Lyrics to
If I Don’t Be There By Morning

This version of If I Don’T Be There By Morning was released by Eric Clapton in 1978.

Our About Eric Clapton page at Decade Lyrics includes the lyrics for If I Don’T Be There By Morning from 1978 as well as all of the other lyrics from Eric Clapton that we have in our lyrics database.

Here's more interesting things in songs and lyrics tied to Eric Clapton or about the 1970s in general.

Blue sky upon the horizon,
Private eye is on my trail,
And if I don’t be there by morning
You know that I must have spent the night in jail.

I’ve been running from Memphis to L. A.
Had an appointment set sometime for today,
And if I don’t be there by morning
You know that I must have gone the other way.

Finding my way back to you girl,
Lonely and blue and mistreated too.
Sometimes I think of you girl,
Is it true that you think of me too?

I got a woman living in L. A.
I got a woman waiting for my pay,
And if I don’t be there by morning,
Pack my clothes, get down on your knees and pray.

I left my woman with a twenty dollar bill.
I left her waiting, I hope she’s waiting for me still.
If I don’t be there by morning
You know that I, I never will.

---

Want more lyrics and songs by Eric Clapton?

Eric Clapton has released many songs over the years besides If I Don’T Be There By Morning. Eric Clapton released songs from 1970 to 2005 spanning across albums like Eric Clapton, 461 Ocean Boulevard, There's One In Every Crowd, No Reason To Cry, Slowhand, Backless, Another Ticket, Money And Cigarettes, Behind The Sun, August, Crossroads, Journeyman, Unplugged, From The Cradle, Pilgrim, Riding With The King, Reptile, Me And Mr. Johnson, and Back Home. Decade Lyrics has over lyrics & songs by Eric Clapton.

If you're a fan of popular 1970s songs looking for more songs from 1978 or the 1970s overall, you've come to the right place!

About Lyrics and If I Don’T Be There By Morning by Eric Clapton

The lyrics to If I Don’T Be There By Morning are the words, verses and chorus for the song released by Eric Clapton in 1978. Elements of the lyrics to If I Don’T Be There By Morning are both direct in meaning and also metaphorical with the real meanings of the song only known by Eric Clapton and any collaborating writers working on the lyrics for If I Don’T Be There By Morning back when it was created.

Some people have an interest in the etymology behind words and phrases. You can take apart the lyrics to If I Don’T Be There By Morning by Eric Clapton in a number of ways. The word "lyric" itself derives from the Latin word lyricus, with the actual English word lyrics applied to the definition "words set to music" listed in Stainer and Barrett's 1876 Dictionary of Musical Terms. Continuing the chain, the Latin word lyricus derives from the Greek word λυρικός or lyrikós. This somewhat means "poetry accompanied by the lyre" or "words set to music." You can easily see that by looking at the background of the word lyric, that the "lyrics to If I Don’T Be There By Morning" means the words set to the music of If I Don’T Be There By Morning, or poetry accompanied by the lyre played by Eric Clapton. The singular form "lyric" is still used to mean the complete words to a song. However, the singular form lyric is also commonly used to refer to a specific line (or phrase) within a song's lyrics. Hence, by this analysis of word structure, you could say that the lyric to If I Don’T Be There By Morning and the lyrics to If I Don’T Be There By Morning are both one and the same thing. None of this talk about the word Lyrics is really relevant to fans of Eric Clapton who came here looking just for the lyrics to If I Don’T Be There By Morning, but we feel it is still fun to learn what's behind commonly used words and lyrics in songs.

More Songs & Lyrics by Eric Clapton

Visit our Eric Clapton profile for more Eric Clapton songs, lyrics & info!

)