10 Songs With Meanings That Are Completely Misunderstood
7. You Are My Sunshine Is Not A Cheery Love Song
The authorship of the traditional country song You Are My Sunshine is still hotly debated. Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell are credited as the songwriters, but Davis never actually claimed authorship, stating that he had bought the rights to the song and merely put his name to it, a practice which was fairly common in the pre-World War II music business.
Regardless of who actually wrote it, You Are My Sunshine has been covered so many times that it's regarded as one of the most commercially programmed songs in American popular music. Notable covers include those by Nat King Cole, Tina Turner, Johnny Cash and Brian Wilson.
As for the meaning of the song, it's frequently misunderstood. This is generally owing to the fact that most people only know the lyrics to the chorus, which begin you are my sunshine, my only sunshine / you make me happy when skies are grey. But lines in the later verses like I dreamt I held you in my arms / when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken / so I hung my head and I cried and but if you leave me to love another / you'll regret it all one day provide the tune's much grimmer reality. The singer is literally begging their partner not to leave them, despite the fact they clearly no longer feel the same way.