Lean On Me

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From the MUSIC section: Lean On Me

By Drew Crosby

Lean On Me (Apóyate en mi) was written and produced by Bill Withers and went to Number 1 on the U.S. pop charts back in July 1972.

Bill Withers was a late bloomer (persona que madura tarde): he didn’t even start singing until he was 32 years old.


Bill Withers

Lean On Me is all about simplicity.

- It’s simple because it’s easy to play on the piano:

Just put your fingers in one position and go up and down the keyboard; you don’t have to change fingers.

- It’s simple because it’s easy to understand:

Sometime in our lives we all pain
We all have sorrow (pena)
But if we’re wise we know that there’s always tomorrow

Lean on me when you’re not strong
I’ll be your friend
I’ll help you carry on (continuar)
For it won’t be long till I’m gonna need
Somebody to lean on

- It’s simple because the message is universal:

Bill wanted to express the importance of helping other people. He knows from experience, because he’s had to lean on others too.

While driving in Alabama in the late 1950s his tire blew out (reventó). As an African-American who found himself stranded in the southern United States, Bill didn’t feel very comfortable when he saw a white farmer approach him. “I see you had a blowout (reventón),” he said to Bill.

The man gave Bill a spare tire (rueda de repuesto) and helped Bill put it on his car.

Years later, Bill Withers reflected: “Even in the rural South, there were people who would help you out even across racial lines.”