Herbie Mann was born in Brooklyn, New York. Early in his career, he played saxophone and clarinet, but Mann was among the first jazz musicians to specialize on the flute and was perhaps jazz music's preminent flautist during the 1960s.
Mann was quite prolific and performed often. His first gig was playing in the Catskills at age 15. His last, on May 3, 2003 was at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival at age 73. Herbie Mann died at age 73 on July 1, 2003 of prostate cancer.
Push Push
Herbie Mann Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yield
Push Me, Pull Me
I had a false belief; I thought I came here to stay.
We're all just visiting, all just breaking like waves.
The oceans made me, but who came up with love?
Push me, pull me, push me, but pull me out.
So if there were no angels would there be no sin?
You better stop me before I begin.
But let me say:
If I behave, can you arrange a spacious hole in the ground?
Somewhere nice, make it nice
Where the land meets my pride.
Push me, pull me, or pull me out.
Like a cloud dropping rain I'm discarding all thought.
I'll dry up leaving puddles on the ground.
I'm like an opening band for the sun.
Push me, pull me, or just pull me out out out .
I've had enough, said enough, felt enough, I'm fine.
The song "Push Push" by Herbie Mann is an up-tempo jazz number that features American guitarist Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band. The lyrics to the song are minimal and mostly instrumental, with the saxophone, flute, and guitar taking center stage. However, the title and the repetitive use of the phrase "push me, pull me" suggest a deeper theme at play.
On the surface, the lyrics evoke a sense of impermanence and transience. The singer muses that life is fleeting and that we are all just passing through like waves crashing on the shore. He contemplates the origins of love and questions the existence of sin in the absence of angels. The repeated refrain of "push me, pull me" seems to express a desire for something to anchor him in this world, to give him a sense of direction and purpose.
However, there is also a darker undercurrent to the lyrics. The singer speaks of his own mortality and seems to suggest that he is ready to die. He asks if someone can arrange a "spacious hole in the ground" for him somewhere nice where the land meets his pride. It's unclear whether this is a metaphorical death or a literal one, but the repeated plea to be pushed or pulled out suggests a desire to be released from the burden of existence.
Overall, "Push Push" is a complex and multi-layered song that invites interpretation. Whether viewed as a meditation on life's transience or a contemplation of mortality, it is a powerful and evocative piece of music.
Line by Line Meaning
I had a false belief; I thought I came here to stay.
I had the illusion that my time on earth would be permanent
We're all just visiting, all just breaking like waves.
None of us are here to stay forever, we are all transient like the ocean waves.
The oceans made me, but who came up with love?
While the natural world might have created me, love is just too complex to be understood by science alone.
Push me, pull me, push me, but pull me out.
Sometimes all I need is some motivation to go forward or backward, but ultimately I need someone to pull me out of my current state.
So if there were no angels would there be no sin?
If there were no moral figures to follow, would everything be permissible?
You better stop me before I begin.
Please intervene before it's too late and I do something I would regret.
But let me say:
But before you stop me, please listen to what I have to say.
If I behave, can you arrange a spacious hole in the ground?
If I become good from now on, could you please provide me with a nice burial place?
Somewhere nice, make it nice
Somewhere scenic where I can rest in peace.
Where the land meets my pride.
Where I can be buried in the vicinity of something that uniquely symbolizes me.
Push me, pull me, or pull me out.
Again, sometimes I need motivation to move forward or backward, but ultimately I need someone to pull me out of my current state.
Like a cloud dropping rain I'm discarding all thought.
Just like a cloud, I am discharging everything that weighs me down.
I'll dry up leaving puddles on the ground.
I will be long gone, leaving behind remnants of myself on earth.
I'm like an opening band for the sun.
I am insignificant before the sun since I am like an opening musical act before the main performer.
Push me, pull me, or just pull me out out out .
Yet again, sometimes I need motivation to move forward or backward, but ultimately I need someone to pull me out of my current state.
I've had enough, said enough, felt enough, I'm fine.
I have gone through everything and now feel complete.
Writer(s): Herbie Mann Copyright: Herbie Mann Music Corp.
Contributed by Elena T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@gabrielmiranda2706
É nesse momento que Daniel diz uma frase bem aleatória
@easylikesundaymorning
LKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK EU ENTENDI
@1magnificentreg
my mother made me listen! i was only 16, berkeley california, 1969 man. no better time, no better place, no better age for me and the rest as they say, is history...
@TheMarkcu24
This is from 1971.
@ExBuickRacer
My dad had me listen to all the greats back in the day. I can recall sitting on the floor of our apartment in Southern Cal-- he was about 25, I was 4, and he would crank up Herbie, T-Rex, CCR, Jazz Crusaders, etc. on the Heathkit stereo he built. Those were great times; I still have all his LPs. With all the exposure to music I was getting, at the age of 6 I took up brass playing and I'm still at it 43 years later.
@jimshipp7776
I'm a little late here, obviously... but great story!
@jananney
@@jimshipp7776I’m with you- but later still. Great story, and Dad did a great thing educating him about great music. It’s a gift that he will cherish forever. Very, very cool.
@MrLosguerreros
One of the most underrated Recordings of all time, this is so funky I cant even talk about it !
@innercityprepper
oooohhhh happened so fast I can't even talk about it -- Macho Man
@jeffmarder
Staggering grove and the counterpoint guitar by Duane Allman dripping Southern licks in is sublime.
A Forever Jam.