Born James Oscar Smith on 8th December 1925 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, USA. Smith was influenced by both gospel and blues. He first achieved prominence in the 1950s where his recordings became popular on jukeboxes before there were commonly used terms to describe his unique musical flavor. In the sixties and seventies he helped create the jazz style known as soul jazz.
Smith employed a unique technique to emulate a string bass player on the organ. Although he played walking bass lines on the pedals on ballads, for uptempo tunes, he would play the bass line on the lower manual and use the pedals for emphasis on the attack of certain notes. His solos were characterised by percussive chords mixed with very fast melodic improvisation with the right hand.
Smith was a prolific recording artist. He first recorded with the Blue Note label in 1956. His early albums with Blue Note sold very well, improving its financial viability and aiding the label's efforts to promote other artists. They include Home Cookin' , The Sermon!, Midnight Special, Prayer Meetin' , and Back at the Chicken Shack.
Smith signed to Verve Records label in 1963. Smith's albums with Verve include: The Cat, The Boss, Root Down, Peter & The Wolf, Any Number Can Win, The Incredible..., Bashin', Got My Mojo Workin', Christmas Cookin', and Organ Grinder Swing.
His influence has been felt across multiple generations and musical styles; nearly every subsequent jazz organist owes a large debt to Smith. The Beastie Boys (who sampled the bassline from Smith's "Root Down (and Get It)"—and saluted Smith in the lyrics—for their own hit "Root Down"), Medeski, Martin & Wood, and The Hayden-Eckert Ensemble are among the better known contemporary bands that pay tribute to Smith's sensibilities and sound. The Acid Jazz movement also reflects Smith's influences.
Smith died on 8th February 2005, in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.
There are several other artists with this name: 1. an American jazz trumpeter, 2. an American jazz drummer, 3. a British guitarist for the band Foals, 4. blues guitarist Jimmy "Guitar" Smith.
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See Wikipedia for a disambiguation page for Jimmy Smith#Musicians.
Willow Weep For Me
Jimmy Smith Lyrics
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Willow weep for me
Bend your branches green along the stream that runs to sea
Listen to my plea
Hear me willow and weep for me
Gone my lovers dream
Lovely summer dream
Sad as I can be
Hear me willow and weep for me
Whisper to the wind and say that love has sinned
Left my heart a-breaking, and making a moan
Murmur to the night to hide its starry light
So none will see me sighing and crying all alone
Weeping willow tree
Weep in sympathy
Bend your branches down along the ground and cover me
When the shadows fall, hear me willow and weep for me
Oh, Weeping willow tree
Weep in sympathy
Bend your branches down along the ground and cover me
The song "Willow Weep For Me" by Jimmy Smith is a melancholic ballad that explores themes of loss, heartbreak and longing. The opening lines of the song, "Willow weep for me, bend your branches green along the stream that runs to sea, listen to my plea" set a tone of despair and hopelessness. The tree symbolizes nature as a means of solace, and the singer is asking the willow tree to empathize with their sorrow.
The second verse talks about a lost love, a "lovely summer dream," which has left the singer bereft and weeping. The plea to the willow is repeated with even more emotional intensity - "Hear me willow and weep for me." In the third verse, the singer appeals to the elements to hide their grief, to whisper to the wind and murmur to the night, and to the tree to cover them when the shadows fall.
The final verse ends on a plaintive note, with the singer once again asking the willow to weep in sympathy and cover them with its branches. The use of personification and natural imagery in the song create a sense of intense sorrow that is hard to express verbally. The willow tree, the wind, the night, and the shadows all serve as symbols of loss, grief, and heartbreaking emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Willow weep for me
Oh willow tree, cry for me and with me
Willow weep for me
Oh willow tree, please continue to cry with me
Bend your branches green along the stream that runs to sea
Your branches should bend towards the stream leading to the sea
Listen to my plea
Please hear my desperate request
Hear me willow and weep for me
Please listen to me as I cry, alongside my weeping
Gone my lovers dream
I have lost the dream of being with my loved one
Lovely summer dream
The dream was of a beautiful summer-like love
Gone and left me here to weep my tears into the stream
Left me here to cry and shed my tears into the stream
Sad as I can be
I am extremely sad
Hear me willow and weep for me
Please listen to me as I cry, alongside my weeping
Whisper to the wind and say that love has sinned
Say to the wind that love has done wrong
Left my heart a-breaking, and making a moan
My heart is breaking, causing me to groan and moan in sadness
Murmur to the night to hide its starry light
Tell the night to hide its light so that no one can see me crying and sighing
So none will see me sighing and crying all alone
I don't want anyone to see me crying and feeling alone
Weeping willow tree
Oh weeping willow tree
Weep in sympathy
Please cry with me in empathy
Bend your branches down along the ground and cover me
Bend your branches down to cover me as I weep
When the shadows fall, hear me willow and weep for me
As the darkness sets in, please continue to cry with me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANN RONELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind