But Burrell also has a equal following for his more recent works performing the great canon of American piano music (Ellington, Morton, Berlin, Carmichael, etc.). Called the Full-Blown Trio, to differentiate it as more explosive than Burrell’s other projects, the pianist is joined by bassist William Parker and drummer Andrew Cyrille, themselves both revered bandleaders and performers.
Despite massive appreciation for Burrell’s performance style and compositional ability, his discography doesn’t include any albums as the sole bandleader for a U.S. label since 1966. It’s a situation rectified by Expansion a massive recording by master musicians. Burrell calls the session, “My greatest recorded work.”
West Side Story
Dave Burrell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Second hand hose
All the girls hand me
Their second hand clothes
Even my pajamas when I darn 'em
Have somebody else's
Initials on 'em
Second hand rings
I never get what other girlies do
Once while strolling
Through the ritz a girl got my goat
She nudged her friend
And said oh look there goes
My old fur coat
I don't believe in
Frettin' and grievin'
Why mess around with strife
I never was caught out
To step and strut out
Give me the simple life
Some find a pleasant dining on pheasants
Those things roll off my comb
Just serve me tomatoes
And mashed potatoes
Any place I hang my hat is home
Oh, I got plenty o' nothin'
And nothin's plenty for me
I got no car, I got no mule
I got no misery
Don't you see
I got no lock on my door
That's okay with me
Cause the things that I prize
Like the stars in the skies are all free
I got plenty o' nothin'
And nothin's plenty for me
Once I built a railroad
Made it run,
Made it race
Against time
Once I built a railroad
Now it's done
Brother can you spare a dime?
Say don't you remember
They called me al
It was al all the time
Say don't you remember
I'm your pal
Buddy can you spare a dime?
Nobody knows you
When you're down and out
In your pocket's
Not one penny
And your friends
Well, you haven't any
Soon as you get on your feet again
Everybody
Everybody
Is your long lost friend
It's mighty strange
Without a doubt
But nobody knows you
When you're down and out
Oh every one knows
That I'm just second hand rose
From second avenue
Ya can't beat the egg-creams
From second avenue
There is more between me
And fifth avenue
Than three blocks
I tell ya
Second avenue
The flowers in spring
The robins that sing
The sun beam that shines
They're yours, they're mine
And love can come to anyone
Because the best things in life are free
The song "West Side Story" by Dave Burrell is about a woman who has learned to appreciate the simple things in life, even though she is not wealthy. She wears second-hand clothes and doesn't fret about the things she doesn't have, such as a car or a lot of money. She finds joy in the little things, like tomatoes and mashed potatoes, and believes that the best things in life, such as love, are free.
The first verse talks about how the woman wears second-hand clothes, even her pajamas have someone else's initials on them. Despite her clothing being second-hand, she still receives attention from girls who give her their second-hand clothes. In the second verse, the woman recounts a time when she was walking down the street, and a girl pointed out her old fur coat, but the woman didn't care about the opinion of others nor the appearance of her fur coat as long as she was comfortable wearing it. The third verse talks about how the woman finds pleasure in the simple things in life such as tomatoes and mashed potatoes. She doesn't need extravagance to be happy; she is content with what she has.
The last three verses are about how she has experienced struggles in life, such as not having friends or money, but she knows that the best things in life are free. The song ends with the idea that the best things in life can come to anyone, and we should appreciate the little things that make us happy without worrying about the material things that we don't have.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm wearing second hand shoes
I cannot afford new shoes and have to wear used ones.
Second hand hose
I also can't afford new stockings and have to wear used ones.
All the girls hand me
Their second hand clothes
I can only afford second-hand clothing, and people give me their used clothes too.
Even my pajamas when I darn 'em
Have somebody else's
Initials on 'em
I have to mend the used clothes I have and often find that they already have someone else's initials on them.
Second hand rings
Mmm... second hand things
I cannot afford new jewelry and have to be content with second-hand rings and other items.
I never get what other girlies do
I cannot afford the luxuries other girls can have.
Once while strolling
Through the ritz a girl got my goat
She nudged her friend
And said oh look there goes
My old fur coat
While strolling through an upscale neighborhood, a girl recognized her old fur coat being worn by me and pointed it out to her friend.
I don't believe in
Frettin' and grievin'
Why mess around with strife
I never was caught out
To step and strut out
Give me the simple life
I don't sweat the small things and prefer a simple life instead of stressing over life's challenges.
Some find a pleasant dining on pheasants
Those things roll off my comb
Just serve me tomatoes
And mashed potatoes
Any place I hang my hat is home
I'm not interested in fancy things, I'm happy with basic food like tomatoes and mashed potatoes, and I can make any place my home.
Oh, I got plenty o' nothin'
And nothin's plenty for me
I got no car, I got no mule
I got no misery
Don't you see
I have nothing, but nothing is enough for me because I also have no worries or troubles to deal with.
I got no lock on my door
That's okay with me
Cause the things that I prize
Like the stars in the skies are all free
I don't have a lock on my door, but I don't mind because I appreciate the simple things in life that are free, like the stars in the sky.
Once I built a railroad
Made it run,
Made it race
Against time
Once I built a railroad
Now it's done
Brother can you spare a dime?
I used to have a job building railroads, but now I'm unemployed and asking for help from strangers.
Say don't you remember
They called me al
It was al all the time
Say don't you remember
I'm your pal
Buddy can you spare a dime?
I'm asking my friend for help because we used to work together and he knows me well enough to help me out.
Nobody knows you
When you're down and out
In your pocket's
Not one penny
And your friends
Well, you haven't any
Soon as you get on your feet again
Everybody
Everybody
Is your long lost friend
It's mighty strange
Without a doubt
But nobody knows you
When you're down and out
When you're poor and don't have any money or friends, people don't bother with you. But when you're successful again, everyone wants to be your friend.
Oh every one knows
That I'm just second hand rose
From second avenue
Ya can't beat the egg-creams
From second avenue
There is more between me
And fifth avenue
Than three blocks
I tell ya
Second avenue
Everyone knows I'm poor and from the cheap side of town, but I still love where I come from and the egg-creams from Second Avenue. My identity is not just confined to my location and my dreams extend beyond three blocks.
The flowers in spring
The robins that sing
The sun beam that shines
They're yours, they're mine
And love can come to anyone
Because the best things in life are free
The best things in life do not cost anything, like the beauty of nature and the love people can share with one another.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Ultra Tunes, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NIGEL ANDREW STAFF, DONOVAN BENNETT, WAYNE MCGREGOR, ADIDJA PALMER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind