Wilson's repertoire includes both jazz and blues standards and renditions of pop and rock songs. Her contralto voice has been described as bluesy and sultry, and the style of her music ranges from swing to funk to bossa nova. Many of the songs she covers are by artists who usually record in other genres.
Wilson counts the late Miles Davis as one of her greatest influences. In 1989 she performed as the opening act for Davis at the JVC Jazz Festival in Chicago. In 1999 she produced Traveling Miles as a tribute to Davis. The album developed from a series of jazz concerts that she performed at Lincoln Center in November 1997 in Davis's honor and includes three selections based on Davis's own compositions, in which Wilson adapted the original themes.
A Brief Discography
Point of View (1986, JMT)
Days Aweigh (1987, JMT)
Blue Skies (1988, JMT)
Jumpworld (1989, JMT)
She Who Weeps (1990, JMT)
Live (1991, JMT)
After the Beginning Again (1992, JMT)
Dance to the Drums Again (1992, DIW/Columbia)
Blue Light 'til Dawn (1993, Blue Note)
New Moon Daughter (1995, Blue Note)
Rendezvous (with Jacky Terrasson) (1998, Blue Note)
Traveling Miles (1999, Blue Note)
Belly of the Sun (2002, Blue Note)
Glamoured (2003, Blue Note)
Thunderbird (2006, Blue Note)
Loverly (2008, Blue Note)
Silver Pony (2010, Blue Note)
Another Country (2012, eOne)
Official website: www.cassandrawilson.com
Black Orpheus
Cassandra Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A sad and a long, lonely day
I walk the avenue hoping I'll run into
The lovely sight of you coming my way
I stop right across from your door
But you don't see me anymore
So back to my room I go with a gloom
A day in the life of a fool
A sad and a long, lonely day
I walk the avenue hoping that I'll run into
The lovely sight of you coming my way
And I stop just across from your door
But you don't see me anymore
So back to my room I go with a gloom
And I cry tears of goodbye
Tears of goodbye
This song tells a story of a person who is sad and lonely, hopelessly waiting to catch a glimpse of someone they love. They walk down the avenue each day, yearning to see that person coming their way. However, when they finally stop in front of the person's door, the object of their affection doesn't even notice them. The singer is left heartbroken and returns to their room feeling doomed, shedding tears of goodbye.
The lyrics of this song convey a deep sense of longing and the pain of unrequited love. The storyteller wants nothing more than to see the person they love, but that hope is never realized. Even when they finally reach the person's doorstep, they are invisible to the one they desire, which reinforces the futility of their efforts. The tears of goodbye that they cry perfectly capture the sense of finality and despair that comes with unrequited love.
Line by Line Meaning
A day in the life of a fool
Describing the experience of a foolish person's day
A sad and a long, lonely day
The day is filled with sadness and loneliness
I walk the avenue hoping I'll run into
The lovely sight of you coming my way
The person walks with the hope of meeting their loved one on the way
I stop right across from your door
But you don't see me anymore
The person stops near the loved one's door, but they are no longer noticed
So back to my room I go with a gloom
And I cry tears of goodbye
The person returns to a gloomy room and cries tears of farewell
A day in the life of a fool
Reiterating the foolish person's unhappy day
A sad and a long, lonely day
Continuing to emphasize the sadness and loneliness of the day
I walk the avenue hoping that I'll run into
The lovely sight of you coming my way
Repeating the hope of finding the loved one on the way
And I stop just across from your door
But you don't see me anymore
Again mentioning the person stopping near the loved one's door but not being noticed
So back to my room I go with a gloom
And I cry tears of goodbye
Repeating the sad scene of the person returning to their room and crying tears of farewell
Tears of goodbye
Describing the tears as a way of saying farewell
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARIA, ANTONIO / SALVET, ANDRE MICHEL CHARLES / BONFA, LUIZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Тимур Губашев
A day in the life of a fool
A sad and a long lonely day
I walk the avenue
And hope I’ll run into
The welcome sight of you
Coming my way
I stop just across from your door
But you’re never home any more
So back to my room
And there in the gloom
I cry tears of good bye
(that’s the way it will be every day in the life of fool)
День в жизни дурака
Грустная и длинный одинокий день
Я иду по аллее
И надеюсь, что будете работать в
Желанный вид из вас
Далее мой путь
Я останавливаюсь только напротив вашей двери
Но вы никогда не домой больше
Итак, вернемся к моей комнате
И там во мраке
Я плачу слезами до свидания
( что так оно и будет каждый день в жизни дурака )
Maria Bento
Encantadora. Interpretação linda. Adoro tudo em Cassandra Wilson.
Sandy G.
Beautiful interpretation of this song!
I saw this movie when I was a child in the 1960’s.
I remembered some of the story line and that the ending was tragic.
I remembered this English version of the song and it’s lyrics and name.
I haven’t thought about this song or sang it since I was in elementary school yet I still knew it!
So many artists sung Black Orpheus in the 1960’s, it was that popular!
JaNai Waden
Thank you so much for posting this. I have ben looking for this for months on here. I have the album too. Much appreciated :)
Тимур Губашев
A day in the life of a fool
A sad and a long lonely day
I walk the avenue
And hope I’ll run into
The welcome sight of you
Coming my way
I stop just across from your door
But you’re never home any more
So back to my room
And there in the gloom
I cry tears of good bye
(that’s the way it will be every day in the life of fool)
День в жизни дурака
Грустная и длинный одинокий день
Я иду по аллее
И надеюсь, что будете работать в
Желанный вид из вас
Далее мой путь
Я останавливаюсь только напротив вашей двери
Но вы никогда не домой больше
Итак, вернемся к моей комнате
И там во мраке
Я плачу слезами до свидания
( что так оно и будет каждый день в жизни дурака )
Terry Mathews
I love this ... and love it live on the new CD, SILVER PONY.
james stephens
She adds such beautiful to what is other wise a sad song!
Ray Adams
Beautiful Song!!!
Julie Holtzman
CASSANDRA'S sultry voice makes me like this English version - tho it has NOTHING to do w/ MANHA DE CARNAVAL ....by Luis BONFA . (BLACK ORPHEUS .) I Love singing it in Portuguese and co-incidentally wrote an English version one sleepless night last week........!
Did any of you see the Film ?
bluemoonomen
Thank you for posting this. Another song for my favs.
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