Born in Cleveland, Ohio.
Womack and his brothers were a gospel group. They changed their name to the Valentinos and became protégés of Sam Cooke.
Cecil became the second husband of Motown star Mary Wells in 1967. Together they had three children: Cecil Jr, Stacy and Harry.
After their 1977 divorce, Wells married Cecil's other brother, Curtis Womack.
Cecil next married Linda Cooke, the daughter of Sam Cooke. This created scandal because Cecil's brother Bobby Womack married Sam Cooke's widow Barbara Campbell in March 1965, just 3 months after Sam Cooke's December 1964 murder.
In 1983, under the name of Womack & Womack, Cecil and Linda released a successful album, "Love Wars", and continued to make albums until 1991. Their song "Love Wars" was covered by The Beautiful South for the 1990 compilation Rubáiyát. Their most successful single was "Teardrops".
The Reason
Womack & Womack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then my sister came over, had the Sunday paper with her
There was the girl on the social page
Lookin' in love and all engaged
We decided she don't take a very good picture
It may be my family's redneck nature
Rubbin' off, bringin' out unlady-like behavior
But I don't like her
She may be an angel who spends all winter
Bringin' the homeless blankets and dinner
A regular Nobel Peace Prize winner
But I really hate her
I'll think of a reason later
I drew horns and blacked out her tooth with a marker
Childish, yes, but she made such a thin little target
I couldn't be happier on my own
But I've got the slightest of a jealous bone
And seein' her with him tends to enlarge it
It may be my family's redneck nature
Rubbin' off, bringin' out unlady-like behavior
It sure ain't Christian to judge a stranger
But I don't like her
She may be an angel who spends all winter
Bringin' the homeless blankets and dinner
A regular Nobel Peace Prize winner
But I really hate her
I'll think of a reason later
Inside her head may lay all the answers
For curin' diseases from baldness to cancer
Salt of the earth and a real good dancer
But I really hate her
I'll think of a reason later
Well, it was just one tooth
Did I mention I don't particularly care for her?
She makes me sick
The lyrics to Womack & Womack's song "The Reason" explore feelings of jealousy and dislike towards someone who is set to marry the singer's love interest. The song begins with the singer hearing that their love interest is going to marry someone from Denver. Then, when their sister brings over the Sunday paper with a picture of the engaged couple, the singer and their sister agree that the girl doesn't look good in the photograph. The singer acknowledges that it may not be fair to judge someone they don't know, but they can't help disliking her. They even admit to childish behavior like drawing horns and blacking out her tooth with a marker. Despite any possible good qualities the girl may have, the singer insists on hating her and promises to find a reason later. The song concludes with the singer expressing their strong aversion to her, emphasizing that even the slightest detail like a single tooth makes them sick.
Overall, the lyrics of "The Reason" delve into the complex feelings of jealousy, insecurity, and dislike towards someone who poses a threat to the singer's relationship. It explores the human tendency to judge and harbor negative emotions towards others, even without valid reasons or full knowledge of the person. The song also touches on the singer's struggle to reconcile their own feelings of resentment and acknowledges the irrationality of their reactions.
Line by Line Meaning
I heard he was gonna marry some girl from Denver
I received information that he was planning to marry a woman from Denver
Then my sister came over, had the Sunday paper with her
Later, my sister arrived and brought the Sunday paper along
There was the girl on the social page
I saw the woman's picture on the social page of the newspaper
Lookin' in love and all engaged
She appeared to be in love and engaged to someone
We decided she don't take a very good picture
We concluded that she wasn't photogenic
It may be my family's redneck nature
Perhaps it's due to my family's rustic upbringing
Rubbin' off, bringin' out unlady-like behavior
Influencing me and causing me to exhibit behavior unbecoming of a lady
It sure ain't Christian to judge a stranger
Certainly, it goes against Christian values to pass judgment on someone unknown
But I don't like her
However, I have a dislike for her
She may be an angel who spends all winter
Although she might be a benevolent individual who helps the homeless during winter
Bringin' the homeless blankets and dinner
Providing the homeless with blankets and meals
A regular Nobel Peace Prize winner
A frequent recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
But I really hate her
Nevertheless, I genuinely detest her
I'll think of a reason later
I will come up with a justification at a later time
I drew horns and blacked out her tooth with a marker
I took a marker and added horns to her picture while also blacking out one of her teeth
Childish, yes, but she made such a thin little target
Admittedly childish, but she presented herself as an easy subject for such actions
I couldn't be happier on my own
I am perfectly content being alone
But I've got the slightest of a jealous bone
However, I possess a small amount of jealousy
And seein' her with him tends to enlarge it
Observing her together with him tends to intensify my jealousy
Inside her head may lay all the answers
Possibly, she holds all the solutions within her mind
For curin' diseases from baldness to cancer
Regarding the cure of various ailments ranging from baldness to cancer
Salt of the earth and a real good dancer
A truly genuine and skilled dancer
But I really hate her
However, I genuinely despise her
I'll think of a reason later
I will come up with an explanation at a later time
Well, it was just one tooth
Well, I only darkened one tooth
Did I mention I don't particularly care for her?
Did I forget to mention that I don't particularly like her?
She makes me sick
She nauseates me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TONY MARTIN, TIM NICHOLS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@herbertwells6097
I was in the Marines when this came out, her voice is natural!!!!!
@enrico0094
Thanks for posting this. I loved this album in 1986 and it has dated really well. It does sound like a pre-cursor to "Teardrops", you're right!
@lukemoynahan5521
Wonderful!
@dylannowak3226
This sound looks like Teardrops exact