ONLY THE LONELY

Roy Orbison's original version

Dum-dum-dum-dumdy-doo-wah
Ooh-yay-yay-yay-yeah
Oh-oh-oh-oh-wah
Only the lonely
Only the lonely

Only the lonely (dum-dum-dum-dumdy-doo-wah)
Know the way I feel tonight (ooh-yay-yay-yay-yeah)
Only the lonely (dum-dum-dum-dumdy-doo-wah)
Know this feelin' ain't right (dum-dum-dum-dumdy-doo-wah)

There goes my baby
There goes my heart
They're gone forever
So far apart

But only the lonely
Know why
I cry
Only the lonely

Dum-dum-dum-dumdy-doo-wah
Ooh-yay-yay-yay-yeah
Oh-oh-oh-oh-wah
Only the lonely
Only the lonely

Only the lonely
Know the heartaches I've been through
Only the lonely
Know I cry and cry for you

Maybe tomorrow
A new romance
No more sorrow
But that's the chance - You gotta take
If your lonely heart breaks
Only the lonely

Dum-dum-dum-dumdy-doo-wah

Page last updated: 19 Apr 2008

Written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson, ONLY THE LONELY was originally released by Orbison in May 1960 as a single (Monument 421) with HERE COMES THAT SONG AGAIN as b-side. The single peaked at #2 on The Billboard Hot 100 and at #1 in the UK. The song can now be found on The Essential Roy Orbison, released on Sony Music in 2006.

The song, also known under the title ONLY THE LONELY (KNOW THE WAY I FEEL), became Orbison's first major hit when it was first released. In 1999, it was honored with a Grammy Hall Of Fame Award, a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance". In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked it #232 on their "500 Greatest Songs Of All Time" list.

The above lyrics are for Roy Orbison's original version. Check also the live 30 Sep 1987 version.