As the son of a vicar, he had his first singing experiences in a church choir. He attended Ripon College, where he also sang non-professionally with a group called the Indigos, and graduated in 1962. He went on to earn a master's degree in Vocational Rehabilitation from the University of Iowa, and worked as a rehabilitation counselor in San Francisco before joining a small jazz club trio headed by George Duke and deciding that he would make professional singing his life in 1968
He appeared in such Los Angeles hot spots as Dino's, the Troubador and Bitter End West. Television exposure came from Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin and David Frost, while he expanded his nightclub appearances to include performing at the Improv between the acts of such rising-star comics as Bette Midler, Jimmie Walker, and John Belushi, among others.
He was spotted by Warner Bros. in 1975 and soon thereafter released his critically acclaimed debut album, We Got By, which catapulted him into international fame and garnered him a German Grammy Award. A second German Grammy would follow with the release of his second album, Glow.
One of Jarreau's most commercially and artistically successful albums is Breakin' Away (1981), which includes the hit song "We're in This Love Together." He wrote and performed the Grammy-nominated theme to the 1980s American television show Moonlighting. Among other things, he is well-known for his scat singing and the ability to perfectly imitate conventional guitar, bass and percussive instrumentation. He was also a featured vocalist on USA for Africa's "We are the World" and sang the line, "...and so we all must lend a helping hand."
He has toured and performed with such greats as Joe Sample, Kathleen Battle, Miles Davis, David Sanborn and Rick Braun. He also performed the role of the Teen Angel in a 1996 Broadway production of Grease. On March 6, 2001 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star is located at 7083 Hollywood Boulevard on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea Avenue.
We Got By
Al Jarreau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never knew a new bicycle
Hand-me-down books and shoes
They brought the yule tides in July
I rode a bus, a train and sometimes
Strolling for miles to a movie show
Singing a song "Shoobedoo
Right on by
But we got by
Lord knows we got by
Winter wishes wait till June
We brightened July with
That hot dog fun
Tell your mama you're with Sue
You bring the beans and I'll
Find the wine
Them neon lights were bright
Till 2:00
And sneaking back home with
This girl named Jo
I hurried down to say do"
And stared my first man-child
In the eye
But we got by
Lord knows we got by
And now baby's got his bellyful
And finally here's that new bicycle
Working, praying, June to June
And mama's got LA gleaming
In her eye
And we got by
Lord knows we got by
You see we kept on walking
And talking, hawking
Ooing, cooing, wooing
Loving, tugging, hugging, rubbing
Sugging, fugging, laying, praying, swaying
Letting, fretting, begetting, lying
Flying, trying, sighing, dying.
The first verse of Al Jarreau's song "We Got By" describes a childhood of poverty and scarcity, where the singer and his family had to make do with hand-me-downs and celebrate Christmas in July. The only luxury they could afford was a trip to the movies, where the singer would sing along to the music while the wealthy people flew above him. Despite these hardships, the singer emphasizes that "we got by", signaling a sense of resilience and gratitude for what they did have.
The second verse shows how time has passed, and the singer has grown up to have a family of his own. His son now has a "bellyful" and a new bicycle, and the family has moved to LA. The singer acknowledges that they worked hard and prayed for a better life, and now they have achieved it. However, the sentiment of the song remains the same - "we got by" - suggesting that the struggles of the past have made them appreciate their successes even more.
The final verse contains a list of verbs that capture different aspects of life - walking, talking, loving, dying - reinforcing the idea that life is a journey with ups and downs. The singer has experienced poverty and wealth, love and loss, but through it all, he and his family have persisted and thrived.
Line by Line Meaning
I hardly had a bellyful
I grew up with little food and resources
Never knew a new bicycle
I didn't have new or expensive things growing up
Hand-me-down books and shoes
I often received used items from others
They brought the yule tides in July
My family made the most of what we had, finding joy even in unexpected moments
I rode a bus, a train and sometimes
I didn't have my own car or transportation
Strolling for miles to a movie show
I had to walk a long way just to see a movie
Singing a song "Shoobedoo
I found comfort in music and singing
"While birds and rich folks flew
While others seemed to have an easier life than me
Right on by
I persevered anyway
But we got by
Despite our hardships, we survived
Lord knows we got by
Our struggles were seen by a higher power
Winter wishes wait till June
We were used to things not going as planned, like wishing for winter when it was already summer
We brightened July with
That hot dog fun
We found ways to have fun and make do with what we had, like enjoying a simple meal of hot dogs in the summer
Tell your mama you're with Sue
As a child, I had to make sure my family knew where I was at all times
You bring the beans and I'll
Find the wine
We had to work together and make sacrifices to make things work
Them neon lights were bright
Till 2:00
We enjoyed the simple pleasures of life, like staying out late and enjoying the city lights
And sneaking back home with
This girl named Jo
Sometimes I had to break the rules to enjoy life
I hurried down to say do"
And stared my first man-child
In the eye
I became a father and was faced with new responsibilities and challenges
And now baby's got his bellyful
And finally here's that new bicycle
Now that I have a family of my own, I am able to provide for them in ways I never experienced growing up
Working, praying, June to June
I work hard and have faith that things will continue to get better despite challenges
And mama's got LA gleaming
In her eye
I have dreams and aspirations for myself and my family
You see we kept on walking
And talking, hawking
Ooing, cooing, wooing
Loving, tugging, hugging, rubbing
Sugging, fugging, laying, praying, swaying
Letting, fretting, begetting, lying
Flying, trying, sighing, dying.
Life is full of ups and downs, but we continue to move forward and experience all that it has to offer
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AL JARREAU
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jean Sisiphe
I hardly had a bellyful
Never knew a new bicycle
Hand-me-down books and shoes
They brought the yule tides in July
I rode a bus, a train and sometimes
Strolling for miles to a movie show
Singing a song "Shoobedoo
"While birds and rich folks flew
Right on by
But we got by
Lord knows we got by
Winter wishes wait till June
We brightened July with
That hot dog fun
Tell your mama you're with Sue
You bring the beans and I'll
Find the wine
Them neon lights were bright
Till 2: 00
And sneaking back home with
This girl named Jo
I hurried down to say do"
And stared my first man-child
In the eye
But we got by
Lord knows we got by
And now baby's got his bellyful
And finally here's that new bicycle
Working, praying, June to June
And mama's got la gleaming
In her eye
And we got by
Lord knows we got by
You see we kept on walking
And talking, hawking
Ooing, cooing, wooing
Loving, tugging, hugging, rubbing
Sugging, fugging, laying, praying, swaying
Letting, fretting, begetting, lying
Flying, trying, sighing, dying.
Sipho Thaisi
This song is so profound,touches the soul deeply in a beautiful, inexplicable way.
Ivan King
My favorite Al joint! This song and the way he sings it is absolutely incredible. If you struggled growing up,..the song has an even deeper meaning.
Via Thomas
RIP AL JARREAU. This song brings tears to my eyes. You are will be missed... Gone but NEVER forgotten.
LeShan Reid
this song just does something to me. I listen to it as often as I can and many times over. RIP Al Jarreau
Maitefa Angaza
I had the pleasure of seeing Al Jarreau I performance a few times and the EXTREME HONOR of interviewing him back in the late 90s. I always tell people he was the sweetest person I’ve ever interviewed. Just felt like you were in the presence of goodness❣️
Troy Steward
You actually have history with a legend awesome sweetie 😘
Susan Johnson
You were in the presence of goodness! You were very fortunate to have that experience. I liked his music decades ago but as I have matured and am fortunate to be old and really love his songs especially We Got By wish today’s society’s had those values especially contentment and greatfulness. There’s always hope😉
Maitefa Angaza
@Troy Steward Yes! And thank you!
Maitefa Angaza
@Susan Johnson "There's always hope" sounds like an A Jarreau motto! :)
Gary Stockdale
One of the finest singers of his time.