The original lineup included three lead vocalists — Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron, and Cory Wells — along with Michael Allsup on guitar, Jimmy Greenspoon on keyboards Floyd Sneed on drums and Joe Schermie (from the Cory Wells Blues Band) on bass.
Three Dog Night recorded some tracks with Beach Boys producer, composer, vocalist, and instrumentalist Brian Wilson before signing with Dunhill Records and at the time went under the name Redwood. The band changed their name based on an article describing how Australian Aborigines slept with their dogs for warmth on cold nights, the coldest being a "three-dog night."
Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer
Three Dog Night Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I thought you'd go then come back home
I thought the cold would leave by summer
But my quiet nights will be spent alone
You said then you'd be warmed up in springtime
Oh, you said that is when you started to be cold
No, no
But now I find myself all alone
You said then you'd be alive in autumn
Then you said you'd be the one to see the way
No, no, no, no, no
I never dreamed you'd leave in summer, oh
But now I find my love has gone away
Why didn't you stay?
I want to know why didn't you stay
Ah babe
Why didn't you, why didn't you
Why, I think I should know why didn't you stay
I think I should know why, why
Why didn't you stay?
The lyrics to Three Dog Night's song "Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer" tell a poignant story of a relationship that ended unexpectedly. The singer never thought that their partner would leave during the warm summer months, and they had assumed that they would return home after a brief absence. They had also anticipated that the coldness between them would dissipate with the arrival of summer, but instead, they find themselves spending lonely nights without their loved one.
The lyrics suggest that the departure was sudden and unexpected, and the singer is struggling to come to terms with the loss of their partner. The second verse reveals that the partner had given assurances that they would return in the springtime and that they would be alive in the autumn, but those promises were not kept. The repeated refrain of "Why didn't you stay?" is a plaintive cry for answers, for some kind of explanation that might make sense of the heartbreak that the singer is experiencing.
The song captures the sense of longing and confusion that can come with the sudden end of a relationship. The singer is left to wonder why their partner left and what might have been different if they had stayed. The lyrics are poignant and heartfelt, and they resonate with anyone who has experienced the pain of a breakup.
Line by Line Meaning
I never dreamed you'd leave in summer
I didn't expect you to leave during the warm months
I thought you'd go then come back home
I assumed you would return after your departure
I thought the cold would leave by summer
I believed that any emotional distance between us would cease during the warm season
But my quiet nights will be spent alone
Now I will spend my evenings without your company
You said then you'd be warmed up in springtime
You had claimed that you would feel better by the start of spring
Oh, you said that is when you started to be cold
However, that is when you began to withdraw emotionally from me
No, no
I never dreamed you'd leave in summer
I never expected you to leave during the warm months
But now I find myself all alone
Yet, here I am without you
You said then you'd be alive in autumn
At a later time, you mentioned how the fall season would revitalize you
Then you said you'd be the one to see the way
You expressed that you would have the answers to our problems
No, no, no, no, no
I never dreamed you'd leave in summer, oh
Again, I was not expecting you to leave during the warm months
But now I find my love has gone away
However, you have left me and our relationship behind
Why didn't you stay?
I cannot comprehend why you chose to depart
I want to know why didn't you stay
I desire an explanation as to why you did not stay with me
Ah babe
Why didn't you, why didn't you
My dear, why why did you not stay?
Why, I think I should know why didn't you stay
It is important to me to understand why you decided to go
I think I should know why, why
Why didn't you stay?
Why was it necessary for you to leave, I really want to know
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Stevie Wonder, Syreeta Wright
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Christine Shire
on My Impersonal Life
Who sang vocals for this