David Warren Brubeck (born December 6, 1920 in Concord, California - Decemb… Read Full Bio ↴David Warren Brubeck (born December 6, 1920 in Concord, California - December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist who has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". He was probably best known for "Take Five", written by saxophone player Paul Desmond, who was the saxophonist in The Dave Brubeck Quartet. Due to the immense popularity of his work, Brubeck had won multiple awards such as a lifetime achievement award from the Grammys in 1996, a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship in 1999, and a Kennedy Center Honor in 2009.

Brubeck's style ranged from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills. Much of his music employed unusual time signatures, a fact jokingly referred to by his greatest hits album 'Time Signatures: A Career Retrospective'. Upon his death, a number of commentators noted his crossover appeal to mainstream pop audiences, something putting him in the company of other jazz legends such as Louis Armstrong and Herbie Hancock among others.

I'll Never Smile Again
Dave Brubeck Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'll never smile again
Until I smile at you
I'll never laugh again
What good would it do?
For tears would fill my eyes
My heart would realize
That our romance is through

I'll never love again
I'm so in love with you
I'll never thrill again
To somebody new
Within my heart
I know I will never start

To smile again
Until I smile at you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Dave Brubeck's "I'll Never Smile Again" convey a sense of heartbreak and loss following the end of a romantic relationship. The singer expresses that they will never be able to smile or laugh again until they can do so with their former partner. The lines "For tears would fill my eyes, my heart would realize that our romance is through" suggest a deep emotional pain and the realization that their love has come to an end.

The lyrics further reveal the singer's belief that they will never find love or happiness elsewhere. They state that they will never love or feel thrilled by someone new, as their heart still belongs to the person they have just parted ways with. The final lines "Within my heart, I know I will never start to smile again until I smile at you" emphasize the longing and yearning for reconciliation with the ex-lover.

Overall, the song captures the profound sadness and longing for lost love. It depicts the singer's inability to move on from the relationship and find joy or happiness without their former partner. The lyrics offer a raw portrayal of heartbreak and the difficulty one faces in letting go of a love that meant so much.

Line by Line Meaning

I'll never smile again
The joy on my face will no longer appear

Until I smile at you
Unless I have the chance to express happiness towards you

I'll never laugh again
The sound of my laughter will cease

What good would it do?
There would be no purpose or benefit in doing so

For tears would fill my eyes
My eyes would be filled with sorrowful drops

My heart would realize
My innermost feelings would understand

That our romance is through
That our love affair has come to an end

I'll never love again
I will not experience love once more

I'm so in love with you
I am deeply infatuated with you

I'll never thrill again
The exhilaration and excitement will never return

To somebody new
Towards another person in the future

Within my heart
Deep within my innermost being

I know I will never start
I am aware that I will never begin

To smile again
To express happiness once more

Until I smile at you
Unless I have the chance to show happiness towards you

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: Glenn Osser, Ruth Lowe

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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