He was born in Omaha, Nebraska. Harris traveled as a singer and dancer with the Lucky Millinder Big Band in his youth. His first big solo hit was in 1944 with his record "Who Threw The Whiskey in the Well". He was a dynamic live performer who brought a lot of attention to the emerging styles of rhythm and blues.
Harris made a major contribution to the birth of rock and roll when he covered "Good Rocking Tonight", written and originally recorded by Roy Brown. Brown's version was a jump blues with a jazz rhythm section. Harris's cover version was much more frantic and played with a much stronger back beat. In effect, Harris, a black artist, had done what many white artists were to do later. He had turned blues into rock and roll and made one of the first rock and roll records. The song was later covered by Elvis Presley.
Harris recorded for many labels and in 1947, had a hit on Aladdin Records with "Wynonie's Blues", featuring Illinois Jacquet on tenor sax. His greatest success came at King Records where he was the leading male solo artist. "All She Wants to Do is Rock" went to Number One on the R&B charts. Many of his songs were novelty numbers, like "(Don't Roll Those) Bloodshot Eyes (at Me)", "Good Morning, Judge", and "I Love my Baby's Pudding", and his last hit, "Loving Machine".
Harris' severe alcoholism resulted in his career going into a tailspin in the mid-1950s. While other blues shouters of his generation such as Big Joe Turner were able to maintain their popularity despite changing styles, and Presley's cover versions brought his songs to a whole new audience, Harris fell into obscurity. He recorded little after 1956 and nothing after 1960. Harris' last public appearance was as a guest performer at a Motortown Revue concert at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California in 1966, which was universally considered to be a disaster (according to author Nick Tosches' article on Harris in Creem magazine, collected in Tosches' Unsung Heroes of Rock and Roll). Harris died of throat cancer on June 14, 1969.
Here Comes The Night
Wynonie Harris Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know 'em Tuesday's rain
Well, the days go by me
Like a southbound train
Yes, it's funny thinking
You will never call my name
Here comes long lonely
Here comes the blues
You know my time is cold
Nothing new, blue lady
I won't get old
Cause the deal is gone now
I'd just better hold
Here comes long lonely
Here comes the blues
Well, sun has run down
She has gone out to hide
Yes, and now I'm out walking
Where the midnight ride
Just me and the good-time Charlies
And the suicide
Here comes long lonely
Here comes the blues
Well, Monday's dry
Yes, and Tuesday's just the same
Maybe come down blue Wednesday
I'm gonna grab the brakes again
Cause no bottle of pills
Could ever kill this pain
Here comes long lonely
Here comes the blues
Here comes long lonely
Here comes the blues
The lyrics to Wynonie Harris's "Here Comes the Blues" express a sense of resignation and weariness about the world and its routines. The opening lines set the tone by describing the passage of time as something that is out of the singer's control, something that passes by him like a train that can't be caught. The repetition of the phrase "here comes" throughout the song underscores the inevitability of the blues and the sense of anticipation (or dread) that comes with their arrival.
The singer's sense of isolation and loneliness comes through in lines like "You will never call my name" and "Just me and the good-time Charlies and the suicide." The latter line is particularly striking, as it suggests a social circle that includes both those who party too much and those who have given up entirely. The image of walking alone at midnight further reinforces the sense of being adrift and disconnected from the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Monday is shining
Although it's a bright Monday, the singer's mood is low and he is not happy.
You know 'em Tuesday's rain
The singer expects Tuesday to be another gloomy day.
Well, the days go by me / Like a southbound train
Time is moving quickly and it feels like the singer has no control over it.
Yes, it's funny thinking / You will never call my name
The artist finds it ironic that the person he is thinking of will never think to 'call his name' or check up on him.
Here comes long lonely / Here comes the blues
The artist knows that he is about to fall into a pit of loneliness and sadness.
Well, the world's the same old comedy
The singer feels like he is stuck in a never-ending cycle of disappointment and sadness, and it seems like a joke to him.
You know my time is cold
The singer is feeling emotionally cold and isolated.
Nothing new, blue lady
The person being addressed is a recurring source of sadness for the artist.
I won't get old / Cause the deal is gone now / I'd just better hold
The artist doesn't see the point in living long since everything he cared about is gone, so he just wants to hold on to what he has left in the present moment.
Well, sun has run down / She has gone out to hide
The sun has set, symbolizing the end of a happy time, and the artist feels like happiness is hiding from him.
Yes, and now I'm out walking / Where the midnight ride
The singer is aimlessly wandering around in the middle of the night, trying to escape his thoughts and feelings.
Just me and the good-time Charlies / And the suicide
The artist is surrounded by people who are carefree and enjoying life, but he still feels alone and hopeless.
Well, Monday's dry / Yes, and Tuesday's just the same / Maybe come down blue Wednesday / I'm gonna grab the brakes again
The singer doesn't have hope for the upcoming days and is already planning to stop his cycle of sadness before it gets worse.
Cause no bottle of pills / Could ever kill this pain
The singer has tried everything he can think of to alleviate his emotional pain, but nothing seems to work.
Here comes long lonely / Here comes the blues / Here comes long lonely / Here comes the blues
The singer is fully expecting to succumb to feelings of loneliness and sadness in the near future.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: EDELSTEIN, HOHENGARTEN, LOESSER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tasi Chang Wu
Alto Saxophone – Holley Dismukes*, Ted Buckner*
Bass – Joe Williams
Drums – William Benjamin
Piano – Todd Rhodes
Tenor Saxophone – Charles Edwards
Trumpet – Howard Thompson
Okmusix
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