Erroll Louis Garner was born on 15th June 1921 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and began playing the piano at the age of three. At the age of seven he began appearing on radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh with a group called the Candy Kids. By the age of eleven he was playing on the Allegheny riverboats. At the age of fourteen in 1937 he joined local saxophonist Leroy Brown.
He played locally in the shadow of his older pianist brother, Linton Garner, and moved to New York in 1944. He briefly worked with the bassist Slam Stewart, and though not a bebop musician, in 1947 he played with Charlie Parker on the famous "Cool Blues" session. Although his admission to the Pittsburgh music union was initially refused because of his inability to read music, they eventually relented in 1956 and made him an honorary member. Garner is credited with having a superb memory for music; after attending a concert by the Russian pianist Emil Gilels, Garner returned to his apartment and was able to play a large portion of the performed music.
His 1955 recording Concert by the Sea ranks among his very best work. Ironically this recording of a performance at an army base in Carmel, California, featuring Eddie Calhoun on bass and Denzil Best on drums, was made using relatively primitive sound equipment, but Garner's inventiveness and swing made its point in each tune. Other notable works include 1951's Long Ago and Far Away and 1974's Magician, both of which see Erroll perform a number of classic standards in his own style. Often the trio was expanded to add Latin percussion, usually a conga, with electric results.
What made Erroll easy to recognise were his trademark introductions, that seemed to make no sense but broke dramatically into his exposition of the tune he was to play, and the guitar strumming sound of his left hand, playing crotchet accompaniment to his rich-sounding right hand. This approach suggests that he was influenced by the iconic rhythm guitar work of Count Basie's long time guitarist, Freddie Green. But discerning listeners could find that while his even-four left hand was a fixture, it was far from being the only rhythmic approach he took to playing.
Love for Sale
Erroll Garner Lyrics
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Is lonely and silent, the shades are all drawn,
And my heart is heavy as I gaze upon
A cottage for sale
The lawn we were proud of is waving in hay,
Our beautiful garden has withered away,
Where you planted roses,the weeds seem to say,
From every single window, I see your face,
But when I reach a window, there's empty space.
The key's in the mail box the same as before,
But no one is waiting any more,
The end of the story is told on the door.
A cottage for sale.
The lyrics to "Love for Sale" by Erroll Garner are very melancholic and reflective of loss and heartbreak. The song uses vivid imagery to describe a once-beautiful home that has fallen into disrepair and neglect, mirroring the state of the singer's own heart. The empty, silent house is a clear symbol of the end of a relationship and the feeling of loneliness that often follows.
The first stanza paints a picture of a dream that has died, leaving the singer feeling heavy-hearted as he surveys the empty and silent house. The second stanza further emphasizes this sense of decay, as the once-proud lawn and garden have withered and been taken over by weeds. The third stanza is perhaps the most poignant, as the singer sees his former lover's face in every window he looks through, yet finds only emptiness when he tries to approach.
The final lines of the song, "The key's in the mail box the same as before, but no one is waiting any more, the end of the story is told on the door," serve as a powerful conclusion to the tale of loss and abject heartbreak that is conveyed throughout "Love for Sale." In the end, we are left with the image of a lonely, abandoned cottage, standing as a symbol of the singer's own shattered dreams and hopes.
Line by Line Meaning
Our little dream castle with every dream gone,
Our once perfect life, filled with dreams and aspirations, has crumbled and fallen apart.
Is lonely and silent, the shades are all drawn,
The home we once lived in is now empty and abandoned, with no signs of life present.
And my heart is heavy as I gaze upon
As I look upon the empty, abandoned house, my heart is weighed down with sadness and regret.
A cottage for sale
This once beloved home is now being sold, with no hope of return.
The lawn we were proud of is waving in hay,
The once well-kept lawn has been left unattended and is now overgrown with tall grass.
Our beautiful garden has withered away,
The garden we worked so hard to maintain is now dead and barren, a symbol of our lost dreams and efforts.
Where you planted roses,the weeds seem to say,
Even the flowers we planted with care have been overtaken by weeds, a reminder of how quickly beauty can be lost.
A cottage for sale.
Once again, we are reminded that the house we loved is now nothing more than an object to be sold, with no emotional attachment left.
From every single window, I see your face,
Looking out from every window of the house, I am reminded of the person I once loved and shared this home with.
But when I reach a window, there's empty space.
Despite seeing their face in my mind, in reality there is nobody here with me, and the emptiness of the house echoes my loneliness.
The key's in the mail box the same as before,
The key to the house still remains in the mailbox, but the person who once shared the house with me is no longer there to retrieve it.
But no one is waiting any more,
The reality is that nobody is eagerly awaiting my return or hoping to share the life and love we once had together.
The end of the story is told on the door.
The final chapter of our love story is written on the door - this house is no longer a home and we have moved on from our once shared life together.
A cottage for sale.
The repeated use of this line is a haunting reminder that what was once a cherished, loving home is now nothing more than a mundane property for sale.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Larry Conley, Willard Robinson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind