Read Full Bio ↴Ernie Watts falls into that hallowed category of a musician's musician.
Born Ernest James Watts on October 23, 1945 in Norfolk, Virginia, he is an American jazz and rhythm and blues musician. He plays saxophone (tenor, alto and soprano) and flute. He's probably best known for his work with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and his Grammy Awards as an instrumentalist. He has also toured with the Rolling Stones, joining them on their 1981 tour.
He began playing saxophone at thirteen and later attended the Berklee College of Music on a scholarship. He toured with Buddy Rich in the mid-1960s and visited Africa with Oliver Nelson's group. He began working with Haden in the 1980s and won Grammy Awards as an instrumentalist.
He has recorded several CDs as leader of his own quartet, among them being Classic Mood, Reaching Up, Spirit Song and The Long Road Home.
He is an electrifying performer and a complete master of his instrument.
Meditation
Ernie Watts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mesmo que lá fora
Fora de si mesmo
Mesmo que distante
E assim por diante
De si mesmo, ad infinitum
Tudo de si mesmo
Nada pra si mesmo
Mesmo porque tudo
Sempre acaba sendo
O que era de se esperar
The lyrics of "Meditation" by Ernie Watts are a reflection on the concept of meditation and self-awareness. The lyrics start with "Dentro de si mesmo" which translates to "inside yourself". The song suggests that even though we can be physically outwardly focused, we should aim to remain inwardly focused as well. This means that we should always be mindful of our internal state no matter what is happening in the external world. The line "Fora de si mesmo/Mesmo que distante/E assim por diante" translates to "outside of yourself/even if it's far away/and so on...". The lyrics imply that we should be internally present and observant even if we are physically distant from a situation.
The following lines, "Tudo de si mesmo/Mesmo que pra nada/Nada pra si mesmo/Mesmo porque tudo/Sempre acaba sendo/O que era de se esperar" translate to "all of yourself/even if it's for nothing/nothing for yourself/even though everything/always ends up being what was expected." These lyrics suggest that we should put our full self into everything we do, even if it may not be a tangible benefit for ourselves. The last line is especially significant as it adds that often our invested efforts may not end up surprising us, which can be a source of frustration or disappointment.
Overall, the lyrics of "Meditation" remind us of the importance of self-awareness and being present in the moment, even during external distractions. Additionally, the song stresses the importance of investing our full selves into everything we do, regardless of the outcome.
Line by Line Meaning
Dentro de si mesmo
Within oneself
Mesmo que lá fora
Even though outside
Fora de si mesmo
Outside of oneself
Mesmo que distante
Even if far away
E assim por diante
And so on
De si mesmo, ad infinitum
Of oneself, endlessly
Tudo de si mesmo
Everything from oneself
Mesmo que pra nada
Even if for nothing
Nada pra si mesmo
Nothing for oneself
Mesmo porque tudo
Even though everything
Sempre acaba sendo
Always ends up being
O que era de se esperar
What was to be expected
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cерый Иван
Design, Art Sims
Bass – Neil Stubenhaus
Drums – John Robinson
Electric Piano – Richard Tee
Guitar – Carlos Rios
Liner Notes – Q
Mastered By – Bernie Grundman
Percussion – Paulinho Da Costa
Photography By – Bobby Holland
Piano – Michael Omartian
Producer – Quincy Jones
Recorded By, Mixed By – Bruce Swedien
Synthesizer – Ian Underwood
Technician [Assisted By] – Matt "Dr. Spock" Forger*
Tenor Saxophone – Ernie Watts
Jason Carpp
Awesome music! I haven't heard this in a long time! My parents had the LP album back in the 1980s. I must've worn it out just playing the title song "Chariots of Fire". At the time, I'd never heard of Ernie Watts until I heard this album. I was like "who the hell is this?", you know?
Black By Color Only
First time hearing this since the 1980s. Glad to have found it after all these years.
Taiwo Yusuf
One good ,musician I can barely ever do without is music as far back as over thirty something odd years.
Clive S
Just found the album in a vinyl record store :)
Cерый Иван
Design, Art Sims
Bass – Neil Stubenhaus
Drums – John Robinson
Electric Piano – Richard Tee
Guitar – Carlos Rios
Liner Notes – Q
Mastered By – Bernie Grundman
Percussion – Paulinho Da Costa
Photography By – Bobby Holland
Piano – Michael Omartian
Producer – Quincy Jones
Recorded By, Mixed By – Bruce Swedien
Synthesizer – Ian Underwood
Technician [Assisted By] – Matt "Dr. Spock" Forger*
Tenor Saxophone – Ernie Watts
sefunmi egeh
God bless you for this track. I've been looking for it forever. Thanks man.
Tony Macaluso
BERNIE U DA MAN!! LOVE THIS!
karim djebali
Exeptionnel musiciens in this album
ISAIAS NARCISO
Very good!
59 Trader
Ernies sound and expression is great here ,This aint no Keilwerth lol