Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, to Italian immigrants, Sinatra began his musical career in the swing era with bandleaders Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. Sinatra found success as a solo artist after he signed with Columbia Records in 1943, becoming the idol of the "bobby soxers". He released his debut album, The Voice of Frank Sinatra, in 1946. Sinatra's professional career had stalled by the early 1950s, and he turned to Las Vegas, where he became one of its best known residency performers as part of The Rat Pack. His career was reborn in 1953 with the success of From Here to Eternity, with his performance subsequently winning an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. Sinatra released several critically lauded albums, including In the Wee Small Hours (1955), Songs for Swingin' Lovers! (1956), Come Fly with Me (1958), Only the Lonely (1958) and Nice 'n' Easy (1960).
Sinatra left Capitol in 1960 to start his own record label, Reprise Records, and released a string of successful albums. In 1965, he recorded the retrospective September of My Years, starred in the Emmy-winning television special Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music, and released the tracks "Strangers in the Night" and "My Way". After releasing Sinatra at the Sands, recorded at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Vegas with frequent collaborator Count Basie in early 1966, the following year he recorded one of his most famous collaborations with Tom Jobim, the album Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim. It was followed by 1968's collaboration with Duke Ellington. Sinatra retired for the first time in 1971, but came out of retirement two years later and recorded several albums and resumed performing at Caesars Palace, and reached success in 1980 with "New York, New York". Using his Las Vegas shows as a home base, he toured both within the United States and internationally until a short time before his death in 1998.
Sinatra forged a highly successful career as a film actor. After winning an Academy Award for From Here to Eternity, he starred in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), and received critical acclaim for his performance in The Manchurian Candidate (1962). He appeared in various musicals such as On the Town (1949), Guys and Dolls (1955), High Society (1956), and Pal Joey (1957), winning another Golden Globe for the latter. Toward the end of his career, he became associated with playing detectives, including the title character in Tony Rome (1967). Sinatra would later receive the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1971. On television, The Frank Sinatra Show began on ABC in 1950, and he continued to make appearances on television throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Sinatra was also heavily involved with politics from the mid-1940s, and actively campaigned for presidents such as Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, though before Kennedy's death Sinatra's alleged Mafia connections led to his being snubbed.
While Sinatra never formally learned how to read music, he had an impressive understanding of it, and he worked very hard from a young age to improve his abilities in all aspects of music. A perfectionist, renowned for his dress sense and performing presence, he always insisted on recording live with his band. His bright blue eyes earned him the popular nickname "Ol' Blue Eyes". Sinatra led a colorful personal life, and was often involved in turbulent affairs with women, such as with his second wife Ava Gardner. He went on to marry Mia Farrow in 1966 and Barbara Marx in 1976. Sinatra had several violent confrontations, usually with journalists he felt had crossed him, or work bosses with whom he had disagreements. He was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors in 1983, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Ronald Reagan in 1985, and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997. Sinatra was also the recipient of eleven Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Trustees Award, Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. After his death, American music critic Robert Christgau called him "the greatest singer of the 20th century", and he continues to be seen as an iconic figure.
Sinatra died with his wife at his side at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on May 14, 1998, aged 82, after a heart attack. Sinatra had ill health during the last few years of his life, and was frequently hospitalized for heart and breathing problems, high blood pressure, pneumonia and bladder cancer. He was further diagnosed as having dementia. He had made no public appearances following a heart attack in February 1997. Sinatra's wife encouraged him to "fight" while attempts were made to stabilize him, and his final words were, "I'm losing." Sinatra's daughter, Tina, later wrote that she and her sister, Nancy, had not been notified of their father's final hospitalization, and it was her belief that "the omission was deliberate. Barbara would be the grieving widow alone at her husband's side." The night after Sinatra's death, the lights on the Empire State Building in New York City were turned blue, the lights at the Las Vegas Strip were dimmed in his honor, and the casinos stopped spinning for a minute.
Sinatra's funeral was held at the Roman Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills, California, on May 20, 1998, with 400 mourners in attendance and thousands of fans outside. Gregory Peck, Tony Bennett, and Sinatra's son, Frank Jr., addressed the mourners, who included many notable people from film and entertainment. Sinatra was buried in a blue business suit with mementos from family members—cherry-flavored Life Savers, Tootsie Rolls, a bottle of Jack Daniel's, a pack of Camel cigarettes, a Zippo lighter, stuffed toys, a dog biscuit, and a roll of dimes that he always carried—next to his parents in section B-8 of Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California.
His close friends Jilly Rizzo and Jimmy Van Heusen are buried nearby. The words "The Best Is Yet to Come", plus "Beloved Husband & Father" are imprinted on Sinatra's grave marker. Significant increases in recording sales worldwide were reported by Billboard in the month of his death.
God's Country
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I got a roof in the sky
Wonder why my heart keeps a throbbing, a throbbing
A son of God's country am I
And I got the flames and the mountains
And that treasure's mine if I try
One by one my blessings I'm counting and counting
I got the sun up in the sky, the streams when I'm dry
The fruit on the boughs of the trees
The clouds bringing me rain, the fields giving me grain
Thanks to the Maker for these
And I got a loved one who loves me
Kids to make my cares hurry by
I may not be in heaven but I can't be far away
A son of God's country am I
(And I got a loved one who loves me)
My baby loves me
(Kids to make my cares hurry by)
Hurry by, hurry by, hurry by
I may not be in heaven but I can't be far away
A son of God's country am I
A son of God's country am I
In "God's Country," Frank Sinatra sings about being grateful for the blessings of living in a beautiful place, surrounded by nature, and loved ones. He mentions the song of the robin, which can be interpreted as a metaphor for the simple things in life that bring us joy. He also mentions having a roof in the sky, which could be a reference to the vastness of the open sky or the feeling of being close to God. Sinatra's lyrics convey a sense of awe and appreciation for the natural world and his place in it, as he describes the flames and mountains as his treasure that is attainable if he tries.
The chorus of "God's Country" emphasizes the blessings Sinatra has, stating that he has the sun, the streams, the fruit, the clouds, and the fields, all thanks to the Maker. He also mentions having loved ones and children who make his cares hurry by. Through his lyrics, Sinatra connects with the audience by emphasizing the importance of gratitude for the beauty in life, and the joy that comes from loving and being loved.
Line by Line Meaning
And I got the song of the robin
I am surrounded by the sounds of nature, which brings me peace
And I got a roof in the sky
I have a home under the open sky, which is my shelter
Wonder why my heart keeps a throbbing, a throbbing
My heart is full of love and overflowing with joy
A son of God's country am I
I am blessed to live in a beautiful land created by God
And I got the flames and the mountains
The beauty and grandeur of the mountains and the warmth of the sun make me happy
And that treasure's mine if I try
If I work hard and strive for success, I can achieve anything
One by one my blessings I'm counting and counting
I am grateful for every blessing in my life, no matter how small
And I got the sun up in the sky, the streams when I'm dry
The sun and the water provide me with the necessities of life
The fruit on the boughs of the trees
The trees bear fruit that nourishes me and brings me joy
The clouds bringing me rain, the fields giving me grain
The rain and the crops sustain me and my community
Thanks to the Maker for these
I give thanks to God for the gifts of nature and abundance in my life
And I got a loved one who loves me
I am blessed with the love of a partner
Kids to make my cares hurry by
My children bring me joy and distract me from my worries
I may not be in heaven but I can't be far away
My life is filled with so much joy and beauty, it feels like heaven on earth
A son of God's country am I
I feel privileged to live in a land created by God and am grateful for all the abundance in my life
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Maria Anderson
And I got the song of the robin
And I got a roof in the sky
Wonder why my heart keeps a throbbing, a throbbing
A son of God's country am I
And I got the flames and the mountains
And that treasure's mine if I try
One by one my blessings I'm counting and counting
A son of God's country am I
I got the sun up in the sky, the streams when I'm dry
The fruit on the boughs of the trees
The clouds bringing me rain, the fields giving me grain
Thanks to the Maker for these
And I got a loved one who loves me
Kids to make my cares hurry by
I may not be in heaven but I can't be far away
A son of God's country am I
My baby loves me
(Kids to make my cares hurry by)
Hurry by, hurry by, hurry by
I may not be in heaven but I can't be far away
A son of God's country am I
A son of God's country am I
KingCrimson
This is beautiful!
Dave Micklon
This seems to be one of his lesser viewed hits on YT.