Donegan was born and grew up in Chicago, Illinois and began studying classical piano at age six. In her early years, she studied at the Chicago Musical College and by age eight her potential was recognized. In the 1940s she became Art Tatum's protégée and in 1942 she made her recording debut. She appeared in Sensations of 1945 with Cab Calloway, Gene Rodgers and W. C. Fields and was known for her work in Chicago nightclubs. She began a trio in 1945, but then returned to solo work. She expressed some interest in returning to classical music after this.
Her first six albums would prove to be obscure when compared to her success at live performance. It was not until the 1980s that her work gained notice in the recorded jazz world, and her live albums from 1991 perhaps gained her the most acclaim. Even at that point, she remained best known for concerts and live performances. At these she would draw crowds with her eclectic mixture of styles and her personality. She died of cancer in 1998 in Los Angeles, California and in the same year was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.
St. Louis Blues
Dorothy Donegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hate to see that evening sun go down
Cause my baby, he's gone left this town
Feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
If I'm feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
I'll pack my truck and make my give-a-way
Pulls that man around by her, if it wasn't for her and her
That man I love would have gone nowhere, nowhere
I got the St. Louis blues, blues as I can be
That man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me
I love my baby like a school boy loves his pie
Like a Kentucky colonel loves his mint 'n rye
I love my man till the day I die
The lyrics of Dorothy Donegan's song St. Louis Blues express the pain of being left behind by a loved one. In the first verse, the singer expresses sadness at the setting of the sun, which represents the departure of her baby from town. She hates to see the end of the day, as it means her baby will be further away. In the second verse, she fears for the future and her emotional state. If she feels tomorrow as she does today, she will have to leave too.
The chorus emphasizes the central theme of the song - the St. Louis blues. The woman in St. Louis has a diamond ring, which symbolizes her power over men. If it weren't for her, the singer's man would have stayed with her. The singer has been left behind, feeling blue and heartbroken. She loves her man deeply, comparing her love to a schoolboy's love for pie or a Kentucky colonel's love for mint 'n rye. The final line of the song, "I love my man till the day I die," shows the singer's unwavering commitment to her loved one.
Overall, St. Louis Blues is a powerful and emotional song about heartbreak, longing, and love. The lyrics express the pain of losing someone dear and the hopelessness of trying to hold on to love when it slips away.
Line by Line Meaning
I hate to see that evening sun go down
It pains me to witness the evening sun set
Cause my baby, he's gone left this town
Because my lover has departed this place
Feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
If I continue to feel the same way tomorrow as I do today
I'll pack my truck and make my give-a-way
I will leave everything behind and go away
St. Louis woman with her diamond ring
A woman from St. Louis, wearing a diamond ring
Pulls that man around by her, if it wasn't for her and her
If it weren't for her, that man wouldn't have got anywhere
That man I love would have gone nowhere, nowhere
My beloved wouldn't have achieved anything
I got the St. Louis blues, blues as I can be
I am severely depressed, as good as having St. Louis Blues
That man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea
My beloved's heart is insusceptible to love
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me
Otherwise he wouldn't have left me so far away
I love my baby like a school boy loves his pie
I love my sweetheart just as a schoolboy loves his pie
Like a Kentucky colonel loves his mint 'n rye
Just the way a Kentucky colonel intensely loves his Mint n' Rye
I love my man till the day I die
Till the last breath of my life, I love my man
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: William Christopher Handy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Serjo Micoyan
0:34