Carmen Mercedes McRae (1920-1994) was a U.S. jazz singer, songwriter, and p… Read Full Bio ↴Carmen Mercedes McRae (1920-1994) was a U.S. jazz singer, songwriter, and pianist.

McRae was born in Harlem, New York, on the 8th April 1920, and studied piano as a child. As a teenager she came to the attention of Teddy Wilson and his wife, the composer Irene Kitchings Wilson. Through their influence, one of McRae’s early songs, "Dream of Life", was recorded by Wilson’s longtime collaborator Billie Holiday.

By the late 1940s she was well known among the modern jazz musicians who gathered at Minton's Playhouse, Harlem’s most famous jazz club, where she was the intermission pianist. But it was while working in Brooklyn that she came to the attention of Decca’s Milt Gabler. Her five year association with Decca yielded twelve LPs.

The musicians she sang with include Benny Carter, Mercer Ellington, Count Basie, Sammy Davis Jr, Dave Brubeck, and Louis Armstrong. She was married once (and briefly), to drummer Kenny Clarke.

McRae died on the 10th November 1994.

All my life
Carmen McRae Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

All my life
I've been waiting for you
My wonderful one
I've begun
Living all my life

All my love
Has been waiting for you

My life is sublime
Now that I'm
Giving all my love

You seem so lovely, so far above me
I'm almost afraid to look
But I adore you, I pledge before you
A heart that's an open book

All my life
Hold me close to your heart
But all else above

Hold my love
Darling, just hold my love

Overall Meaning

In Carmen McRae's song "All My Life", she expresses her deep longing and love for her significant other. The lyrics suggest that she has been waiting for this person her entire life, and now that they are together, her life is complete. She refers to her lover as her "wonderful one" and states that she has started fully living her life now that she has him by her side.

The second stanza of the song further emphasizes her love for him, indicating that all her love has been waiting for her significant other. She describes her life as "sublime" now that she has someone to share it with. She acknowledges the beauty and superiority of her lover, which intimidates her but does not lessen her adoration towards him. She pledges her loyalty and dedication to him and confesses that her heart is an open book to him.

In the final stanza, Carmen McRae beseeches her lover to hold her close to his heart, making their love the top priority above everything else. She implores him to hold her love tightly, indicating the depth of her affections towards him. The song exudes an overwhelming feeling of love, surrender, and devotion.

Line by Line Meaning

All my life
Throughout my entire life

I've been waiting for you
I have been eagerly anticipating your arrival

My wonderful one
You are truly amazing and special to me

I've begun
Since you came into my life, I have started

Living all my life
Living with a newfound sense of purpose and fulfillment

All my love
The entirety of my affection and devotion

Has been waiting for you
I have been holding onto my love for you, saving it all these years

My life is sublime
My existence has become perfect and elevated

Now that I'm
Since you are now here

Giving all my love
I am showing you the full extent of my love and passion

You seem so lovely, so far above me
You appear to be so amazing and wonderful, it's as if you are in a completely different league than me