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.

Over The Rainbow
Dave Brubeck Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream,
Really do come true.

Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.

Where troubles melt like lemon drops,
High above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream,
Really do come true.

Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops,
High above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?

If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Dave Brubeck's rendition of Over the Rainbow express the longing for a place beyond the confines of the real world, a place where dreams come true and troubles fade away. The lyrics conjure up the image of a utopian world, a place of liberation and ultimate happiness, that seems unattainable in real life. The song begins by describing this utopian land that the singer has heard of only in a lullaby. He describes this place as being high up over the rainbow, where the skies are blue, and anything imaginable can happen.

The chorus of the song is an invocation to the wonders of this utopian land. The singer sings about how he wishes upon a star to find this land, where the clouds are far behind him, and his troubles fade away as if they were lemon drops. He describes how he will be found high above chimney tops, where no worries will ever reach him. The repetition of the chorus highlights the singer's longing for this perfect world and how he wishes he could experience it himself.

The second verse of Over the Rainbow shifts the focus to the singer's inability to reach this perfect world. He questions why he can't follow the bluebirds and fly beyond the rainbow to reach this utopian land, where he can live without any worries or troubles. The chorus of the song is then repeated, emphasizing the singer's yearning to escape to this perfect world beyond the rainbow.

Line by Line Meaning

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
Beyond the current reality, there's a place that exists in imagination

There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.
A place that's been mentioned before, though only in peaceful songs

Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
The place beyond the current reality has clear, blue skies

And the dreams that you dare to dream, Really do come true.
The dreams you have in this place are possible to achieve

Someday I'll wish upon a star And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Someday, wishes for peace and happiness will be granted and leave behind any problems

Where troubles melt like lemon drops, High above the chimney tops, That's where you'll find me.
In a place where problems disappear like magic, far above the industrial world we live in, that's where I'll be

Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
Bluebirds, symbols of happiness and peace, also exist in the imaginary place beyond current reality

Birds fly over the rainbow
The bluebirds that bring happiness and peace exist beyond current reality

Why then, oh why can't I?
I wonder why such a peaceful and happy place is outside my reach

If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow Why, oh why can't I?
If those who bring happiness and peace exist beyond the current reality, why can't I access the same place?