your cheating heart

[Nefertiti]

Hi there.

"Sleep won't come the whole night through"

1. Is it equivalent to say, "can't sleep the whole night"?
Do native speakers say, "sleep won't come the whole night thru" or "can't sleep the whole night"? or both or neither?

2. " Your cheatin' heart will tell on you"
What does the quote above mean? What does 'tell on' mean? Is it a common usage? Does the following definition fit?

tell on (source:encarta)
transitive verb

affect adversely: to have an adverse effect on somebody or something



3. " You'll toss around and call my name"
What does 'toss around' mean?
Does 'call my name' mean shouting my name aloud?

4. "You'll walk the floor the way I do"
I assume that walking the floor is a way of showing your anxiety. Is it a common usage or just for this particular song?

5. " Your cheatin' heart will pine some day"
What does 'pine' mean? Is it a common usage?
Does the following definition fit?

pine intransitive verb (source: encarta)

yearn: to long for somebody or something, especially somebody or something unattainable


Thanks in advance

___________
The Song Hank Williams - Your Cheating Heart LYRICS

[Wholeman]

#1

Well, if you are singing a Country-Western song, they would speak the poetry of the song.

However, in normal conversation, one would more likely say, "I had insomnia all night."

#2

This means that 'If you are unfaithful to someone it will show in your demeanor and they will know.

#3

Having been unfaithful, your conscience will keep you awake at night, therefore you will be constantly rolling over in bed, trying to get back to sleep.

#4

This means that you will not be able to sleep, so you will get out of bed and pace back and forth, worrying the problem in your mind.

#5

Pine in this instance means 'longing', "Your cheatin' heart will long for me some day."

Or said another way, "You will one day, wish I were still with you."

Song lyrics are more closely akin to poetry than to normal prose. Songs are rife with Idioms and poetic imagery.

"S'cuse me, while I kiss the sky." - Jimi Hendricks



Wholeman

[Nefertiti]

Hi, wholeman.

3. " You'll toss around and call my name"
Does 'call my name' mean to keep pronouncing my name in bed?

Thanks a lot for the details.

[Naamplao]

Hi there.

First of all you are quoting a song....this is not normal spoken English. It is poetry sung to music...remember that!!!

"Sleep won't come the whole night through"

1. Is it equivalent to say, "can't sleep the whole night"?
Do native speakers say, "sleep won't come the whole night thru" or "can't sleep the whole night"? or both or neither?

They usually say "I couldn't sleep last night" or "I have trouble sleeping" or "I have insomnia"

2. " Your cheatin' heart will tell on you"
What does the quote above mean? What does 'tell on' mean? Is it a common usage? Does the following definition fit?

"To tell on" means to inform on. It means that someone reveals a secret truth to someone else.

It is a common phrase with children..."I'm telling on you!!!"

In this case, the writer feels that the person who is being unfaithful (cheatin') will reveal themselves. Their secret will come out enventually

3. " You'll toss around and call my name"
What does 'toss around' mean?
Does 'call my name' mean shouting my name aloud?

'toss around' you are restless when you are asleep.
'call my name' in this context you are probably talking out loud in your sleep.

4. "You'll walk the floor the way I do"
I assume that walking the floor is a way of showing your anxiety. Is it a common usage or just for this particular song?

"walk the floor" in this context means nervously pace back and forth.

5. " Your cheatin' heart will pine some day"
What does 'pine' mean? Is it a common usage?
Does the following definition fit?

pine intransitive verb (source: encarta)

yearn: to long for somebody or something, especially somebody or something unattainable

Yes this is what it means


Thanks in advance

___________
The Song Hank Williams - Your Cheating Heart LYRICS

........

[Nefertiti]

Hi, NP.

Thanks for your reply. It helps me a lot to understand the song.

One thing I still not quite sure about Q3.

3. " You'll toss around and call my name"
Does 'call my name' mean to keep pronouncing my name in bed?
For instance, the girl keeps saying 'Dave' if the writer's name happen to be Dave.

Thanks again for the explanations.

[amigos4]

Hi, NP.

Thanks for your reply. It helps me a lot to understand the song.

One thing I still not quite sure about Q3.

3. " You'll toss around and call my name"
Does 'call my name' mean to keep pronouncing my name in bed?
For instance, the girl keeps saying 'Dave' if the writer's name happen to be Dave.

Thanks again for the explanations.

Hi, Nefertiti!

"Your Cheatin' Heart" is one of Country Music's greatest songs!

The song is a slow ballad, telling an unfaithful lover of the guilt that she will feel for cheating on the singer. The story goes that Hank Williams was prompted to write the song when thinking about his first wife, Audrey, while driving around with his second wife, Billie Jean.

" You'll toss around and call my name" does not necessarily mean that the cheating wife/lover will vocalize the name of her former lover/husband. But, rather, the guilt associated with the infidelity will cause the girl to sleep uneasily while she thinks about the harm she has done to the relationship with her former lover/husband.

I hope this explanation answers your question.

Cheers,
Amigos4

[Nefertiti]

Hi, amigos4.

Thanks for the clarification. I got it.

[Tdol]

Hi, Nefertiti!

"Your Cheatin' Heart" is one of Country Music's greatest songs!

Although Hank Williams wrote dozens of others that would qualify for the same praise.

[Wholeman]

By the way, the song was written gender neutral, therefore it can be and has been sung by either a male or female vocalsit. (Patsy Cline also recorded this song.)

#3) Tossing and turning in a disturbed sleep, you will yearn for me so much, even while asleep, you will vocalize my name.


Wholeman