I Heard It Through the Grapevine
The Starlite Orchestra & Singers Lyrics


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Ooh, I bet you're wonderin' how I knew
'Bout your plans to make me blue
With some other guy you knew before
Between the two of us guys you know I love you more
It took me by surprise I must say
When I found out yesterday
Don'tcha know that I
Heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine
Oh I heard it through the grapevine
Oh I'm just about to lose my mind
Honey, honey yeah
(Heard it through the grapevine)
(Not much longer would you be my baby, ooh, ooh, ooh)

I know a man ain't supposed to cry
But these tears I can't hold inside
Losin' you would end my life you see
'Cause you mean that much to me
You could have told me yourself
That you love someone else
Instead I

Heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine
Oh I heard it through the grapevine
And I'm just about to lose my mind
Honey, honey yeah
(Heard it through the grapevine)
(Not much longer would you be my baby, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)

People say believe half of what you see, son
And none of what you hear
But I can't help bein' confused
If it's true please tell me dear
Do you plan to let me go
For the other guy you loved before?
Don'tcha know I

Heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine
Baby I heard it through the grapevine
Ooh I'm just about to lose my mind
Honey, honey yeah
(Heard it through the grapevine)
(Not much longer would you be my baby, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Honey, honey, I know
That you're lettin' me go




Said, I heard it through the grapevine
Heard it through the grapevine

Overall Meaning

The Starlite Orchestra & Singers’s “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” is a song about betrayal and heartbreak. The singer of the song admits to receiving information from other sources about his significant other’s plans to leave him for someone else. The song further highlights the singer’s confusion as he questions the potential of being let go for someone else. The opening line, “Ooh, I bet you’re wondering how I knew,” is key as it suggests that the singer found out about his significant other’s plans through gossip, hence the grapevine.


The song is delivered in a mournful tone that perfectly captures the pain of the singer’s situation. The line, “Not much longer would you be mine,” particularly stands out as it is delivered with a sense of desperation and urgency that shows how much the singer does not want to lose his significant other. The song’s repetition of “Heard it through the grapevine” is particularly poignant as it highlights just how much the singer is struggling to come to terms with his partner leaving him.


Line by Line Meaning

Ooh, I bet you're wonderin' how I knew
I can sense that you are curious about how I found out


'Bout your plans to make me blue
About your intentions to upset me


With some other guy you knew before
Being with a man you were previously acquainted with


Between the two of us guys you know I love you more
Out of the two of us, it is evident that I love you more


It took me by surprise I must say
I was very surprised by the news


When I found out yesterday
Upon finding out about this yesterday


Don'tcha know that I
You should know that I


Heard it through the grapevine
I heard about it from an informal source or network of sources


Not much longer would you be mine
It won't be long before you leave me


Oh I heard it through the grapevine
Once again, I heard about it through an informal network


Oh I'm just about to lose my mind
The news is driving me crazy


Honey, honey yeah
My dear, my dear, yeah


I know a man ain't supposed to cry
It's not typical for a man to cry


But these tears I can't hold inside
But I can't help but cry right now


Losin' you would end my life you see
Losing you would be devastating to me


'Cause you mean that much to me
Because you're very important to me


You could have told me yourself
You could've given me the news directly


That you love someone else
That you have feelings for someone else


Instead I
However, I


People say believe half of what you see, son
People often advise to not fully trust what you see


And none of what you hear
As well as not fully trusting what you hear


But I can't help bein' confused
Despite this advice, I'm still confused


If it's true please tell me dear
If what I heard is true, please confirm it for me


Do you plan to let me go
Do you intend to break up with me


For the other guy you loved before?
To be with the man you loved previously?


Don'tcha know I
You should know that I


Honey, honey yeah
My dear, my dear, yeah


Baby I heard it through the grapevine
Once again, I heard about it through an informal network


Ooh I'm just about to lose my mind
The news is driving me crazy


(Heard it through the grapevine)
(I heard about it through an informal network)


(Not much longer would you be my baby, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
(It won't be long before you leave me)


Honey, honey, I know
My dear, my dear, I know


That you're lettin' me go
That you're breaking up with me


Said, I heard it through the grapevine
Once again, I heard about it through an informal network


Heard it through the grapevine
I heard about it from an informal source or network of sources




Writer(s): B.strong, N.whitfield

Contributed by Jayce K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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