Give it up to Bobby Womack, wise as an owl when it comes to romance. When dealing with a woman, nothing beats common sense.
In accord with that Old Chinese Proverb, âEvery woman that look good to you, brotha, â donât matter how fine the gal might be â ainât necessarily good for you.â Brotha Bobby, a.k.a The Preacher, if his word ainât all the way gospel, his verse sure gets close.
Look. How you gonâ argue with âIâm Through Trying to Prove my Love to You,â when the man soulfully intones, âGod, if He see that you donât want something thatâs good for you/He take it away and give it to somebody elseâ? Anybody with sense has to say, âAmen.â
It happens so many times that you donât miss your water ainât âtil the well run dry. Then, thereâs âI Can Understand It,â which has some cold poetry to it. With line, âSomethinâ sweet as a candy bar/Like, girl to me, thatâs what you are.â Later in the song comes cruel heartbreak: âWhen I try my best to make you happy/Then, wake up early one morninâ and find you packinâ/No, no, no. You canât make me understand it.â
But, wait, thereâs from âI Donât Wanna Be Hurt By Ya Love Again,â the line, âLove once took my heart, I canât let it take my mind.â And, âHey Baby,â with, âGirl, I really love you and I hate to see you cry/Itâs just as hard for me to come home as it is to say goodbye/Try my best to give you everything you never had/But, you twist around everything I say just to make feel bad.â It is a true no-win situation.
Another original Bobby Womack killer, covered by Chaka Khan back when she was with Rufus â(Youâre Welcome) Stop On Byâ imparts wisdom good as gold. âGirl, youâre welcome/Stop on by/ You know Iâll be here, baby, to dry your eyes/But, Iâm gettinâ tired of being that second guy/Donât you be no fool, baby. âBout to lose your old stand-by.â And, nicely said, âDonât take for granted/Oh, Iâll always be/âCause thereâs some woman somewhere who could truly need me.â
Go ahead, girl, if you want to, and miss your water once the well run dry. A favorite phrase of mine is when he just says, âThink about it,â which he regularly advises. And, really, between you, me and the lamppost, how much romantic loss in our love lives couldâve been curtailed or forgone altogether with the application of some common sense.
Bobby doesnât just pick on sistahs. Heâs got more than a few cuts having womenâs back. As in âHoldinâ On (To My Babyâs Love)â: âThey say she ainât no good for you/Still, Iâm holdinâ on to my babyâs love/They say they quit the gal/âCause sheâll never be true/Still, Iâm holdinâ on to my babyâs love.â And, âSheâs the talk all over town. But, she was there when yâall put her down.â Case closed on that.
Then, thereâs âSecrets,â which has to be one of the best written tributes to a ladyâs love. With lines like, âWhat you put in your sweet kisses/Such a delicious mystery/Girl, you know how to make my cookie crumble/When you hold me close and do all those things you do to me/Just like some good old Kentucky Fried Chicken/And, oh, if it was good enough to be finger-lickinâ/Oh, she mustâve had secret.â
Alright, itâs not the most delicate poetry in the world. But, tell me thereâs not a woman alive who doesnât want her man to feel that way about what goes on between behind closed doors. What about, âA Womanâs Gotta Have Itâ which his buddy James Taylor covered, âDonât take for granted the smile on her face/Check a little closer/You might find a tear trace/Maybe she never said a word/But, sheâs got to know her voice is heard.â
Youâll hear Bobby, time and time again, throughout his songs, throw in his trademark phrase, âThink it over.â Not bad advice. How many times have you made a rash decision about somebody you wanted to hold close but wound up pushing away? Because you didnât stop, sit down and use some sense.
Bottom line, how can you not relate when he entreats, âPlease, please, answer love if it ever come knockinâ at your door/âCause whatâs out there knockinâ, the world donât give enough of.â
For a strong, simple message that hits your love life right where you live, listen to â okay, say it with me â Bobby Womack.
Dwight Hobbes welcomes reader responses to P.O. Box 50357, Mpls., 55403.
Reach the MSR staff at msrnewsonline@spokesman-recorder.com.