Flack, Roberta - Jesse Lyrics

She was my favorite....Roberta And Karen Carpenter....two of the greatest of all time....I had this album for years.....memories! The purest of voices! Still love her....

Saw Roberta sing this in a concert in Cardiff, I was in tears by the end. Simply terrific.

YOU ALL ARE MISSING SOMETHING HERE,SHE USE TO HAVE AN AFFAIR WITH REV JESSIE LOUIS JACKSON LOL! FACTS!

The lyrics are beautifully poignant, but the melody captures heartbreak from whatever the loss...Can never get through hearing it without a box of tissues!

Beautiful xx

I knew a sweet man named Jesse once. We drifted our separate ways.

Beautiful song.

Best version sorry Janis Ian. 😢

Jesse, come home, there's a hole in the bed
Where we slept, now it's growing cold
Jesse, your face and the place where we lay
By the hearth, all apart, it hangs on my heart
And I'm leaving the light on the stairs
No, I'm not scared, I wait for you
Hey Jesse, it's lonely, come home

Jesse, the stairs and the halls, recalling
Your step, and I remember too
All the pictures are shaded and fading in gray
And I still set a place at the table at noon
And I'm leaving the light on the stairs
No, I'm not scared, I wait for you
Hey Jesse, it's lonely, come home

Jesse, the spread on the bed, it's like
When you left, I kept it for you
All the blues and the greens have been recently cleaned
And are seemingly new, 
Hey Jess, me and you
Will swallow the light on the stairs
I'll fix up my hair, we'll sleep unaware
Hey Jesse, it's lonely, come home

🍴💇💡《Let me translate the words of this song into Japanese》

♪以下はこの曲の拙訳になりますー鑑賞の際の参考になれば幸いです。。。


ジェシー 帰ってきてよー 二人で寝てたベッドには穴が開いたみたいよ、すっかり冷たくなっちゃって…

ねぇジェシー 貴方のね 一緒に横たわってた暖炉わきでのあの顔つきが、どういうわけだか心に引っ掛かって離れないのよ…

そしてあたしは階段の灯りを付け放しにしておくのー いえ怖いんじゃない、貴方の帰りを待ってるのよ…ねぇジェシー 淋しいの、帰ってきて頂戴


ジェシー 床板や家具たちは貴方の足音を思い出してるーそれはあたしもおんなじなのよ…写真はぜんぶ色褪せてモノクロみたくなっちゃったけど、今でも貴方の食事の用意をするのーお昼になるとテーブルの上に…

そしてあたしは階段の灯りを付け放しにしておくのー いえ怖いんじゃない、貴方の帰りを待ってるのよ…ねぇジェシー 淋しいの、帰ってきて頂戴


ジェシー ベッドカバーは貴方が出てったときのまんまよー貴方のためにずっとそのまゝにしてあるの…それにブルーのやつも緑のやつもどれも最近クリーニングに出したのーだからちょっと見ただけじゃ新品よ…ねぇジェス あたしと貴方はー

二人は何事もなかったかのように灯りのついた階段を昇り、二人してあたしの髪を直して、知らぬまに眠りに落ちるの…ねぇジェシー あたし淋しいの、帰ってきて頂戴

I've always loved this song. I used to play this record (which belonged to my mama) when I was around 8 years old.

Jesse come home
There's a hole in the bed
Where we slept
Now it's growing cold
Hey jesse, your face
In the place where we lay
By the hearth, all apart
It hangs on my heart
And I'm leaving the light on the stairs
No I'm not scared - I wait for you
Hey jesse, I'm lonely, come home
Jesse, the floors and the boards
Recalling your step
And I remember, too
All the pictures are fading
And shaded in grey
But I still set a place
On the table at noon
And I'm leaving a light on the stairs
No I'm not scared - I wait for you
Hey jesse, I'm lonely, come home
Jesse, the spread on the bed
Is like when you left
I've kept it all for you
And all the blues and the greens
Have been recently cleaned
And they're seemingly new
Hey jes, me and you
We'll swallow the light on the stairs
We'll do up my hair
We'll sleep unaware
Hey jesse, I'm lonely, come home

wow! have always loved her!!! and still do!

This song emotes the loss of ones partner very well. Circumstances may be different from person to person but the ache for wanting your other half is universal and that is why this song is so powerfully devastating.

I've always loved this version by Roberta Flack. Then one day I discovered Dottie West's recording. Love that also.

I promised my great aunt jessie if I ever had son I would name him jesse after her. She is gone, and i had no son. I weep.

I think Jesse was a girl

My world stands still when this song plays. I only hear the gentle music & the sound of my heartbeat as my heart breaks each time I listen.

Melts my heart every time I hear her beautiful voice and arrangement. She always gives her best and here it is proven again. Love you Roberta for all the years you have given me such joy through your music. God Bless You.

lawd! lawd! lawd! ginger w., class of '58

Few songs are as aching.

stollie You are not kidding.

And the arrangement is so great. Those high-pitched but subtle strings.

Haunting and beautiful, love it!

Beautiful. Devastating.

I cry every time this song is played

On this day in 1973 {June 19th} Roberta Flack performed "Jesse" on her own ABC-TV special 'Roberta Flack: The First Time Ever'...
A little under three months later on September 16th, 1973 it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #83; five weeks later on October 21st, 1973 it would peak at #30 {for 1 week} and it stayed on the chart for 9 weeks...
It reached #3 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and #19 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart...
The song was surrounded by #1 records; her two previous releases, "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Killing Me Softly with His Song", both peaked at #1; then "Jesse" was succeeded by "Feel Like Makin' Love", which also reached #1...
"Jesse" was composed by Janis Ian; and Ms. Ian would record it herself for her 1974 album 'Stars'...

I love this song by her, Janis Ian wrote it.....and Roberta sang it beautifully.