy vocal stylings was a collective effort, while Cole occasionally took the lead on standard ballads. After an uneventful 1939 session for the Davis & Schwegler recording company in Hollywood, The Trio accompanied Lionel Hampton on two recording dates the following summer. Their association with Hampton helped, and that winter The Trio signed with Decca. Their 1940-41 sessions for the label yielded sixteen songs and captured the attention of fellow musicians, fans and a handful of critics. Later that fall, The Trio sounded right at home with drummer Lee Young on a four-song session for the Ammor label. In 1942, Cole recorded with Red Callender and saxophonist Lester Young for the Philo/Aladdin label, Oscar Moore with Cole at the piano. Image courtesy of the Dave Dexter, Jr. Collection.producing a handful of recordings that became benchmarks in their individual careers. Signing with Capitol Records in 1943, The Trio consisted of Cole, Moore, and Johnny Miller, who had settled in as the permanent bassist. Moore left the fold in 1947 and Irving Ashby replaced him. Capitol Records featured The Trio less and less after that, while Cole was singled out as a vocalist often backed by lush string orchestras. By the 1950's, Cole's reputation as a singer had reached a wide pop audience and, upon his death in 1965, his place in music history was forever cemented. His fellow jazz peers, however, never forgot his equally unique touch on the piano and the influence his early trio work had on later performers such as Oscar Peterson, Red Garland, and Tommy Flanagan.

The Trouble With Me Is You
The Nat King Cole Trio Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Who has trouble? Who has woe? I have
Who bought trouble? Who brought woe? You did
Friends don't want me around anymore
'Cause I'm not the guy I was before

Once I didn't have a kid
And no despair ever came to me
Now I'm blue and the trouble with me is you

Yes, I know I was alone and on my own
Still my heart was green and blue
And the trouble with me is you

You took a heart, took it apart
You took a dream, threw out the scene
You took a fool, acted so cruel
You took the sun away, leavin' me a cloudy day

But I don't suppose you care
Our love affair wasn't meant to be
So I'm blue and the trouble with me is you

You took a heart, took it apart
You took a dream, threw out the scene
You took a fool, acted so cruel
You took the sun away, leavin' me a cloudy day

But I don't suppose you care




Our love affair wasn't meant to be
So I'm blue and the trouble with me is you

Overall Meaning

The Nat King Cole Trio's "The Trouble With Me Is You" is a song that depicts a man who is going through difficult times in his life after being left heartbroken. The lyrics are very emotive and showcase the melancholic mood of the song. The man in the song is expressing how he feels about the breakup and the impact it has had on him. He is making it clear that he never had any trouble in his life before he met this particular person, but now he is feeling blue and is struggling to move on.


The lyrics also highlight the idea that friends are no longer around because he is not the same person as before. The man feels that he has changed and is no longer the person he once was. This indicates that losing the person he loved has changed him as a person, leading him to feel lost and alone. He also blames the person for taking away his happiness and leaving him a "cloudy day."


Overall, the song's theme is essentially about a man who is struggling to move on from a lost love, and he is going through various emotions such as sadness, loneliness, and despair. The lyrics are powerful and relatable in how the song conveys a universal experience of heartbreak and the process of moving on.


Line by Line Meaning

Who has trouble? Who has woe? I have
I am the one who is experiencing trouble and difficulties


Who bought trouble? Who brought woe? You did
You are the one who brought trouble and sorrow into my life


Friends don't want me around anymore
My friends do not like being around me anymore


'Cause I'm not the guy I was before
My behavior has changed and I am no longer the same person that my friends used to know


Once I didn't have a kid
There was a time when I did not have a child


And no despair ever came to me
I never experienced any deep sadness or hopelessness


Now I'm blue and the trouble with me is you
I am now deeply sad and troubled, and I blame you for it


Yes, I know I was alone and on my own
I understand that I used to be alone and self-sufficient


Still my heart was green and blue
But my heart was full of hope and longing


And the trouble with me is you
You are the one who has brought sorrow into my life


You took a heart, took it apart
You broke my heart into pieces


You took a dream, threw out the scene
You ruined my dreams and aspirations


You took a fool, acted so cruel
You took advantage of my naivety and treated me very poorly


You took the sun away, leavin' me a cloudy day
You took away all the joy and hope from my life, leaving me with only sadness


But I don't suppose you care
I do not think you have any concern or compassion for me


Our love affair wasn't meant to be
Our romantic relationship was not destined to work out


So I'm blue and the trouble with me is you
I am very sad and the reason for my sadness is you




Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

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