The trio of Scott Walker (Noel Scott Engel), Gary Walker (Gary Leeds, formerly of The Standells), and John Walker (John Maus, November 12, 1943 - May 7, 2011) moved from the U.S. to Britain in 1965. Like The Ramones, they were not related, and adopted the same last name as a show business touch. They had only minor success in the U.S., but topped the UK singles charts with Make It Easy On Yourself in 1965 and The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore) in 1966.
After a UK tour in late 1967, which also featured Jimi Hendrix, Cat Stevens, and Engelbert Humperdinck, followed by a tour of Japan in 1968, the group officially disbanded. After the group disbanded, all three members scored U.S. and UK chart hits, under their Walker names.
Reforming in 1974, The Walker Brothers recorded a version of Tom Rush's No Regrets which soared into the British Top Ten after an absence of over a decade. However, the three albums that followed sold poorly: No Regrets (1975), Lines (1976), and Nite Flights (1978). Scott Walker's tracks on the final album, Nite Flights, laid the stylistic groundwork for his later solo career.
John Walker died at his Los Angeles home on May 7, 2011
Just Say Goodbye
The Walker Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
there's nothing more to say, when love like ours can die
Just say goodbye, forget the life we knew,
the memory of you, will only make me cry
Just say goodbye, to leave me on my own,
to face the world alone and never knowing why
Just say goodbye, and though I don't know how,
Just say goodbye, it's sad that you must go,
you loved me once I know, this much I can't deny
Oh my love, my own true love, oh where did we go wrong
Oh my love, my own true love, oh how can I go on?
Just say goodbye, it's sad that you must go,
you loved me once I know, this much i can't deny
Just say goodbye and please don't turn around
another love you've found now spread your wings and fly
Just say goodbye.... just say goodbye.... just say goodbye....
The lyrics of The Walker Brothers' song Just Say Goodbye showcases the emotions of a person who has lost their love and is pleading for closure. The singer of the song is trying to convince his partner to end things by saying goodbye, as there's nothing left to say or do to save their dying love. The chorus emphasizes the request, and the singer is willing to leave and start a new life if his partner can simply say goodbye.
The verse "forget the life we knew, the memory of you, will only make me cry" emphasizes the intensity of the emotional pain that the singer is going through. He is not only pleading for her to leave but also asking her to remove any memory of her from his mind. The song's melancholic tone and the expressive lyrics convey the loneliness and desperation the singer feels after losing his love.
In the end, the singer accepts that his love is leaving and that he must go on with his life. He pleads for his love to take off and soar with the new love she has found, even though his heart is breaking into a million pieces.
Overall, Just Say Goodbye is a heartbreaking song of unrequited love and the difficulties of letting go of someone you care about deeply.
Line by Line Meaning
Just say goodbye, and let me walk away, there's nothing more to say, when love like ours can die
Please tell me goodbye and let me go, there are no more words left to say except that a love like ours has come to an end
Just say goodbye, forget the life we knew, the memory of you, will only make me cry
If you could simply say goodbye, forget the life we had and all the moments that we shared, I might be able to move on and not feel so sad
Just say goodbye, to leave me on my own, to face the world alone and never knowing why
If you leave me on my own, I'll have to face the world alone and I'll never have an answer as to why our love had to die
Just say goodbye, and though I don't know how, I couldn't hate you now, no matter how I tried
Even if I don't know how to say goodbye, I could never bring myself to hate you, no matter how hard I tried
Just say goodbye, it's sad that you must go, you loved me once I know, this much I can't deny
It's a sad thing to say goodbye, but I know that you must leave. I can never deny that you loved me once, and that was something special
Oh my love, my own true love, oh where did we go wrong
Oh my love, my own true love, where did our love start to falter and go wrong?
Oh my love, my own true love, oh how can I go on?
Oh my love, my own true love, how can I move on from our love ending?
Just say goodbye, it's sad that you must go, you loved me once I know, this much I can't deny
It's a sad thing to say goodbye, but I know that you must leave. I can never deny that you loved me once, and that was something special
Just say goodbye and please don't turn around, another love you've found now spread your wings and fly
Just say goodbye and don't look back, you've found another love and it's time for you to spread your wings and fly
Just say goodbye.... just say goodbye.... just say goodbye....
Just say goodbye, that's all I need to hear, just say goodbye...
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: P. CLARK, P. DELANOE, T. HATCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Walsh
A brilliant performance from The Walker Brothers. One of the greatest groups ever
backpages98
That last minute or so is so powerful, kinda crazy I continue to say that about so many of their songs but it's true, There's not a lot of ways you can emit emotion better than with an orchestra and horns on top of the Clark lyrics which are just perfect for Scott and John to sing. Great song!
beachgirl1947
The very best male group ever. Scott had THE most beautiful voice.
beachgirl1947
I never knew Pet Clark wrote this ! Gorgeous arrangement..
Pipkin Hopkins
Just love how this song grows. All mild then the drums kick in and it unfolds into a great big gothic, spector like anthem !! Only the Walkers could do this !
Anthony Mead
This is brilliant. Dark and moody, just right for the Walker Brothers. They excelled in this sort of thing. Didn't realise Petula Clarke was so talented a songwriter. Excellent.
Christina Huie
Petula Clark translated the French lyrics.
Anthony Mead
This is perfect for Scott to sing. I think this is the best thing they ever did as a group. Fascinating.
Julie Robinson
I can't say goodbye, in my head you are still here while I can still hear your wonderful voice. So sad.
Raymond Morgan
Wonderful wonderful orchestration so melodic + dramatic. One of their best if little known.