Byrd primarily looked up to Django Reinhardt. He moved to Washington, D.C., to study classical guitar with the renowned Sophocles Papas. He later moved to Italy where he studied with Andrés Segovia. In the early 1960's he was on a State Department tour in South America where he was introduced to a new music, the bossa nova, which was the musical passion of Brazil beginning in the late 50's. Jazz saxophonist Stan Getz had been in Brazil about six months earlier than Byrd, also on a State Department tour, where he, too, was exposed to the bossa nova. A short time later Getz called Byrd in D.C. and suggested the idea that they collaborate on a bossa nova album. That album was the introduction of bossa nova to North America.
He is perhaps most well known as a collaborator with Stan Getz on the Jazz Samba album, which featured many themes of bossa nova, and of course, samba.
Oh Lady be Good
Charlie Byrd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's terribly sad but true,
All dressed up, no place to go
Each evening I'm awfully blue.
I must win some handsome guy
Can't go on like this,
I could blossom out I know,
Oh, sweet and lovely lady, be good
Oh, lady, be good to me
I am so awfully misunderstood
So lady, be good to me
Oh, please have some pity
I'm all-alone in this big city
I tell you I'm just a lonesome babe in the wood,
So lady be good to me.
Oh, please have some pity
I'm all alone in this big city
I tell you I'm just a lonesome babe in the wood,
So lady be good to me.
Oh lady be good to me.
The lyrics to Charlie Parker's song Oh Lady Be Good depict a lonely individual searching for love and companionship in a big city. The singer is unhappy and unfulfilled, shown by the repetition of being "awfully blue" and "all alone in this big city." The singer expresses a desire to find someone, specifically a "handsome guy," to fill the void and bring them out of their loneliness. The lyrics convey a sense of vulnerability and desperation, pleading for someone to be kind and compassionate to them, to "have some pity" and "be good to me."
The repetition of the phrase "Oh lady be good" not only serves as the song's title but also evokes a longing for someone to care for the singer, someone who is "sweet and lovely." This highlights the idea that companionship and love are sought for not just for the sake of filling a void, but for the affection and comfort that is derived from being with a loved one. In addition, the use of the line "I tell you I'm just a lonesome babe in the wood" is a great example of imagery, painting a picture of the singer as a helpless and lost figure in a "big city" that is portrayed as a dark and unfamiliar place.
Overall, Oh Lady Be Good is a song about loneliness, desperation, and the search for love and companionship. It showcases the human need for connection and love, as well as the emotional struggles that come with not having it.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen to my tale of woe,
Hear my sad story,
It's terribly sad but true,
It's a horribly sad but accurate account,
All dressed up, no place to go
Fully prepared for a night out but nowhere to go,
Each evening I'm awfully blue.
I feel distressing melancholy every night.
I must win some handsome guy
I need to attract a good-looking man,
Can't go on like this,
I can't keep living like this,
I could blossom out I know,
I could thrive, I'm sure of it,
With somebody just like you. So
With someone just like you, then I can do it. So
Oh, sweet and lovely lady, be good
Oh beautiful and kind lady, be good to me,
Oh, lady, be good to me
Oh lady, be kind to me,
I am so awfully misunderstood
People don't understand me at all,
So lady, be good to me
So please be kind to me,
Oh, please have some pity
Please feel some sympathy,
I'm all-alone in this big city
I'm isolated in this large city,
I tell you I'm just a lonesome babe in the wood,
Believe me, I'm like a helpless child in the wilderness,
So lady be good to me.
So please be kind to me.
Oh lady be good to me.
Oh lady, be kind to me.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lucky Mike
from their Guitar Guitar album
Animal Lemonade
mmmmmmmhhhhmmm