[Spoken Intro — quiet, close to the microphone] Baby… Before you came along, I got pretty good at being alone. At least… That’s what I told myself. But now that I know what it feels like to have somebody… Please… Don’t make me learn how to be lonely again. [Background Girls — distant] (Ooooh…) Don’t leave her lonely… (Ooooh…) [Verse 1] Before you came, I knew those nights, One little lamp, no arms to hold me tight, I’d hear the rain against my windowpane, And tell my heart, “You’ll be alright again.” I’d watch the lovers walking two by two, And wonder if I’d ever have that too, Then turn away and softly say, “Maybe love just wasn’t made my way.” [Girls] (Don’t say that…) Ooooh, don’t say that… [Verse 2] Then suddenly, there you were, And all my lonely nights became a blur, You took my hand, you called my name, And nothing in my world stayed the same. Now when the evening shadows fall, I don’t feel lonely anymore at all, ‘Cause I know somewhere you’re thinking of me… And, baby, that’s all I ever needed. [Pre-Chorus] But sometimes when you’re holding me, A little fear comes over me… ‘Cause now I know Just what I’d lose… If I ever lost you. [Chorus] Don’t let me be lonely again… [Girls] (Don’t let her…) Don’t make me remember The way it was then… [Girls] (No, no, no…) I’ve waited too long For somebody like you, Now that I found you, What would I do? So hold me… Hold me a little closer tonight. [Girls] (Hold her tight…) And promise me, baby… You won’t make me lonely again. [Girls] (Ooooh…) Lonely again… [Verse 3] Sometimes you catch me watching you, And ask me, “Baby, what’s gotten into you?” I smile and tell you everything’s fine, But there’s something running through my mind. I’m trying to remember every little thing, The way you laugh, the songs you sing, The way you reach for me in your sleep… Baby, that’s the kind of love I wanna keep. [Girls] (Hold on…) Hold on to your love… [Verse 4] I know forever’s easy to say, And hearts can sometimes change along the way, So I won’t ask you for the moon, Or promises you can’t live up to. Just when tomorrow comes around, If you still want me, I’ll be around. And when tomorrow turns into years… Maybe someday I’ll stop having this fear. [Girls — softly] (Someday…) Ooooh, someday… [Instrumental Break] (Upright piano plays the chorus melody. Bass moves gently underneath. A warm tenor saxophone answers with a short, aching phrase. Background singers hum softly.) [Girls] Mmmmmmm… (Ooooh…) Mmmmmmm… [Bridge — Lead & Background Call-and-Response] I know love ain’t something You can lock away— [Girls] (No, you can’t…) And I know nobody Can promise they’ll stay— [Girls] (No, they can’t…) But when you’ve spent so many nights With nobody there… [Girls] (Ooooh…) [Lead] You get a little scared When somebody finally cares. [Music drops nearly silent] And, baby… That’s why sometimes I hold you so tight. I’m not trying to keep you… I’m just remembering What my life was like… Before you. [Girls — barely audible] (Before you…) [Final Chorus — emotional but restrained] Don’t let me be lonely again! [Girls] (Don’t let her!) Don’t make me remember The way it was then! [Girls] (No, no, no!) I’ve waited a lifetime For somebody like you, And now that I found you, My heart knows the truth. So hold me… [Girls] (Hold her…) A little closer tonight… [Lead] And when morning comes, If you’re still by my side… Maybe I’ll finally believe… [Music drops] That this time… Love didn’t pass me by. [Girls] (Ooooh…) [Outro — very intimate] You don’t have to buy me diamonds… [Girls] (No, no…) You don’t have to promise me the world… [Girls] (No, no…) Just reach for my hand When the lights go low… And remind this heart It ain’t alone anymore. [Girls] (Not anymore…) Not anymore… [Lead] Baby… I waited too long To find a love like you. So whatever you do… [Long pause] Don’t let me be lonely again. [Girls — fading] (Don’t let her…) (Ooooh…) (Don’t let her…) Lonely again… [Lead — whispered] Not again.
