Ain't No Sunshine - STEVEN R. TABOR

Ain't No Sunshine

Bill Withers wrote "Ain't No Sunshine" when he was 31 and was working in a factory. It was inspired by the movie "Days of Wine and Roses", which Withers described as "going back for seconds on rat poison". The intended meaning of the song is pretty close to its lyrics---i.e. ‘ain’t no happiness when she’s gone’. But for me, the song has quite a different connotation.

I simply can't carry a tune. When my youngest daughter Mayme was living at home, she was a true night owl, and could easily sleep through her morning alarm. Quite often, I would burst into her room, and sing "Ain't No Sunshine" at the top of my lungs to wake her up. She would groan; get angry; scream at me; but after hearing a few bars of me doing horrors to that song, she'd reluctantly wake up. And while she had her morning moods, her mid-day smile was a wonder to behold.

This song has been covered by just about everyone. I had the pleasure of listening to Jose James sing this song on a Blue Note Cruise, and I can only wish that I had his voice. But I had my daughter Mayme, and the opportunity to belt out this song at the top of my lungs year after year.

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