Ethel Llewellyn Ennis (Baltimore, Maryland, November 28, 1932 – February 17… Read Full Bio ↴Ethel Llewellyn Ennis (Baltimore, Maryland, November 28, 1932 – February 17, 2019) was an American jazz singer.

Ethel Ennis began performing on the piano in high school, but her natural vocal abilities soon eclipsed those as a pianist. Embarking on a solo career, she recorded a number of sides for Atlantic Records before the LP debut, 1955's Lullabies for Losers was released by Jubilee Records. In 1957, Ennis moved to the Capitol Records label for a two-album contract, and A Change of Scenery was released. Soon after the 1958 follow-up LP Have You Forgotten, Ennis took a six-year hiatus from recording during which she toured Europe with Benny Goodman.

Ennis was again invited to the recording studios in 1963, recording four LPs for RCA Victor. However, disenchanted with the creative direction of the label and artist management, Ennis left RCA Victor and took another hiatus. Eight years would pass before she received another recording contract. During this period she sang the title song for the 1967 feature film Mad Monster Party?. The BASF LP 10 Sides of Ethel Ennis emerged in 1973 and later that year Ennis, a Democrat, was invited to sing at the re-inauguration of Richard Nixon. Ethel's unusual a cappella rendition of the national anthem shocked some, but inspired many others.

Earlier on, Ethel had returned to her hometown of Baltimore, and sang outside the area only a handful of times in the next several decades. Then in 1980 to the delight of loyal fans she reappeared, releasing a live album.

After not having a recording with widespread attention for many years, Ennis was brought back to national attention in 1994 with a self-titled NYC studio album produced by her long-time drummer, Paul Hildner. It reached the Jazz Top 40 radio chart. James Gavin of the New York Times in a review states, "Her long, seductive 'Save the Best for Last' finds surprising depth in that Vanessa Williams hit, and she unlocks all the quiet wisdom of 'I Can Let Go Now,' Michael McDonald's ballad about the moment when the pain of a failed relationship ends. Mr. Gress, the pianists Stefan Scaggiari and Marc Copland, and the drummer Paul Hildner help give the album its stark, shadowy mood."

In 1998, Ennis once again recorded for a major label with If Women Ruled the World on Savoy Jazz. The most recent Ennis recording was a critically praised 2005 live set, captured in performance at Montpelier in her home state of Maryland. Between January 1978 and April 1980 two of her tracks, "Sing Me a Tune" and "Call Me Young", were used on a tape played with Testcard F on BBC1.

She was married to Earl Arnett.

Ethel died on February 17, 2019, at the age of 86 from a stroke.

So Far Away
Ethel Ennis Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

So far away
Doesn't anybody stay in one place any more?
It would be so fine to see your face at my door
And it doesn't help to know you're just time away
Long ago I reached for you and there you stood
Holding you again would only do me good
Oh how I wish I could but you're so far away

One more song about moving along the highway
I can't say much of anything that's new
But if I could only work this life out my way
I'd rather spend it being close to you

But you're so far away
Doesn't anybody stay in one place any more?
It would be so fine to see your face at my door
And it doesn't help to know you're so far away
So far away, yeah, you're so far away

Traveling around sure gets me down and lonely
Nothing else to do but close my mind
And I sure hope the road don't get to own me
There's so many dreams that I've yet to find

But you're so far away
Doesn't anybody stay in one place any more?
It would be so fine to see your face at my door

And it doesn't help to know you're so far away
So far away, yeah, you're so far away

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Ethel Ennis’s “So Far Away” express the feeling of distance and loneliness that can come with traveling and being separated from loved ones. The opening lines ask the question, “Doesn’t anybody stay in one place anymore?” highlighting the transient nature of modern society and the difficulty of maintaining close relationships. The singer longs to see the face of the person they miss, but knows that they are “just time away” and cannot be reached easily.

In the second verse, the singer reflects on their life of constant movement, expressing a desire to find a way to be closer to the person they miss. They lament the lack of anything new to say about traveling, implying that it has become a tiresome routine. However, they emphasize that being close to their loved one would be worth it. The final verse continues this theme of travel-induced loneliness, but ends on a hopeful note with the recognition that there are still many dreams left to pursue.

Overall, “So Far Away” is a song about longing and the desire for connection. It speaks to the pain of being separated from loved ones and the search for meaning in a life that can feel aimless and lonely.

Line by Line Meaning

So far away
The distance between the singer and the person she is singing to is great

Doesn't anybody stay in one place any more?
The singer wonders why people seem to move around so much nowadays

It would be so fine to see your face at my door
The singer would love to see the person she is singing to in person

And it doesn't help to know you're just time away
Knowing that time is the only thing separating the singer from the person she is singing to does not make the distance any easier

Long ago I reached for you and there you stood
The singer has had a connection with the person she is singing to for a long time

Holding you again would only do me good
Being physically close to the person she is singing to would be beneficial to the singer

Oh how I wish I could but you're so far away
The singer expresses her desire to be physically close to the person she is singing to once again

One more song about moving along the highway
The singer acknowledges that she has sung similar songs about traveling before

I can't say much of anything that's new
The singer feels that she is not saying anything new by singing about traveling and being far away from someone she cares about

But if I could only work this life out my way
The singer wishes she had more control over her life and the distance between her and the person she is singing to

I'd rather spend it being close to you
Being physically close to the person she is singing to is the singer's preferred way to spend her time

Traveling around sure gets me down and lonely
The singer feels sad and lonely because of all the traveling she has to do

Nothing else to do but close my mind
The singer has no other choice but to try to forget about her feelings of loneliness and separation

And I sure hope the road don't get to own me
The singer hopes that her traveling lifestyle does not become her identity or take over her life completely

There's so many dreams that I've yet to find
The singer has many dreams and aspirations that she has not yet fulfilled

So far away, yeah, you're so far away
The singer reiterates the distance between her and the person she is singing to, emphasizing her feelings of separation and longing

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Carole King

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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