McShann was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and began working as a professional musician in 1931, performing around Tulsa, Oklahoma and neighboring Arkansas. He moved to Kansas City, Missouri in 1936, and set up his own big band, which featured Charlie Parker (from 1937 to 1942), Bernard Anderson, Ben Webster and Walter Brown. Although its book included both swing and blues numbers, the band played blues on most of its records; its most popular recording was "Confessin' the Blues." The group disbanded when McShann was drafted into the Army in 1944, and he was unable to successfully restart it when he got out.
After the war McShann began to lead small groups featuring blues shouter Jimmy Witherspoon. Witherspoon started recording with McShann in 1945, and fronting McShann's band, had a hit in 1949 with "Ain't Nobody's Business." McShann then played in obscurity until 1969, when he became popular as a singer as well as a pianist, often performing with Claude Williams. He continued recording and touring through the 1990s. Well into his 80s McShann still performed occasionally, particularly in the Kansas City area and Toronto Ontario.
Crime-fiction writer Elmore Leonard featured McShann as a character in his 2005 novel, The Hot Kid.
On December 7, 2006, McShann died at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City.
Honeysuckle Rose
Jay McShann Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Alalalalaa otra vez otra vez
Te espero en silencio
Por si decides gritarme
Me caigo 5 veces y me levanto 7
Disparo y fallo
Solo es para probarme
A tellu se le escapan los seísmos
Si quieres ver límites empujate a ti mismo
Si te soy sincero no puedo luchar
Porque me faltan motivos para ponerme a pensar
Creo que la vida pasa rapido
Pero no pasa nada si la paso a tu lado
Ando por caminos de futuro sin mirar atrás, no te preocupes del pasado
Es que estoy perdido uo uo
Y no se donde estoy
Morí electrocutado por echarte un cable
Solo tu eres capaz de encontrarme
Vente, vente, vente, quedate
Tal vez sea mejor para los dos
Me arranco el corazón si te vas de mi
De todas formas no puedo arrancar algo que se perdió
Estoy recogiendo cachos de mi alma
Pegarlos poco a poco y levantarme
Solamente tu me haces ver
Que la vida no esta hecha pa' cobardes
Dimee, dime que te quedas
No puedo aguantar esta soledad
El camino es largo y no puedo caminar
Me arranco los ojos si veo que no estas
Dimee, dime que te quedas
No puedo aguantar esta soledad
El camimo es largo y no puedo caminar
Me arranco los ojos y veo que no estas
Mienteme o matame ahora mismo
El último peon con vida en el tablero
Quería coger las nubes con los brazos cortados y recibirte con los brazos abiertos
Dime todo lo que sientes
Tu mirada es el descanso de mi alma
Me entretengo viendo la vida pasar
Solo el mes de noviembre me salva
Se que estas enfrente con los ojos vendados
Es lo que tiene acostumbrarme a tu presencia
He vuelto a cerrar el cajón de los recuerdos
Abrir los ojos para nuevas experiencias
The first verse of the song expresses a sense of being lost and confused. The singer is waiting in silence for someone to come and save him. He feels like he's falling down five times and getting up seven, showing that he's struggling, but he's not giving up. He describes shooting and missing as a way of testing himself, adding that he'd pay a million dollars for someone to put up with his character. The second verse seems to be about the importance of pushing oneself to discover their limits. The singer acknowledges that he has trouble finding motivation to fight, but he believes that if he's with someone they care about, it could help him get through life's challenges. He concedes to having some regrets about how fast life passes by, but he's willing to let go of the past if it means he can be with the person he loves. He recognizes that he feels lost and doesn't know where he is, but she's the only one who can find him.
In the chorus, the singer pleads with the listener to stay with him, as he cannot bear the thought of being alone. He speaks of feeling broken and needing time to put himself back together. The only one who can help him do that is the person he's singing to. He concedes that the road ahead of him is long, and he's working hard to recover from what he's lost, but he needs the person he's addressing to stay with him. He ends the song by opening his eyes to new experiences, leaving behind the past and ready to start fresh.
Line by Line Meaning
Anananana otra vez perdido
I feel lost and confused once again.
Alalalalaa otra vez otra vez
I'm repeating the same mistakes over and over again.
Te espero en silencio
I'm waiting quietly for you.
Por si decides gritarme
In case you decide to scream at me.
Me caigo 5 veces y me levanto 7
I may fall five times, but I'll always get up seven.
Disparo y fallo
I shoot my shot, but miss.
Solo es para probarme
It's just to test myself.
Te pago un millón si aguantas mi carácter
I'll pay you a million if you can handle my personality.
A tellu se le escapan los seísmos
Tellu can't control his emotions sometimes.
Si quieres ver límites empujate a ti mismo
If you want to see your limits, push yourself harder.
Si te soy sincero no puedo luchar
To be honest, I don't have the motivation to fight.
Porque me faltan motivos para ponerme a pensar
Because I don't have any reasons to think anymore.
Creo que la vida pasa rapido
I believe life goes by quickly.
Pero no pasa nada si la paso a tu lado
But it doesn't matter as long as I'm with you.
Ando por caminos de futuro sin mirar atrás, no te preocupes del pasado
I'm walking towards the future without looking back, don't worry about the past.
Es que estoy perdido uo uo
I'm just lost, lost.
Y no se donde estoy
And I don't know where I am.
Morí electrocutado por echarte un cable
I died trying to help you out.
Solo tu eres capaz de encontrarme
Only you can find me.
Vente, vente, vente, quedate
Come, come, come, stay.
Tal vez sea mejor para los dos
Maybe it's for the best for both of us.
Me arranco el corazón si te vas de mi
I'll rip my heart out if you leave me.
De todas formas no puedo arrancar algo que se perdió
But I can't pull out something that's already lost.
Estoy recogiendo cachos de mi alma
I'm picking up the pieces of my soul.
Pegarlos poco a poco y levantarme
Putting them back together little by little and standing up again.
Solamente tu me haces ver
Only you make me see.
Que la vida no esta hecha pa' cobardes
That life isn't made for cowards.
Dimee, dime que te quedas
Tell me, tell me you'll stay.
No puedo aguantar esta soledad
I can't bear this loneliness.
El camino es largo y no puedo caminar
The road is long and I can't walk it alone.
Me arranco los ojos si veo que no estas
I'll gouge my eyes out if I can't see you.
Mienteme o matame ahora mismo
Lie to me or kill me right now.
El último peon con vida en el tablero
The last living pawn on the board.
Quería coger las nubes con los brazos cortados y recibirte con los brazos abiertos
I wanted to grab the clouds with my arms cut and embrace you with open arms.
Dime todo lo que sientes
Tell me everything you feel.
Tu mirada es el descanso de mi alma
Your gaze is the rest for my soul.
Me entretengo viendo la vida pasar
I entertain myself watching life go by.
Solo el mes de noviembre me salva
Only November saves me.
Se que estas enfrente con los ojos vendados
I know you're in front of me with your eyes closed.
Es lo que tiene acostumbrarme a tu presencia
That's what happens when I get used to your presence.
He vuelto a cerrar el cajón de los recuerdos
I've closed the memory box again.
Abrir los ojos para nuevas experiencias
Open my eyes to new experiences.
Writer(s): Andy Razaf, Fats Waller
Contributed by Keira T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.