Clifford Brown (October 30, 1930 – June 26, 1956), aka "Brownie," was an Am… Read Full Bio ↴Clifford Brown (October 30, 1930 – June 26, 1956), aka "Brownie," was an American jazz trumpeter. He died aged 25 in a car accident, leaving behind only four years' worth of recordings. Nonetheless, he had a considerable influence on later jazz trumpet players, including Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan, Booker Little, and Freddie Hubbard, among others. He was also a composer of note: two of his compositions, "Joy Spring" and "Daahoud", have become jazz standards.

He won the Down Beat critics' poll for the 'New Star of the Year' in 1954; he was inducted into the Down Beat 'Jazz Hall of Fame' in 1972 in the critics' poll. Sandoval described him as "one of what we call the mandatory trumpet players" who was "one of the greatest trumpet players of all time".

Wilmington, Delaware, (where Brownie was born and is buried), hosts an annual jazz fest in his honor. Sponsored by the cities arts commission known as Citifest, the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival is a FREE week long event held mostly in outdoor venues at various locations in Wilmington. The festival usually occurs the 3rd week in June of each year.

Noteable websites are:
The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival: http://www.cliffordbrownjazzfest.com
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_Brown and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_Brown_Jazz_Festival
Brownie, the unofficial memorial website: http://cliffordbrown.net

I'll String Along With You
Clifford Brown Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

All my life I've waited for an angel
But no angel ever came along
Then one happy afternoon I met you
And my heart began to sing a song
Somehow, I mistook you for an angel
But now I'm glad that I was wrong

You may not be an angel

'Cause angels are so few
But until the day that one comes along
I'll string along with you

I'm looking for an angel
To sing my love song to
And until the day that one comes along
I'll sing my song to you

For every little fault that you have
Say, I've got three or four

The human little faults that you do have
Just make me love you more

You may not be an angel
But still I'm sure you'll do

So until the day that one comes along
I'll string along with you

For every little fault that you have
Say, I've got three or four

The human little faults you do have,
Just make me love you more

Because you're such an angel
That's why I'm sure you'll do
So until the day that one comes along
I know just what I'll do

I'll string along with you

Overall Meaning

In "I'll String Along With You," Clifford Brown sings about his longing for love and companionship. He starts by expressing his disappointment that he has never found an angel, but his perspective changes once he meets the person he is singing to. Though he thought this person was an angel at first, he realizes that he is glad to have been wrong. He acknowledges that his companion may have faults, but they are insignificant compared to the love he feels for them. He concludes by saying that he will continue to stay by their side until he finds an actual angel.

Line by Line Meaning

All my life I've waited for an angel
I have been waiting for someone special my entire life

But no angel ever came along
But I have never found that special someone

Then one happy afternoon I met you
Until I met you one afternoon

And my heart began to sing a song
I felt happy and joyful inside

Somehow, I mistook you for an angel
I thought you were the one I've been waiting for

But now I'm glad that I was wrong
But I am happy that I was mistaken

You may not be an angel
You are not perfect

'Cause angels are so few
Because perfect people are rare

But until the day that one comes along
But until I find that perfect someone

I'll string along with you
I will stick with you in the meantime

I'm looking for an angel
I am searching for perfection