It was widely believed, for many years, that Beiderbecke's real name was Leon Bismark Beiderbecke. It is now known that this — like so many other myths about Beiderbecke — is untrue. His real name was Leon Bix Beiderbecke. Bismark was a family name, reflecting the family's German origins, but it was not given to Beiderbecke. "Bix" was a family nickname of his father and older brother, given him as a proper name.
Leon Bix Beiderbecke was born in Davenport, Iowa to a middle-class family. As a teenager he would sneak off to the banks of the Mississippi to listen to the bands play on the riverboats that would come up from the south.
Partially due to frequent absences due to illness, Beiderbecke's grades suffered. His parents felt that sending him to the exclusive Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, Illinois, just northwest of Chicago, would provide the attention and discipline needed to improve his schooling.
Beiderbecke's schooling there soon suffered when the only subjects he showed avid interest in were music and sports. Bix soon began going into Chicago as often as possible to catch the hot jazz bands of the day at clubs and speakeasies around Chicago, and too often didn't return in time or was found out the next day.
Beiderbecke was soon asked to leave the Academy due to his academic failings and extra-curricular activities in Chicago, and began his musical career in earnest.
Beiderbecke first recorded with his band "The Wolverine Orchestra" (usually called just The Wolverines, named for "Wolverine Blues" by Jelly Roll Morton because they played it so often) in 1924, then became a sought-after musician in Chicago, Illinois and New York City, New York. He made innovative and influential recordings with Frankie Trumbauer ("Tram") and the Jean Goldkette Orchestra. When the Goldkette Orchestra disbanded after their last recording ("In My Merry Oldsmobile"), in May 1927, Bix and Trumbauer, a 'C' Melody and alto saxophone player, briefly joined Adrian Rollini's band at the Club New Yorker, New York, before moving on to the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, the most popular and highest paid band of the day.
Beiderbecke suffered health problems from an early age, though the relentless schedule of the road and heavy drinking leading to alcoholism began to contribute to and exacerbate a decline in his health. Bix suffered from severe pain in his legs and other ill effects of prohibition era alcohol and with declining work around the New York City area, he took a turn for the worse.
Though his death certificate described the cause of death as pneumonia, and he was in seriously ill health, the circumstances immediately surrounding his death are still unclear. He died at the age of 28, in his apartment at 43-30 46th Street, Sunnyside, Queens, within the confines of the City of New York on August 6, 1931.
There Ain't No Sweet Man That's Worth The Salt Of My Tears
Bix Beiderbecke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's coming loose from the stem
Shaking like a leaf on a tree
Because I'm coming loose from my man
I'm like a weeping willow
Weeping on my pillow
For years & years
That's worth the salt of my tears
Down & down he dragged me
Like a fiend he nagged me
For years and years
There ain't no sweet man
That's worth the salt of my tears
Although I may be blue
Still I'm through
I must tell him goodbye
Rather than have that man
Gonna lay me down and just die
So, broken-hearted sisters
Aggravating misters
Lend me your ears
There ain't no sweet man
That's worth the salt of my tears
Although I may be blue
Still I'm through
I must tell him goodbye
Rather than have that man
Gonna lay me down and just die
So, broken-hearted sisters
Aggravating misters
Lend me your ears
There ain't no sweet man
That's worth the salt of my tears
The first stanza of the song suggests a feeling of anxiety and nervousness as the singer compares herself to a leaf on a tree that is coming loose from its stem. This can be interpreted as her feeling detached and separated from her partner. She further explains that she is shaking because she is coming loose from him, implying that the cause of her anxiety is the imminent end of the relationship. In the second stanza, the singer compares herself to a weeping willow, crying on her pillow for years and years. She is heartbroken because her partner dragged her down and nagged her like a fiend for many years. The third stanza suggests that she has had enough and that she is better off without him, even though she may be blue. She decides to leave him because there is no man that is worth the salt of her tears.
In summary, the song speaks of a woman who has suffered from a toxic relationship for many years. Despite her deep emotional attachment to her man, she eventually realizes that leaving him is the best thing for her, even though it may be painful.
Line by Line Meaning
Shaking like a leaf on a tree
I am experiencing intense emotional distress, causing my body to shake uncontrollably.
That's coming loose from the stem
This distress is caused by my relationship with my partner deteriorating, much like a leaf falling off a tree branch.
Shaking like a leaf on a tree
I cannot control my emotions, much like a leaf cannot control its movement in the wind.
Because I'm coming loose from my man
My distress is due to the fact that my relationship with my partner is ending.
I'm like a weeping willow
My emotional distress is comparable to that of a weeping willow tree, a symbol of sadness and mourning.
Weeping on my pillow
My sadness is so great that I cannot hold back tears, and they soak my pillow.
For years & years
This sadness has persisted for a long time.
There ain't no sweet man
Despite my affection for my partner, I have come to the realization that he is not worth my tears.
That's worth the salt of my tears
No man is deserving of the emotional pain I am experiencing.
Down & down he dragged me
My partner has caused me to become more and more unhappy as time has passed.
Like a fiend he nagged me
He has pestered me relentlessly, like a demon or monster would.
Although I may be blue
Even though I feel sad and distressed,
Still I'm through
I have made the decision to end the relationship, even though it is difficult.
I must tell him goodbye
It is time for me to formally end the relationship with my partner.
Rather than have that man
I would rather not have a partner than continue a relationship that causes me so much pain.
Gonna lay me down and just die
I cannot continue to live with the emotional toll that this relationship takes on me.
So, broken-hearted sisters
To my fellow women who have also experienced heartbreak,
Aggravating misters
To the men who have caused us pain,
Lend me your ears
Please listen to my advice and learn from my experience.
There ain't no sweet man
No man is worth the kind of pain that comes from a bad relationship.
That's worth the salt of my tears
No amount of love or affection is worth the emotional distress that comes from a bad relationship.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FISHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@christopherolsen1678
It absolutely is Bing Crosby singing the lead. He was only 24 years old at the time of this recording and was not quite the established star that he would become within a just few years. His voice was possibly a little younger and higher, and he was also singing in a somewhat higher register than we're used to hearing him in, as that's what the arrangement called for. Though the melody is maybe a tad high, it is still within the comfortable range of a natural baritone, but high enough that (especially combined with the somewhat more primitive recording techniques of the time, even compared to recordings from the mid 1930s) it might be enough to obscure the familiar vocal timbre that we associate with the incomparable Bing Crosby.
Furthermore, though he had clearly already established himself as a very talented vocalist at this time, he may not quite have developed a signature style yet, so some of the trademarks that we're used to hearing from Bing are not present. But yes, that is Bing Crosby.
His vocal style may not have been completely flushed out, and he's maybe singing in a slightly higher range than we're used to, but that's him. If you listen closely, you can still hear a lot of his trademark enunciation and phrasing.
He's also using a lot more fast vibrato than the slightly older, more developed Crosby would have used, but that's kind of a common trope for younger vocalists to fall back on. Not that it's amateur by any stretch, it's just a testament to just how serious Bing was about his work. He never stopped honing his talent. Now that I think about it, a lot of the recordings from the apex of Bing's career are some of the finest examples of a vocal artist who really knows how to use vibrato; when to keep it caged, and when to let it out. Frank had that talent, and he even developed it earlier in his career, but if we were going to compare the two of them on that merit alone, Bing would probably win, even if only by a small margin.
Anyway, I digress. It may not sound like the trademark Bing, but yes, that is Bing Crosby.
@christopherolsen1678
It absolutely is Bing Crosby singing the lead. He was only 24 years old at the time of this recording and was not quite the established star that he would become within a just few years. His voice was possibly a little younger and higher, and he was also singing in a somewhat higher register than we're used to hearing him in, as that's what the arrangement called for. Though the melody is maybe a tad high, it is still within the comfortable range of a natural baritone, but high enough that (especially combined with the somewhat more primitive recording techniques of the time, even compared to recordings from the mid 1930s) it might be enough to obscure the familiar vocal timbre that we associate with the incomparable Bing Crosby.
Furthermore, though he had clearly already established himself as a very talented vocalist at this time, he may not quite have developed a signature style yet, so some of the trademarks that we're used to hearing from Bing are not present. But yes, that is Bing Crosby.
His vocal style may not have been completely flushed out, and he's maybe singing in a slightly higher range than we're used to, but that's him. If you listen closely, you can still hear a lot of his trademark enunciation and phrasing.
He's also using a lot more fast vibrato than the slightly older, more developed Crosby would have used, but that's kind of a common trope for younger vocalists to fall back on. Not that it's amateur by any stretch, it's just a testament to just how serious Bing was about his work. He never stopped honing his talent. Now that I think about it, a lot of the recordings from the apex of Bing's career are some of the finest examples of a vocal artist who really knows how to use vibrato; when to keep it caged, and when to let it out. Frank had that talent, and he even developed it earlier in his career, but if we were going to compare the two of them on that merit alone, Bing would probably win, even if only by a small margin.
Anyway, I digress. It may not sound like the trademark Bing, but yes, that is Bing Crosby.
@stevevandien310
Christopher Olsen: Just curious, Christopher -- are you a singer?
@stephencooper7620
I played this for my girlfriend in 2008 - on a CD I had called Bix and Bing - she liked BIng's songs from some movies she had seen - and she was all like, that does not sound like Bing!
I wish I had been able to refer her to what Christopher Olsen said ,,, but that was then, and this is now
@rosyboa5520
@Stephen Cooper watch "King of Jazz" and see him sing it in person. It is Bing Crosby and the Rhythm Boys.
@stephencooper7620
@Rosy Boa Thanks! sounds like a movie worth watching!
@mikeycondry1493
I absolutely adore 20s Bing Crosby
@pinkieldred
Sure another great study of early Bing.....But more importantly another example of why Bix was so special . Listen to his attack of popping out precise clear perfectly timed notes...Pump Bix ...Pump
@SSegal
One of my favorite songs. Rhythm BOYS singing about a sweet man, how progressive of them.
@dianemacintyre5890
Fantastic tune from an era I love. I listen to it often for all it's elements! I also appreciate other's comments here that add to my knowledge, and there are many. And I agree with Bix and Bing- There ain't no sweet man worth the salt of my tears!
@TheRAFfc
its great to hear two old great timers together showing their great talent, thank you friend.:)