Tony Rich got his start in the music industry as a staff writer at LaFace Records. While there, Rich penned hits for Boyz II Men, Johnny Gill, TLC and Toni Braxton.
While living in Detroit, Rich started playing in jazz fusion and soul bands and worked with local Detroit songwriters. It was at this time that John Salley, Detroit Pistons player and record producer, encouraged Rich to work with his artists and to even make his own tracks.
Meeting with R&B singer Pebbles, Tony Rich was introduced to her then-husband L.A. Reid. As co-founder of LaFace Records, Reid convinced Rich to move to Atlanta and to begin writing and producing for established acts. One of Rich's first projects was a session with Elton John and Sounds of Blackness for a Curtis Mayfield tribute LP. He then expanded his portfolio to include work with the previously mentioned stars.
In early 1996, Rich made his solo debut with the cd Words and the hit single Nobody Knows, which made it to number 2 on the top 100. Both the album and single went platinum and in 1997, Tony Rich won the Grammy for Best Male R&B album. The album featured two Grammy-nominated singles, Like A Woman and Nobody Knows.
The album was followed up in 1998 by Birdseye which, while critically praised, failed to generate much commercial success. Rich seemingly disappeared from the music world for several years after his album's release.
In 2003, Rich came back on the scene with the album Resurrected. Carrying a very different style this time around, the album featured Rich rocking out on the guitar as well as singing smooth ballads.
In 2006, Rich released a fourth album, Pictures. The album contains snapshots of a relationship, and is far more in the veins of his earlier works.
In 2008, he released his fifth album, Exist through Hidden Beach Recordings. Originally it was set for release on September 16, however it was pushed back to September 23, 2008. The album features download-only single, Part the Waves.
Nobody Knows It But Me
The Tony Rich Project Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wish I told her how I felt..
Maybe she'd be here right now.
But instead...
I pretended I'm glad you went away
These four walls closin' more every day
And I'm dying inside
Like a clown I put on a show
The pain is real even if nobody knows
And I'm crying inside
And nobody knows it but me
Why didn't I say the things I needed to say?
How could I let my angel get away?
Now my world is just a tumblin' down
I can say it so clearly, but you're nowhere around
The nights are lonely, the days are so sad
And I just keep thinkin' about the love that we had
And I'm missin' you
And nobody knows it but me
I carry a smile when I'm broken in two
And I'm nobody without someone like you
I'm tremblin' inside
And nobody knows it but me
I lie awake it's a quarter past three
I'm screamin' at night as if I thought you'd hear me
Yeah my heart is callin' you
And nobody knows it but me
How blue can I get?
You could ask my heart
But like a jigsaw puzzle it's been torn all apart
A million words couldn't say just how I feel
A million years from now you know, I'll be lovin' you still
The nights are lonely, the days are so sad
And I just keep thinkin' about the love that we had
And I'm missin' you
And nobody knows it but me
Tomorrow mornin' I'm hitting the dusty road
Gonna find you wherever, ever you might go
I'm gonna unload my heart
And hope you come back to me
Said when the nights are lonely...
The nights are lonely, the days are so sad
And I just keep thinkin' about the love that we had
And I'm missin' you
And nobody knows it but me
The Tony Rich Project's song "Nobody Knows It But Me" is a heart-wrenching ballad about a man who is struggling to cope with the loss of his love. He regrets not telling her how he felt, and now that she's gone, he finds himself alone and crying inside. Despite putting on a brave face and pretending that everything is okay, he is tormented by his feelings of loneliness and despair. The song paints a vivid picture of the pain of lost love and the longing for a second chance.
The lyrics of the song are extremely poetic, and they capture the complex emotions of heartbreak and regret that are universal to anyone who has ever loved and lost. The singer is acutely aware of his own failings and shortcomings, and he is haunted by what he imagines could have been. He wonders why he never said the things he needed to say, and he is frustrated by his inability to communicate his feelings. In the end, the only thing he can do is hope that his love will come back to him, even though he knows that the future is uncertain.
Overall, "Nobody Knows It But Me" is a beautiful and moving song that speaks to the deep pain and longing of the human heart. It is a tribute to the power of love, and it shows that even in our darkest moments, we can find hope and redemption in the memory of the ones we have loved.
Line by Line Meaning
I pretended I'm glad you went away
I am trying to hide my true feelings by acting like I am happy you left.
These four walls closin' more every day
Being alone is making me feel trapped and suffocated.
And I'm dying inside
I feel like I am slowly falling apart on the inside.
Like a clown I put on a show
I am pretending to be happy even though I feel like a joke.
The pain is real even if nobody knows
Even though I try to hide it, the pain I feel is very real.
And I'm crying inside
I am feeling so much emotional pain that it is making me cry on the inside.
Why didn't I say the things I needed to say?
I regret not expressing my true feelings when I had the chance.
How could I let my angel get away?
I cannot believe that I let go of someone as perfect as you.
Now my world is just a tumblin' down
My life feels like it is falling apart since you left.
The nights are lonely, the days are so sad
I feel so alone and empty without you.
And I just keep thinkin' about the love that we had
I cannot stop thinking about how great our love used to be.
And I'm missin' you
I am longing for your presence and your love.
I carry a smile when I'm broken in two
I try to hide my pain by putting on a fake smile.
And I'm nobody without someone like you
You were everything to me and now I feel like nothing without you.
I'm tremblin' inside
I am feeling so much emotional pain that it is making me physically shake.
I lie awake it's a quarter past three
I am unable to sleep and find myself awake at three in the morning.
I'm screamin' at night as if I thought you'd hear me
I am so desperate for you to hear my cries of pain that I scream out into the night.
Yeah my heart is callin' you
My heart is aching for you and is begging for your return.
You could ask my heart
My heart is so broken that it feels like it has turned blue from the emotional pain.
But like a jigsaw puzzle it's been torn all apart
My heart feels like it has been ripped into a million pieces and is unable to be put back together.
A million words couldn't say just how I feel
I cannot even begin to express the depth of my emotions with words alone.
A million years from now you know, I'll be lovin' you still
My love for you is eternal and will never fade away.
Tomorrow mornin' I'm hitting the dusty road
I plan on leaving in the morning to search for you.
Gonna find you wherever, ever you might go
I am determined to find you no matter where you may be.
I'm gonna unload my heart
I am going to express my true feelings to you.
And hope you come back to me
I am holding onto hope that you will return to me and that we can be together again.
Contributed by Annabelle D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ned234-6
[singing:]
I pretend that I'm glad you went away
These four walls closing more every day
And I'm dying inside
And nobody knows it but me
Like a clown I put on a show
The pain is real even if nobody knows
And I'm crying inside
And nobody knows it but me
Why didn't I say the things I needed to say
How could I let my angel get away
Now my world is just a-tumblin' down
I can say it so clearly but you're nowhere around
The nights are so lonely the days are so sad and
I just keep thinking about the love that we had
And I'm missing you
And nobody knows it but me
I carry smile when I'm broken in two
And I'm nobody without someone like you
I'm trembling inside
And nobody knows it but me (yeah)
Lie awake, it's a quarter past three
I'm screaming at night if I thought you'd hear me
Yeah, my heart is calling you
And nobody knows it but me (well, well)
How blue can I get?
You could ask my heart
But like a jigsaw puzzle it's been torn all apart
Billion words couldn't say just how I feel
A million years from now you know I'll be loving you still
The nights are so lonely the days are so sad and
I just keep thinking about the love that we had
And I'm missing you
And nobody knows it but me
Oooo oohhhhh yeah
Tomorrow morning, I'm a hit a dusty road
Gonna find you, where ever, ever you might go
And I'm gonna unload my heart and hope you come back to me
@voodooCGS
Im leaving this comment today so when someone likes it, im reminded of this track and come back to it.
@frankleeuwerke8786
Ha ha ha it really hard to keep count when you're so funny and likeable, try to keep up no tellin how big this this will get @VooDooCGS out bro
@Nwidmann
Welcome back
@CdtMagiciloveyoutoo
Way bigger than you can see
@oscarl.ramirez7355
What did the Joker say to The Thief?
I need some relief.
except if your are vkm/djt/and vp moo voo due Child
Russian Women R Whore
@terryburton971
Welcome back 2/27/24
@anastasiamiller557
My oldest daughter is 28 and it reminds me of her Dad so much! We split and he got married and is very successful but his wife is very ill in a wheelchair and he runs his own business and comes home to take care of her! I'm so happy that he found love and success, it's hard enough to find just one! I would be lying if I said it doesn't hurt all these years later! He was an addict and poor when they got together and still loved him and helped him through it all! She is very good to my daughter and granddaughters and they love her very much,so even though it hurts I'm blessed that he married such a wonderful strong wife!!!
@steveandjuliewebster9225
Sounds like you still love your ex husband
@shivaraj108
Can't help feelings, it's awesome that the bigger part of you can be happy for them and feel blessed despite the emotions.
@justrelaxeye
You’re one mature individual! ❤ Thankful that i came across your message. May god continue to bless you and your family!