His build earned him a nickname and a signature song, "Mr. Five by Five" ("he's five feet tall and he's five feet wide"). His best known recordings are probably those of "Going to Chicago" with Basie and "Harvard Blues" with the famous saxophone solo by Don Byas. George Frazier, author of "Harvard Blues", called Rushing's distinctive voice, "a magnificent gargle".
He died of leukemia in 1972 in New York City.
I Never Knew
Jimmy Rushing Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I didn't realise I was wise, what love could do;
Now I'm facing a future that hasn't that one happy ending,
And I'm a fool, I guess, to confess it all to you.
I never knew I could love anybody
Honey like I'm lovin' you.
I didn't realise
And a baby smile could do.
I can't sleep, I can't eat,
I never knew a single soul could be so sweet,
For I never knew I could love anybody
Honey like I'm lovin' you.
I can't sleep, I can't eat,
I never knew a single soul could be so sweet,
For I never knew I could love anybody
Honey like I'm lovin' you,
Honey like I'm lovin' you.
In "I Never Knew," Jimmy Rushing sings about the power of love and how it took him by surprise. He opens up about how he had been going through life pretending and playing games, unaware of the impact that love could have on him. Rushing says that he now faces a future that he knows won't have the happy ending he had hoped for. Despite his reluctance, he confesses that he is a fool for not realizing the power of love sooner.
The chorus of the song echoes his newfound understanding of what love can do. Rushing says that he had never known the feeling of loving someone as deeply as he loves the person he is addressing in the song. He emphasizes how he didn't realize how a pair of eyes and a baby smile could make him feel. In the end, he reveals how he now can't sleep or eat because of his deep love and admiration for this person.
Overall, "I Never Knew" is a song that explores the transformative power of love. It's a reflection on how it feels to be caught off guard by one's emotions and how challenging it can be to come to terms with them. It's a poignant reminder to savor and appreciate the people we love in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been running in circles while playing a game of pretending,
I've been pretending to be someone I'm not and going around in circles.
I didn't realise I was wise, what love could do;
I didn't know how much wisdom love could bring me.
Now I'm facing a future that hasn't that one happy ending,
I'm facing an uncertain future without a definite happy ending.
And I'm a fool, I guess, to confess it all to you.
I feel foolish for admitting all of this to you.
I never knew I could love anybody
I never thought I could love anyone as much as I love you.
Honey like I'm lovin' you.
With the same sweetness and affection as I love you.
I didn't realise
I didn't know
What a pair of eyes
The power of someone's gaze
And a baby smile could do.
And the charm of a smile could make me feel.
I can't sleep, I can't eat,
I am so preoccupied with thoughts of you that I can't focus on my basic needs.
I never knew a single soul could be so sweet,
I never knew someone could be so loving and kind.
For I never knew I could love anybody
I never thought I was capable of loving someone so much.
Honey like I'm lovin' you.
But I do love you as if you were my own beloved honey.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: PAUL WHITEMAN, RAYMOND B EGAN, ROY MARSH, TOM PITTS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind