Body And Soul
John Coltrane Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

My heart is sad and lonely
For you I sigh, for you dear only
Why haven't you seen it
I'm all for you body and soul

I spend my days in longing
And wondering why it's me you're wronging
I tell you I mean it
I'm all for you body and soul

I can't believe it
It's hard to conceive it
That you'd turn away romance
Are you pretending
It looks like the ending
Unless I could have just one more chance to prove, dear

My life a wreck you're making
You know I'm yours for just the taking
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul

My life a wreck you're making




You know I'm yours for the very taking
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of John Coltrane's song "Body and Soul" express the deep longing and devotion of the singer to the recipient of the song. The singer's heart is sad and lonely, and they sigh for the recipient only. They wonder why they are being wronged by the recipient, even though they are giving their all to them. They cannot believe that the recipient would turn away from romance and it seems like the end is near unless they are given one more chance to prove their love.


The singer's life is a wreck because of the pain caused by their unfulfilled love for the recipient. The singer would gladly surrender themselves to the recipient's body and soul, as they are entirely devoted to them. The lyrics are conveyed in a sorrowful and languid tone, which captures the melancholy of unrequited love. The emotional intensity of the song is heightened by Coltrane's stirring saxophone solos, which complement the singer's vocals perfectly.


Line by Line Meaning

My heart is sad and lonely
I feel sad and alone in my heart


For you I sigh, for you dear only
I long for you and only you


Why haven't you seen it
Why haven't you noticed my love for you


I'm all for you body and soul
I give you all of me, with every part of my being


I spend my days in longing
I spend my days yearning for you


And wondering why it's me you're wronging
And wondering why you are treating me unfairly


I tell you I mean it
I assure you, I am sincere in my feelings


I'm all for you body and soul
I give you all of me, with every part of my being


I can't believe it
I am in disbelief


It's hard to conceive it
It is difficult to understand


That you'd turn away romance
That you would reject love


Are you pretending
Are you faking your true feelings


It looks like the ending
It seems like this is the end


Unless I could have just one more chance to prove, dear
Unless I could prove myself to you, if given another opportunity


My life a wreck you're making
You are causing chaos and turmoil in my life


You know I'm yours for just the taking
You know I am willing to be with you


I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul
I am willing to give myself fully to you




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edward Heyman, Frank Eyton, John Green, Robert Sour

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

chestnutsweet

I will echo what a few others have said here. McCoy Tyner's solo on this take is brilliant. Everything just feels so right and flows so beautifully.  As for Trane, this is another part of his genius that some don't understand. His ability to take the melody,embellish it without being dishonest in his voice. Many greats have this and pay respect to the original composers just by acknowledging the song as part of their set or repertoire. More importantly, Trane sits back and lets McCoy have the main solo and then he takes it out coming back in to finish the song.Yes, it is not totally played note for note and measure for measure according to jazz standard enthusiasts but the voice is there with respect, as is his sound.

Yoni A

Wonderful analysis

Gregory Luce

Well said! Listen to any of his takes on My Favorite Things. Or the beautifully restrained way he backs Johnny Hartmann. His humility is as appealing as his genius.

Giordano Pagotto

Just so no one tells they "don't know the chords": This is a reharmonisation of Body and Soul.
1) The A sections are mostly modal (just listen to the Ab pedal the bass) with a few tonal progressions here and there, specially before they repeat the theme. The melody is adapted to the new harmony, that's why the "For you I cry, for you dear only" part is different. Kind of what they did to "My Favourite Things".
2) The B section is tonal but also modified. Just listen for example to 1:14 where they play the so called "Contrane changes" (famous used in Giant Steps) , then again at 1:30 

No intention to be a snob here, just sharing some info about it that might help some to understand it a bit better.

Tyrone Smith

And what better way to understand it then just listening to it!!! What is with so many of you and your inacurate theory assessments??? It is music coming from a few BROTHERS who had life experiences you could never comphrehend and the fact of the matter is that notes and all that other bullshit you mentioned has nothing to do with it. Do you know about expressions??? You write these comments as if you are the masters of the music when in fact you have nothing to do with it. They are the ones who are the true creators of this art. Not you or your muscical theories or the bullshit you were taught or teach in these colleges in Lab Band or Music 1 and 2 or Jazz Theory This and That. You ever notice how you never see cats like Miles, Trane, Shorter and so many more not even use music sheets when they are or were on playing live??? Because they would not even allow it to be on stage with them. What should that tell you??? Its ridiculous how so many people think they can play this music and they cant. Yes you can MIMIC IT but you can not play it because you do not understand it enough...seriously you do not!!!

David Owen

it's sad that Giordano feels he has to pre-empt accusations of being a 'snob', when he's just talking about how the music is made. music doesn't come out of thin air, it's actually put together by people.

Carolyn Boyd

In the words of fred Sanford."Are you crazy.Show me what you got.I thought so"Erase this reply.You did before.Must be your channel.

Carolyn Boyd

I can't believe so many agreed with your dis of 'trane.You're listening to the music but you can't hear it.You must live in an alternative universe,He's playing standards at the behest of the record company.These people you mentioned couldn't hold a candle to Coltrane.

Max Brinster

Giordano Pagotti all explaned in some depth in mark levines book on theory. However you dont need a real book to hear what these guys are doing. And personally i think these changes are more interesting than the original changes.

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Alexander Alegre

McCoy Tyner completely owns this recording. That solo, its just goes places.

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