Released: April 30, 1969

Songwriter: Warren “Pete” Moore Smokey Robinson

Producer: Warren “Pete” Moore Smokey Robinson

[Verse 1]
Here I stand lonely, just a heartbroken guy
I used to be a laugher, 'till I made my baby cry
And I knew my baby loved me, I was overconfident
So I did her wrong, now she's gone, I don't know which way she went

[Chorus]
My baby forgave me so much time and time and time again
Cause when your baby starts to walk away
And tells you no need to follow
And nothing you do, seems to make her stay
It's a bitter pill to have to swallow

[Verse 2]
But the way the ball bounces, that's the way the cookie crumbles
From the top to the bottom, that's a long way to tumble
Oh when you realize that you're no longer first on your baby's list
And the home you thought you had forever no longer exists

[Chorus]
You wake up and you discover what a great fool you have been
Cause when your baby starts to walk away
And tells you no need to follow
And nothing you do, seems to make her stay
It's a bitter pill to have to swallow

[Bridge]
Ooh baby, what kind of fool am I?
To know that you love me and yet I made you cry
Baby when I think it over
It's fault that I'm here, gone, but I'd like to do it over
And would deliver my love to you warm
And on and on

[Chorus]
Oh darling you forgave me so much time and time and time again
Cause when your baby starts to walk away
And tells you no need to follow
And nothing you do, seems to make her stay
It's a bitter pill to have to swallow
Cause when your baby starts to walk away
And tells you no need to follow
And nothing you do, seems to make her stay
It's a bitter pill to have to swallow

Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye was one of the most consistent and enigmatic of the Motown hitmakers, with a career that exemplified the maturation of black pop into a sophisticated form spanning social and sexual politics.

Blessed with a mellifluous tenor and a three-octave vocal range, Gaye was among the most gifted composers and singers of his era. His life ended tragically one day before his 45th birthday, when he was shot to death by his father, an Apostolic preacher, after a violent argument.