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.
His Eye Is On The Sparrow
Carmen McRae Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And why should the shadows come?
Why should my heart be lonely
And long for Heaven and home?
When Jesus is my captain
My constant friend is He
His eye is on the sparrow
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me
I sing because I'm happy
I sing because I'm free
Oh, His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me
He watches me
In the song "His Eye is On the Sparrow," Carmen McRae asks a few rhetorical questions that have to do with her faith. She wonders why she should feel discouraged, why shadows have to come to her, and why she should feel lonely and long for Heaven and home. The answer to these questions is Jesus, who is her captain and constant friend. Regardless of what she is dealing with, she knows that His eye is on the sparrow and He watches over her.
The refrain in the song reiterates that message, that she doesn't have to worry because God watches over even the smallest of creatures, the sparrow. This fact gives her the confidence to sing, and she does so not just because she's happy, but also because she's free. This song is a testament to her faith, and her belief that even in the darkest of moments, there is a light and a hope that comes from her faith in God.
Line by Line Meaning
Why should I feel discouraged?
Why should I feel disheartened?
And why should the shadows come?
And why should darkness surround me?
Why should my heart be lonely
Why should my heart feel empty
And long for Heaven and home?
And desire to be in Heaven with God?
When Jesus is my captain
Because Jesus is the leader of my life
My constant friend is He
And He is always by my side as my friend
His eye is on the sparrow
He is watching over the little birds
And I know He watches me
So I know He is watching over me too
His eye is on the sparrow
He is watching over the little birds
And I know He watches me
So I know He is watching over me too
I sing because I'm happy
I sing because I am filled with joy
I sing because I'm free
I sing because I am free from troubles
Oh, His eye is on the sparrow
He is watching over the little birds
And I know He watches me
So I know He is watching over me too
He watches me
He is always watching over me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: C D Martin, Charles Hutchison Gabriel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind