Etta James & B. B. King - There's Something on Your Mind

"There's Something on Your Mind (Part 2)" is a song originally recorded as "There Is Something on Your Mind" in 1957 by Big Jay McNeely. The song credits Cecil James McNeely as its writer, Big Jay McNeely's birth name.Though McNeely is listed as the song's writer, he has freely admitted that he purchased the song from the Rivingtons' vocalist John "Sonny" Harris, who in turn had lifted much of it from a gospel song, "Something on My Mind" by the Highway QCs. The lead vocalist on this original recording was Little Sonny Warner. The song was recorded along his band in a small Seattle recording studio, and leased more than a year later to Los Angeles disc jockey Hunter Hancock's Swingin' Records label. This first recording reached number 42 on Billboard's pop chart and number 5 on the R&B chart in early 1959.

The song has been recorded many times since then by Big Jay McNeely himself with various collaborators.

Lyrics

There's something on your mind
By the way you look at me
There is something on your mind, baby
By the way you look at me
And what you're thinking brings happiness
Oh, and it bring misery

Please, please, don't try to tell me
I think, I, I understand
No, no, don't try to tell me, baby
'Cause I think, I, I understand
You want me to try and forget you
Well, I'll do, baby, I'll do the best I can

You know it hurts you when you're in love with someone
And you know that someone don't love you
It carries a heavy burden on your heart to know
That the someone that you're in love with
Is in love with your best friend

And I'll tell you, when someone else is rocking you
Rocking your cradle, you know, better
Than you can rock your cradle yourself
Then there's only one thing for you to do

You just pack your clothes turn around
And slowly walk out of the door
Look over your left shoulder as you go out
Then you hang your head and you say

Oh please don't try to tell me
Uh huh, I think, I understand
No, no, no, no please don't try to tell me
Because you think, you think I understand
Oh you want me to try, to try to forget you, baby
And I'll tell you, I'll do the best I can

You know after you have done all you could do
And you can't take no more, then you go downtown
You get your big baseball bat
And you come back on the scene

Where they both are still together
And then you just go and kick down the door
Now as you kick down the door you just start
Beating the hell of everybody that you can see

Everybody that comes through the door
And just as you make up your mind that you're gonna try
To forgive her, then out comes another one of your friends

And that really blows your mind so you go and think about
You say to yourself, baby I realize I've done wrong
But please forgive me and with a smirky smile on her face
Then she look up at you and she say

If you ever think about me
(Oh I think about you, baby)
If you ever change your mind
(Oh you're staying on my mind, baby)

If you ever think about me
(Oh I think, I think about you all the time)
And if I ever cross your mind
(You stay on my mind)

Well, you know, you know
You know I'm yours
And I know, I know you got to be mine
(Yeah)

There's something on your mind, be
I can tell by the way you look at me
(Oh, there's something, on my mind, baby)
There is something on your mind
(Oh can you tell, there's something on my mind)
By the way you look at me
(Oh the way I look at you, you look good to me)

And what you're thinking brings happiness
(Yes, baby)
Oh and it can bring misery
(Yes, all right)

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Big Jay McNeely

There's Something on Your Mind lyrics © BMG Rights Management