Merry-go-round
Duke Ellington & His Orchestra; Herb Jeffries vocal; Lyrics
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You know he's gotta get away
To the merry-go-round and round
Count the times that he laid awake at night thinkin'
Am I goin' down now
Am I goin' down
Am I goin' down now, oh!
It's not easy puttin' on a smile
You're alone, lost and found
She waits at home just to love him through the night thinkin'
He's been gone so long now
Is he comin' home?
He's been gone so long now, oh!
(Chorus)
Merry-go-round and round (repeat)
(1)
[Chorus: Repeat 2X]
She waits alone
Just to love him through the night
I'm coming home babe
The lyrics of "Merry-Go-Round" by Duke Ellington & His Orchestra; Herb Jeffries vocal; narrate a story of a man who is struggling to cope with the difficulties of life and seeks refuge in a merry-go-round. The repeated lines "Am I goin' down now" signify his fear of giving up and failing. The merry-go-round represents a brief escape from reality, a place where he can forget his troubles temporarily. The lyrics also highlight the impact of his struggles on his loved one, who waits for him at home, worried about his safety and return. The chorus, "Merry-go-round and round" emphasizes the cyclical and repetitive nature of life and its challenges. The song ends with the hopeful line, "I'm coming home babe," indicating that despite the difficulties, the singer has not given up and will return home to his loved one.
Overall, "Merry-Go-Round" is a poignant commentary on the struggles of life and the importance of finding moments of respite even in the darkest of times.
Line by Line Meaning
You know he's gotta get away
He feels like he needs to escape his current situation
To the merry-go-round and round
He goes round and round in his thoughts, feeling trapped like a merry-go-round
Count the times that he laid awake at night thinkin'
He can't stop thinking and worrying at night
Am I goin' down now
He fears that things are getting worse
Am I goin' down
He worries about the possibility of failure
Am I goin' down now, oh!
He is really worried about failing
It's not easy puttin' on a smile
It's hard to pretend that everything is okay
You're alone, lost and found
It's easy to feel lost and disconnected from everything
She waits at home just to love him through the night thinkin'
The person he cares about is waiting for him, thinking about him
He's been gone so long now
He's been away for a while
Is he comin' home?
She wonders if he'll come back
He's been gone so long now, oh!
The waiting has been hard
Merry-go-round and round (repeat)
Life feels like a never-ending cycle
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: NIKKI SIXX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Trombonology Erstwhile
This side has always been a favorite Ellington record of the period. Duke's harmonic sophistication in combination with his assemblage of virtuosic soloists allowed him to endlessly rework some very basic material into something seemingly novel. Both the reeds and the trombones, to my mind the best trombone section of the Big Band Era, are wonderful here.
T455
2:23 how about that? very tight ensemble
Trombonology Erstwhile
@T455 Fantastic!
Henri de Lagardère
One could fill at least one side of a long-play album with Duke's variations on the indomitable Tiger Rag. This one is a particularly evocative one, a tonal portrait on a par with his more famous Daybreak Express or the re-working of the Limehouse Blues. These pieces, now no longer in the Ellington canon, once had a tremendous influence on contemporary arrangers, but although they too had top-notch ensembles to work with, they generally lacked the singular multi-voiced instrument in the history of our music, the Battleship Ellington. When I had my own YT-channel years ago, this was its theme.
lionkingfan
Excellent horn work in the song
Daniel Weinstein
Hayes Alvis' rock solid yet bouncy 2-beat bass and a slightly slower tempo than the '33 version set this off perfectly for me. Rex Stewart's mid-range solo is the icing on the cake!
Mark Thompson
This record could be viewed as a turning point in the Ellington band's evolution, where the ensemble begins to create a collective swing which would, despite setbacks, culminate in the Webster-Blanton sound of the early 40's
JanieUnknownWriter
Duke Ellington has CLASS!
Bryan Rendleman
Good morning Bob.
Have you heard Eva Cassidy, Songbird album?
She performed the most beautiful voice and song renditions I've ever heard.
She had a voice perhaps more captivating than Karen Carpenter...
Her live album recorded at the Georgetown Blues Alley club in 96' and later released as Songbird in 98' was released 2 years after her death and hit number 1 in the UK an amazing 133 weeks after release.
A standing record to this day.
Bryan Rendleman
The unmastered black and white video and recordings at the Jazz Alley club on Nov 3, 96' are the best ever of those songs performed.