Erskine Ramsay Hawkins was named after Alabama industrialist Erskine Ramsay who was rewarding parents with savings accounts for them for doing so.
Hawkins attended Councill Elementary School and Industrial High School (now known as Parker High School) in Birmingham, Alabama. At Industrial High School, he played in the band directed by Fess Whatley, a teacher who trained numerous African-American musicians, many of whom populated the bands of famed band leaders such as Duke Ellington, Lucky Millinder, Louis Armstrong and Skitch Henderson (of the NBC Orchestra.)
Hawkins was trumpeter and band leader in the lobby bar and show nightclub at The Concord Resort Hotel in Kiamesha Lake, New York. from 1967 to 1993 with his last performing group Joe Vitale piano, Dudly Watson bass, Sonny Rossi vocals & clarinet, and George Leary drums . Hawkins died in Willingboro, New Jersey in November 1993, after a brief visit with his sister in Alabama before he was able to return to resume playing with his band at the Concord at the age of 79. He is buried in Elmwood Cemetery, alongside his sister, in Birmingham, Alabama.
In 1978, Erskine Hawkins became one of the first five artists inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. In 1989, he was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Hawkins was a contemporary of another Birmingham jazz musician, Sun Ra. The story of the Hawkins legacy continues to be told today, during tours of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame Museum, by Ray Reach (Director of Student Jazz Programs) and Frank Adams, (Director of Education, Emeritus) at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.
S'posin'
Erskine Hawkins And His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do you think that you could love me too?
Sposin' I should hold you and caress you,
Would it impress you, or distress you?
[Chorus]
Sposin' I should say "For you I yearn,"
Would you think I'm speakin' out of turn?
Would you take my love and share it?
I'm not sposin',
I'm in love with you!
[Chorus]
I'm not sposin',
I'm in love with you!
In the song "S'Posin'" by Erskine Hawkins and His Orchestra, the singer is considering the possibility of falling in love with someone and wondering if their feelings would be reciprocated. The verses pose hypothetical questions to the object of the singer's affection, asking if they would be impressed or distressed by their advances. The chorus continues these musings, wondering if declaring love would be out of turn, and if the object of affection would take the love and share it. The song ends with the singer declaring that they are no longer "sposin'" but in fact in love with the person they are singing to.
Overall, the song is a sweet and romantic musings on the possibilities of love. The lyrics are simple and straightforward, expressing the singer's uncertainty and hopefulness all at once. The repetition of the word "sposin'" is a unique choice that adds both charm and a sense of childlike wonder to the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Sposin' I should fall in love with you,
What if I were to fall in love with you?
Do you think that you could love me too?
Would you be capable of loving me in return?
Sposin' I should hold you and caress you,
Imagine me holding and caressing you...
Would it impress you, or distress you?
...would you be impressed or distressed by such actions?
Sposin' I should say 'For you I yearn,'
What if I were to express my longing for you...
Would you think I'm speakin' out of turn?
...would you think it's inappropriate for me to do so?
An' sposin' I would declare it,
And what if I were to go ahead and declare my love for you...
Would you take my love and share it?
...would you be willing to accept and reciprocate my love?
I'm not sposin',
I'm not just imagining or supposing...
I'm in love with you!
...I am really and truly in love with you!
[Chorus]
I'm not sposin',
I'm not just imagining or supposing...
I'm in love with you!
...I am really and truly in love with you!
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ANDY RAZAF, PAUL DENNIKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind