Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got)
Leon Ashley
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My little boy came into the kitchen this evening While I was fixing supper And he handed me a piece of paper he'd been writing on And after wiping my hands on my apron I read it - and this is what it said For mowing the yard - five dollars And for making my own bed this week - one dollar And for going to the store - fifty cents An' playing with little brother, while you went shopping Twenty-five cents Taking out the trash - one dollar Getting a good report card - five dollars And for raking the yard - two dollars Total owed - fourteen seventy-five. Well, I looked at I'm standing there expectantly And a thousand memories flashed through my mind So I picked up the pen, turning the paper over, This is what I wrote: For nine months I carried you Growing inside me - no charge For the nights I've sat up with you, Doctored you, prayed for you - no charge For the time and the tears. And the cost through the years, there's no charge When you add it all up. The full cost of my love is no charge. For the nights filled with dread And the worries ahead - no charge For advice and the knowledge And the cost of your college - no charge For the toys, food and clothes and for wiping your nose There's NO CHARGE, son When you add it all up, The full cost of my love, is - charge. Well, when he finished readin' He had great big old tears in his eyes And he looked up at me and he said, "Mama, I sure do love you." Then he took the pen, And in great big letters He wrote: "Paid in full." When you add it all up The cost of real love is - no charge.
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Written by: BILLY JOEL
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
10 facts about this song
ArtistsThe song "Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got)" was recorded by multiple artists, including Kenny Rogers, Leon Ashley, and Marty Robbins.
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Original PerformanceThe song was originally performed by the country singer Leon Ashley. Ashley's version was released in 1967 and it reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
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Songwriters"Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got)" was co-written by Leon Ashley and his wife, Margie Singleton.
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Kenny Rogers's VersionKenny Rogers, a huge country-pop crossover artist of the 70s and 80s, covered the song in 1976 for his album "Kenny Rogers".
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Marty Robbins VersionMarty Robbins' version of "Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got)" was included in his studio album "R.F.D." in 1964, three years before Ashley's version.
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Song ThemeThe song discusses a desperate man's attempts to understand why his love interest, Laura, is leaving him for another man.
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Chart PerformanceWhen Kenny Rogers covered the song, it didn't top the charts like Ashley's original did, but it did make it to number 19 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
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Unique AchievementWith "Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got)", Leon Ashley became the first country artist to have a number one hit with a self-written song that he produced and published himself.
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Other Notable CoversBesides Rogers and Robbins, other artists like Frankie Laine, Brook Benton, and Claude François have also recorded their own versions of the song.
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Laura's PerspectiveInterestingly, Margie Singleton (co-writer of the song) also recorded a response song from Laura's perspective, titled "Laura (Do You Love Me)"; it talks about why she left her partner. The song didn't chart but it added a deeper dimension to the original song.
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"Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got) Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 May 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/30001148/Leon+Ashley/Laura+%28What%27s+He+Got+That+I+Ain%27t+Got%29>.
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