“Tired Of My Tears”
Song by Ray Charles
“Tired Of My Tears” is a non-LP Ray Charles song released as the B-side of a single in November 1971 (ABC 11317). Written by frequent Ray contributors Jimmy Lewis and Jimmy Holiday, it finds the singer “sick of your lies, tired of my tears” and warning that the relationship could be ending if things don’t improve.
Embittered and weary, but with touches of lyrical and musical wistfulness, “Tired Of My Tears” has a rather quick mid-tempo pace and a snaky rhythm section with guitar – a kind of countrified R&B pulse. Over this solid, even stirring foundation Ray employs a pained voice to sing the words, listing the woman’s faults in angry detail and issuing half-hearted warnings during each verse.
The choruses are more Raelet than Ray – the lovely ladies do the singing while Ray responds with his doleful cries and robust exhortations (“hear me when I say,” he roars after the Raelets sing one line, as if his voice and theirs were one and the same).
A saxophone solo is oddly understated, matching the air of restraint shown by the rest of the band throughout “Tired Of My Tears”. In fact, most of the dynamism that is present in this performance comes from the ultra-melodic bass which runs up and down some funky scales, and which only retreats when that sax steps in.
It all adds up to a funky song that is just laid-back enough to encourage a closer listen to the anguish of the lyrics. You can dance to “Tired Of My Tears”, but not so much that you forget your surroundings.
An original copy of the “Tired Of My Tears” single, with “What Am I Living For” from the Volcanic Action Of My Soul LP as the A-side, can be found fairly easily from online record sellers, and is the recommended way to hear this nice lost Ray Charles song.
Single releases
“What Am I Living For”
b/w
“Tired Of My Tears”
Listen to “Tired Of My Tears”
Get your own “Tired Of My Tears” on 45 or MP3 from Amazon. Or get the out-of-print complete ABC singles 5xCD box set.