He was born Joseph Goreed in Cordele, Georgia and moved to Chicago as a child. He was raised by his mother and grandmother. He grew on the south side of Chicago, surrounded by jazz, blues, and gospel music. In the 1930s, as a teenager, he was a member of "The Jubilee Boys" and performed in Chicago churches.
He worked as a singer and bouncer in Chicago in the late 1930s and early 1940s. In 1943, he was hired by the Lionel Hampton Orchestra. He toured with Hampton for several years but never achieved breakthrough success.
He rose to national prominence as the singer for Count Basie's Orchestra in 1954. He remained with Basie for several years. "Everyday I have the Blues" is his biggest hit.
After leaving the Basie band, Williams continued to have a successful career working with his own jazz combo. He and Basie remained on good terms and he would regularly appear with the band.
Bill Cosby cast Williams as his father-in-law "Grandpa Al" Hanks in a recurring role on the 1980s sit-com The Cosby Show.
Williams enjoyed a successful career and worked regularly until his death. He died at age 80, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Joe Williams shares a birthday with Frank Sinatra who was also born Dec. 12, three years before Williams
Too Marvelous For Words
Joe Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To sing your praises
But there aren't any magic adjectives
To tell you all you are
You're just too marvelous
Too marvelous for words
Like glorious, glamorous
It's all too wonderful
I'll never find the words
That say enough, tell enough
I mean, they just aren't swell enough
You're much too much
And just too very, very
To ever be in Webster's Dictionary
And so I'm borrowing
A love song from the birds
To tell you that you're marvelous
Too marvelous for words
Yes, you're much too much
And just too very, very
To ever be in Webster's Dictionary
And so I'm borrowing
A love song from the birds
To tell you that you're marvelous
Too marvelous for words
In Joe Williams's Too Marvelous For Words, the singer is struggling to find the right words to express just how amazing and exceptional his love interest is. He's searching for "magic adjectives" that can truly capture all the great qualities that make her so special to him. However, he finds that there simply aren't enough words in the dictionary to describe someone as wonderful as she is.
He tries to express his admiration with words like "glorious, glamorous, and amorous," but even those fall short of expressing the depth of his feelings. When he says, "you're much too much," it becomes clear that she is so much more than he could ever put into words. The phrase "to ever be in Webster's dictionary" highlights the fact that her greatness is beyond what we can normally expect from language.
The last two lines show that the singer is so overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of his love for her that he has to borrow poetry from the natural world to convey his sentiments. A "love song from the birds" emphasizes that his feelings are natural and pure, and while he may not be able to articulate them perfectly, they are still true and meaningful.
Line by Line Meaning
I search for phrases
I'm trying to find the right words
To sing your praises
To express how great you are
But there aren't any magic adjectives
I can't find words that truly describe you
To tell you all you are
To say everything that makes you amazing
You're just too marvelous
You're incredible beyond belief
Too marvelous for words
I can't even express how amazing you are
Like glorious, glamorous
Words like these come close to describing you
And that old standby, amorous
And even the classic word for love doesn't do you justice
It's all too wonderful
You're simply incredible
I'll never find the words
I'll never completely capture your greatness in words
That say enough, tell enough
No words can fully describe you
I mean, they just aren't swell enough
The words available don't do justice to your brilliance
You're much too much
You're simply too incredible
And just too very, very
You're beyond what words can describe
To ever be in Webster's Dictionary
There are no words in the dictionary that match your level of greatness
And so I'm borrowing
I have to use words from something else
A love song from the birds
I'm taking inspiration from nature to express how amazing you are
To tell you that you're marvelous
To let you know how incredible you really are
Too marvelous for words
Again, I can't even express how great you are
Yes, you're much too much
You're just too extraordinary
And just too very, very
You're far beyond what words can describe
To ever be in Webster's Dictionary
The dictionary can't capture your greatness
And so I'm borrowing
Once again, I have to take words from something else
A love song from the birds
I'm turning to nature again to express how amazing you are
To tell you that you're marvelous
To let you know how truly incredible you are
Too marvelous for words
And yet, even these words can't describe your magnificence
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHNNY MERCER, RICHARD A. WHITING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind