Al Green – Tired of Being Alone

If I had to give a definition for soul music…I would play this song. Something about Al Green’s voice that is so soothing and exciting at the same time. Green originally wrote the song in 1968 and recorded a version while signed to Hi Records. However, the song was initially not released. Green said: “I was toting my song around in my pocket for days on end, saying, ‘Hey, I got a song.’ Finally, at the end of the session, I said, ‘Well, I still got a song.'” 

This song was released in 1971 as the first single from his album Al Green Gets Next to You. It was written by Al Green himself, along with Al Jackson Jr. (the drummer for his band, the Hi Rhythm Section). The song became a huge hit and is considered a classic. It has a blend of soul, gospel, and R&B, which did him well in his career. 

This song never gets old, and listening to Al’s voice certainly never gets old. This song peaked at #11 on the Billboard 100 and #36 in Canada. Al Green has had twenty songs in the Billboard top 100, eight top 10 songs, and a #1 with Let’s Stay Together. This song was a turning point in his career. This was his first top-twenty hit. Al Green Gets Next to You peaked at #58 on the Billboard Album Charts. 

During a 1979 concert in Cincinnati, he fell 12 feet off a stage and barely missed being seriously injured. Already a Christian, preaching in front of his Memphis congregation most every Sunday morning, Green thanked Jesus and walked away from performing, vowing never to return. “The fall was God’s way of saying I had to hurry up,” Green said a decade ago, smack in the middle of The Gospel Years. “I wasn’t moving toward God fast enough.” He has rarely performed live since then outside of his Church. 

Al Green is currently the Pastor at Full Gospel Tabernacle Church in Memphis TN.

Tired of Being Alone

I’m so tired of being alone,
I’m so tired of on my own,
Won’t you help me, girl,
Just as soon as you can.
People say that I’ve found a way,
To make you say,
That you love me.
But baby,
You didn’t go for that,
Ha, it’s a natural fact,
That I want to come back,
Show me where it’s at, baby.

I’m so tired of being alone,
I’m so tired of on my own,
Won’t you help me, girl,
Soon as you can.
I guess you know that I, uh,
I love you so,
Even though,
You don’t want me no more,
Hey, hey, hey, hey I’m cryin’ tears,
Through the years,
I tell you like it is,
Honey, love me if you can.

Ya baby,
Tired of being alone here by myself, now
I tell ya, I’m tired baby,
I’m tired of being all wrapped up late at night,
In my dreams, nobody but you, baby.
Sometimes I wonder,
If you love me like you say you do,
You see baby, I, I, I, I’ve been thinking about you,
I’ve been wanting to get next to you, baby,
Sometimes I hold my arms and I say,
Oh baby, yeah, needing you has proven to me,
To be my greatest dream, yeah

Awh!

I’m so tired of being alone,
I’m so tired of on my own,
Sometimes late at night I get to wonderin’ about you baby,
Baby, baby, ya ya, baby you’re my heart’s desire

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

46 thoughts on “Al Green – Tired of Being Alone”

  2. I wasn’t a big Al Green fan until I saw him headline our local blues festival. Seeing him up on stage, the lake behind him, it was way more than hits on the radio.

    With his career change he proved himself to be someone who put his money where his mouth is.

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    1. I wasn’t until I started to find out who he was… I will admit though I’ve only listened to greatest hits…so maybe I should dig deeper.
      Yes…he did what he said he was going to do.

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  4. Pingback: Al Green – Tired of Being Alone – MobsterTiger

    1. Yes he did…then the UK lured him back into it and The Beatles opened up for him. I think he went back into it again. He came to Nashville to a 1970s volunteer jam…he said: Remember Tuti Fruiti? Remember Long Tall Sally? Well…I ain’t going to sing them….and then busted into Will The Circle Be Unbroken. So yea…he got back into that again.

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      2. Yes! I would add one more to that.. Be-Bop-A-Lula by Vincent….great opening lines. Hmmm that sounds like a good post!

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  9. great voice and a great song. Up there with the best soul tunes by anyone at any time. Going to that church some Sunday is still on my ‘bucket list’ if I ever found myself in Memphis

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  10. oh yes, love this. Along with Otis, soulful….I still think hearing Obama chanelling a little Al Green every so often was always so cool.

    you know one guy I don’t know a lot about, and never got much recognition was Pops Staples of the Staple singers.

    I’ve almost got over my Trump/American vent mood, may get back into more music today on the old blog..I’ll just have to stay away from watching the news

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    1. Oh yes…I remember him doing that….it was cool. I don’t watch the news either. I saw Mavis Staples open up for Bob Dylan…I love the Staple singers. I only know a little by them like Take Me There and some other songs.

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  13. Yours is a pretty apt description of his voice. It is strong and deep and high and strong but he doesn’t do all the trills and bells and whistles to show it off. Sometimes you don’t need to overstate the fact you can sing, just let the music do it.

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    1. He is what I would call Ringoing…not his voice! But he plays and this case sings for the song. Never thought I would ever mention Ringo and Al Green in the same sentence!

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    1. I know…I wish he did play out more…but the next time I’m in Memphis I will make it a point to go to one of his services…

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  20. I can’t sing, but if I could I would like to sing like Al Green. Amazing voice, and this was his big UK breakthrough, top 5 and later covered by Scottish band Texas in the 90’s – Sharleen Spiteri can do any song justice too, she has an effortless style and the band pretty much morphed into a 90’s rock-soul act from rock-Americana. They remain fabulous, Al I wish had kept up his soul career, but he did get an 80’s hit with Annie Lennox, Put A Little Love In Your Heart. Just over 50 years ago he was involved in a scalding/suicide trauma and I suspect that pushed him towards the Church after his peak-soul years in terms of success.

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    1. Oh I would love to be able to sing like Al Green. I’ve read about his girlfirend and all of that…that was terrible…yea I agree it probably drove him toward it.

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