Ben E. King - I Who Have Nothing
Ben E. King - I Who Have Nothing


Ben E. King - I Who Have Nothing Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Greatest Hits
Released: 1963

I Who Have Nothing Lyrics


I, I Who Have Nothing
I, I who have no one
Adore you and want you so
I'm just a no one with nothing to give you but, oh
I love you

He, he buys you diamonds
Bright, sparkling diamonds
But, believe me, dear, when I say
That he can give you the world but he'll never love the way
I love you

He can take you any place he wants
To fancy clubs and restaurants
But I can only watch you with
My nose pressed up against the window pane

I, I who have nothing
I, I who have no one
Must watch you go dancing by
Wrapped in the arms of somebody else when, darling, it's I
Who loves you

I love you
I love you
I love you

Writer/s: LEIBER, JERRY / STOLLER, MIKE / RAPETTI, GIULIO / DONIDA, LABATI
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

I Who Have Nothing
  • This song about unrequited love is featured on The Sopranos soundtrack.
  • The song's melody was based on an Italian song, "Uno Dei Tanti," (English: "One of Many"), which King had heard in Italy. King's producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller translated the lyrics into English.
  • Other versions of King's melodramatic soul hit that reached the Billboard charts were performed by:
    1966 Terry Knight and the Pack (who later became Grand Funk Railroad) in 1966 (#46).
    1970 Liquid Smoke (#82).
    1970 Tom Jones (#14).
    1979 Sylvester (#46).
    In the UK Shirley Bassey's George Martin produced version, which peaked at #6 in 1963, is the best known.
  • The song is a favorite for music based reality show contestants. American Idol contests who have performed the song include Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks in the Top 3, Season 10 contestant Haley Reinhart in the Top 4 and and season 12 winner Candice Glover in the final.
  • Some critics believe that part of the song's melody was later copied for the Moody Blues' 1967 hit "Nights In White Satin."