Emily
Billl Evans Lyrics
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Has the murmuring sound of may
All silver bells, coral shells, carousels
And the laughter of children at play
Say Emily, Emily, Emily
And we fade to a marvelous view
Two lovers alone and out of sight
As my eyes visualize a family
They see Emily, Emily
(and we fade to a marvelous view)
Two lovers alone and out of sight
Seeing images in the firelight
As my eyes visualize a family
They see Emily, Emily
Too
The lyrics to "Emily" by Bill Evans are a gentle and wistful tribute to a woman named Emily. The first verse describes her name as having the "murmuring sound of May," suggesting a soft and delicate quality. The following mention of silver bells, coral shells, and carousels paints an image of beauty and whimsy, enhanced by the laughter of children at play. The repetition of Emily's name throughout the verse creates a sense of familiarity and fondness, as if the singer is speaking directly to her.
The second verse introduces a dreamlike quality, as the singer asks the listener to say Emily's name and then describes a "marvelous view" that fades into focus. Two lovers are alone and unseen, seeing images in the firelight. This suggests a sense of intimacy and shared experience, and also hints at the possibility of a romantic relationship between Emily and the singer. As the singer's eyes visualize a family, they see Emily once again, implying that she holds a central place in their imagination and emotional landscape.
Overall, the lyrics to "Emily" are nostalgic and romantic, celebrating the beauty of a woman who seems to represent peace, happiness, and love.
Line by Line Meaning
Emily, Emily, Emily
Bill Evans repeats Emily's name three times to emphasize her importance in the song.
Has the murmuring sound of may
Emily's name sounds soft and gentle, like the murmur of spring.
All silver bells, coral shells, carousels
Emily is associated with beautiful and playful things, like silver bells, coral shells, and carousels.
And the laughter of children at play
Emily's name also brings to mind the sound of children playing and having fun.
Say Emily, Emily, Emily
The artist repeats Emily's name again, as if to savor the sound and feeling of it.
And we fade to a marvelous view
The repetition of Emily's name leads to a peaceful and wonderful image.
Two lovers alone and out of sight
The image is of two people in love, enjoying each other's company in private.
Seeing images in the firelight
The lovers are looking at images in the firelight, perhaps finding shapes or patterns in the flames.
As my eyes visualize a family
The artist imagines a family, perhaps his own, enjoying the same kind of peaceful togetherness.
They see Emily, Emily
In the imagined family scene, Emily is present, perhaps as a beloved member of the family.
Too
This single word adds a bittersweet note to the song, as the singer realizes that Emily is only a memory or a dream.
Contributed by Colton E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jennifer86010
Regarding your comments about Bill Evans' harmonic voicings, the "effortless flow" you describe did not flow like water. His harmonies were discovered through countless hours of hard work, trial and error sitting on the piano bench and experimenting with notes, until he found harmonies which pleased him. He finally wrote them down, then had to learn them as chords and fingerings which
eventually he incorporated into his music and his treatments of standards and other tunes. His greatest contribution to the world of Jazz, and especially Jazz Piano, was his discoveries of keyboard harmony. The reason so many people love listening to him is because of his harmonies, which evoke emotions in the listener that hadn't been discovered before.
Feelings of sad joy, sincere loss, refined beauty, sentimental loneliness, blue sweetness, melancholy, affection, dark warmth......are just a few words that describe the feelings his harmony evoked in the listener. Language is an art form which is much lower than music, so it is difficult to describe a higher art form using a lower one, but Bill's harmonies touched people in ways that most music hadn't before.
People discovered new feelings in themselves once they heard his harmonies. Subtle and complex emotional reactions to sounds. Something that people hadn't experienced previously. Yes, they knew what happy music felt like and what sad music felt like, usually major or minor chords, but Bill's harmonies were far more evolved, more nuanced, like the human spirit.
People are far more multidimensional than being simply happy or sad. There are many moods, temperments and emotions which express all kinds of feelings far beyond the simplicity of happy or sad. Bill wasn't searching for emotions when he sat on the bench fishing for harmonies. He was searching for sounds that were pleasing, nuanced, complex and beautiful, and in the process he discovered that these sounds produced nuanced, complex and beautiful emotions.
Jazz pianists such as Keith Jarrett, Kenny Werner, Denny Zeitlin and others have taken Bill's harmonies to even newer levels of feeling and expression, but Bill was the original pioneer. The Christopher Columbus of all modern piano harmony.
@samstephenson7786
I love EVERYTHING about this video...the black and white, the music, the clothing style, the beautiful girl at the start, and especially the view out the window while Bill, Eddie and Marty are playing. I only play this during November and December of each year so the view out my window is similar to this one. Sounds crazy I'm sure, but it gives me something to look forward to as winter approaches, then during those cold, gray days I have this to help me through. I am so grateful all who put this together back in '69-'70 and then to those who brought it to all of us fifty years or so later. So...today, November 14th 2019 is my first day hearing and watching this since last year. It's great to see you my old friend!!!
@mortweiss3151
Wonderful Comment Tac.
@SuperHinckley
Thank you man, be blessed...
@cbgbstew4072
Not crazy at all. Pieces like this have a very special feel on cloudy, chilly, overcast days like those that Novembers tend to bring :-)
@rorydillon7572
What a wonderful comment. I couldn’t have the self-restraint to go without listening to this for any period of time! I keep returning!
@ladon6551
@Pato Cariqueo OMG OMG OMG YESSSSSSSSSSS
@MrWalboy1
Rare footage - he managed a whole song without a cigarette. I still think he's the greatest musician of the 20th century.
@garyfrancis6193
Who?
@oinkooink
@@garyfrancis6193 Duff McKagan
@dmhrpr756
@@oinkooink😂