I Didn't Know About You
Thelma Carpenter With Count Basie And His Orchestra Lyrics
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The usual laughs, not often, but loud
And in the world that I knew
I didn't know about you
Chasing after the ring, on the merry-go-round
Just taking my fun, where it could be found
And yet what else could I do
I didn't know about you
I had the loneliest yesterday, everyday
In your arms
I know for once in my life, I'm living
Had a good time, everytime I went out
Romance was a thing, I kidded about
How could I know about love
I didn't know about you
Darling, now I know
I had the loneliest yesterday, everyday
In your arms
I know for once in my life, I'm living
Had a good time, everytime I went out
Romance was a thing, I kidded about
How could I know about love
I didn't know about you
I didn't know about you
The song "I Didn't Know About You," sung by Thelma Carpenter with Count Basie and His Orchestra, talks about the feeling of loneliness that one experiences before falling in love. The first two stanzas describe the singer's life before meeting the person she loves. She says that she used to hang out with her own little crowd, enjoy typical teenage experiences such as laughter and fun, but never knew love. She did not know about the existence of someone so special that would change everything until she met someone that she fell in love with. The singer did not believe in love or knew about it until she met the one that changed her life. She then realizes that being with this person feels like she is living for the first time and finally, has a better understanding of love.
The song's overall tone is driven by the realization of the feeling of loneliness and the impact of love in a person's life. It emphasizes the importance of love and how it can change one's life.
Line by Line Meaning
I ran around, with my own little crowd
I used to hang out with my group of friends and follow our own interests
The usual laughs, not often, but loud
We laughed a lot while we were familiar with each other, but we didn't really spend much time together
And in the world that I knew
I was living in my own bubble without much exposure to outside experiences or people
I didn't know about you
I was not aware of your existence and how significant you would be in my life
Chasing after the ring, on the merry-go-round
I was chasing after materialistic things, without realizing that it wasn't making me happy
Just taking my fun, where it could be found
I was just trying to enjoy myself and have a good time, wherever and however I could find it
And yet what else could I do
I didn't really have any other choice, considering my limited knowledge and experiences at the time
I didn't know about you
I wasn't aware of your existence and how significant you would be in my life
Darling, now I know
Now that I've met you and experienced life with you, I understand how important you are to me
I had the loneliest yesterday, everyday
I was really lonely before I met you, every single day
In your arms
Being close to you gives me comfort, love and a sense of belonging
I know for once in my life, I'm living
Now that I'm with you, I feel alive and truly understand the meaning of life
Had a good time, everytime I went out
I used to enjoy myself whenever I went out before I met you
Romance was a thing, I kidded about
I used to make fun of the idea of romance before I realized how much I truly wanted it
How could I know about love
I didn't really understand the concept of love until I met you
I didn't know about you
I didn't realize how special and important you would be in my life
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOB RUSSELL, DUKE ELLINGTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind