Joplin was born into a musical family of laborers in Northeast Texas, and developed his musical knowledge with the help of local teachers, most notably Julius Weiss. Joplin grew up in Texarkana, where he formed a vocal quartet, and taught mandolin and guitar. During the late 1880s he left his job as a laborer with the railroad, and travelled around the American South as an itinerant musician. He went to Chicago for the World's Fair of 1893, which played a major part in making ragtime a national craze by 1897.
Joplin moved to Sedalia, Missouri, in 1894, and earned a living as a piano teacher, continuing to tour the South. In Sedalia, he taught future ragtime composers Arthur Marshall, Scott Hayden and Brun Campbell. Joplin began publishing music in 1895, and publication of his "Maple Leaf Rag" in 1899 brought him fame. This piece had a profound influence on subsequent writers of ragtime. It also brought the composer a steady income for life. Joplin did not reach this level of success again and frequently had financial problems.
Joplin moved to St. Louis in 1901, where he continued to compose and publish music, and regularly performed in the St Louis community. By the time he had moved to St. Louis, he may have been experiencing discoordination of the fingers, tremors, and an inability to speak clearly, as a result of having contracted syphilis. The score to his first opera, A Guest of Honor, was confiscated in 1903 with his belongings, owing to his non-payment of bills, and is considered lost by biographer Edward A. Berlin and others.[3]
He continued to compose and publish music, and in 1907 moved to New York City, seeking to find a producer for a new opera. He attempted to go beyond the limitations of the musical form which made him famous, without much monetary success. His second opera, Treemonisha, was not received well at its partially staged performance in 1915.
In 1916, suffering from tertiary syphilis and by consequence rapidly deteriorating health, Joplin descended into dementia. He was admitted to a mental institution in January 1917, and died there three months later at the age of 49.
Joplin's music was rediscovered and returned to popularity in the early 1970s with the release of a million-selling album of Joplin's rags recorded by Joshua Rifkin, followed by the Academy Award–winning movie The Sting, which featured several of his compositions, such as "The Entertainer". The opera Treemonisha was finally produced in full to wide acclaim in 1972. In 1976, Joplin was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize.
summertime
Joplin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Child, the living's easy.
Fish are jumping out
And the cotton, Lord,
Cotton's high, Lord so high.
Your daddy's rich
And your ma is so good-looking, baby.
Hush, baby, baby, baby, baby now,
No, no, no, no, no, no, no,
Don't you cry, don't you cry.
One of these mornings
You're gonna rise, rise up singing,
You're gonna spread your wings, child,
And take, take to the sky,
Lord, the sky.
But until that morning,
Honey, n-n-nothing's going to harm ya,
No, no, no no, no no, no,
Don't you cry, don't you cry.
The song Summertime by Janis Joplin and Big Brother & The Holding Company is a cover of George and Ira Gershwin's classic Broadway tune from their 1935 opera, Porgy and Bess. The song is a lullaby, sung to a child to comfort them to sleep. The lyrics describe the idyllic nature of summertime, with the fish jumping and the cotton crops abundant. The child is privileged, with a wealthy father and an attractive mother, who is "a-looking good now". The song reassures the child not to worry, as they will one day "rise up singing" and "take to the sky". Until that day, they are safe and protected, with nothing to harm them.
Line by Line Meaning
Summertime, time, time,
It's summertime, and time is passing by quickly.
Child, the living's easy.
Hey kid, life is pretty laid back right now.
Fish are jumping out
Fish are leaping about in streams and lakes.
And the cotton, Lord, Cotton's high, Lord so high.
The cotton crops are growing tall due to good weather and soil conditions.
Your daddy's rich
Your father is wealthy.
And your ma is so good-looking, baby.
Your mother is attractive.
She's a-looking good now,
Your mother is currently looking great.
Hush, baby, baby, baby, baby now,
Quiet down, little one.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no,
Don't speak.
Don't you cry, don't you cry.
Stop crying.
One of these mornings
Someday soon, possibly in the near future.
You're gonna rise, rise up singing,
You'll wake up and be filled with happiness and energy.
You're gonna spread your wings, child,
You'll be free to go wherever you want.
And take, take to the sky,
You'll soar into the air.
Lord, the sky.
The sky will be magnificent and endless.
But until that morning,
But until then, while you're still young and dependent...
Honey, n-n-nothing's going to harm ya,
Nothing bad will happen to you.
No, no, no no, no no, no,
No, nothing to worry about.
Don't you cry, don't you cry.
Stop crying and be happy.
Lyrics © IMAGEM U.S. LLC , Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DOROTHY HEYWARD, DU BOSE HEYWARD, GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRA GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
light asmr
I don't think Janis would ever have thought that 50 years after her death, there would be a 16yo teenage girl from a lost town in the French countryside who would religiously listen to her music since she was 13.
You'll never ever be forgotten Janis.
JaviVeneno教えてくれた
Me too but I'm from Ecuador haha
Just a Normal guy
One of this days I’m gonna end it all and this is gonna be my last dedicated song to the world
Eddie Soto
It shall be Peace, Than can travel in your roads. Peace be upon you.
moreblack
I hope you gravitate toward newer rock heroes that are still around while you live.
Jenny Animal
Omg has it been 50 years. ?
Cyndi K
Her voice has touched my soul since I was 11. Still have their 1st album. I'm 64
Cyndi K
@Lou Boudreau What a bitchin reply!! Thanks 😊
Now 65, still alive. I must say I love Kim Carnes' voice, 2nd to Janis. Enjoy yourself 👍☮
Lou Boudreau
She may not need you, but she still feeds your soul when you're sixty-four.
Cyndi K
Malcolm Caden Bless you, sir!!! Please take care. Janis will always be in our hears.