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.
EveryThing Must Change
Carmen McRae Lyrics
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Nothing stays the same
Everyone will change
No one, no one stays the same
The young become the old
And mysteries do unfold
For that's the way of time
There are not many things in life one can be sure of
Except rain comes from the clouds
Sun lights up the sky
Hummingbirds fly
Winter turns to spring
A wounded heart will heal
Oh but never much too soon
No one, and nothing goes unchanged
The young become the old
And mysteries do unfold
For that's the way of time
No one, and nothing stays unchanged
There are not many things in life one can be sure of
Except rain comes from the clouds
Sun lights up the sky
Hummingbirds fly
Rain comes from the clouds
Sun lights up the sky
Hummingbirds fly
Rain comes from the clouds
Sun lights up the sky
Hummingbirds fly
Everything must change
Carmen McRae's song "Everything Must Change" speaks to the inevitability of change, the passage of time, and the impermanence of all things. The song opens with the repetition of the phrase "Everything must change, nothing stays the same," emphasizing the central theme of the lyrics. The first verse speaks to the fleeting nature of human life and how we all will inevitably change as we age. McRae notes that "the young become the old, and mysteries do unfold," underscoring that no one is immune to the passage of time.
The second verse offers some yet comforting truths amidst this impermanence: "There are not many things in life one can be sure of, except rain comes from the clouds, sun lights up the sky, hummingbirds fly." These lines suggest that while everything around us may change, there are some universal truths that remain constant. The final repetition of "everything must change" closes the song on a poignant note, underscoring the inevitability of the passage of time.
Overall, "Everything Must Change" speaks to a deep human truth about the inevitability of change and the impermanence of all things. It offers both a sobering reminder of the passage of time as well as a comforting reminder of the things that remain constant amidst this change.
Line by Line Meaning
Everything must change
Everything is subject to change and transformation
Nothing stays the same
All things are temporary and are bound to change
Everyone will change
All individuals will experience transformation at some point
No one, no one stays the same
No individual remains exactly the same throughout their life
The young become the old
As time progresses, individuals naturally grow older and age
And mysteries do unfold
The passage of time brings about new and unexplainable phenomena
For that's the way of time
The passage of time is characterized by change and transformation
No one, and nothing goes unchanged
All individuals and things experience some form of alteration over time
There are not many things in life one can be sure of
The future is uncertain and unpredictable
Except rain comes from the clouds
One of the few constants in life is precipitation from the sky
Sun lights up the sky
Another constant in life is the illumination provided by the sun
Hummingbirds fly
The natural world is abundant with unchanging phenomena, such as animal behavior
Winter turns to spring
The changing of the seasons is another example of the transient nature of life
A wounded heart will heal
Even emotional pain, though difficult, will eventually subside or transform
Oh but never much too soon
Healing takes time and cannot be rushed or hastened
No one, and nothing goes unchanged
All individuals and things experience some form of alteration over time
There are not many things in life one can be sure of
The future is uncertain and unpredictable
Except rain comes from the clouds
One of the few constants in life is precipitation from the sky
Sun lights up the sky
Another constant in life is the illumination provided by the sun
Hummingbirds fly
The natural world is abundant with unchanging phenomena, such as animal behavior
Rain comes from the clouds
One of the few constants in life is precipitation from the sky
Sun lights up the sky
Another constant in life is the illumination provided by the sun
Hummingbirds fly
The natural world is abundant with unchanging phenomena, such as animal behavior
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BENARD IGHNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind