Kay Starr was successful in every field of music she tried, jazz, country and pop. But her roots were in jazz, Billie Holiday, considered by many the greatest jazz singer of all time, called Starr "the only white woman who could sing the blues."
She is best remembered for introducing two songs that became #1 hits in the 1950s, "Wheel of Fortune" and "The Rock And Roll Waltz".
Kay Starr was born on a reservation in Dougherty, Oklahoma. Her father, Harry, was a full-blooded Iroquois Indian; her mother, Annie, was of mixed Irish and American Indian heritage. When her father got a job installing water sprinkler systems, the family moved to Dallas, Texas.
While her father worked for the Automatic Sprinkler Company, her mother raised chickens, and Kay used to sing to the chickens in the coop. As a result of the fact that her aunt, Nora, was impressed by her singing, she began to sing at the age of seven on a Dallas radio station, WRR, first in a talent competition where she finished third one week and won every week thereafter, then with her own weekly fifteen minute show. She sang pop and "hillbilly" songs with a piano accompaniment. By the age of ten, she was making $3 a night, a lot of money in the Depression days.
As a result of her father's changing jobs, her family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and she continued performing on the radio, singing "Western swing music," still mostly a mix of country and pop. It was while she was on the Memphis radio station WMPS that, as a result of misspellings in her fan mail, she and her parents decided to give her the name "Kay Starr". At the age of fifteen, she was chosen to sing with the Joe Venuti orchestra. Venuti had a contract to play in the Peabody Hotel in Memphis which called for his band to feature a girl singer, which he did not have; Venuti's road manager heard her on the radio, and suggested her to Venuti. Because she was still in junior high school, her parents insisted that Venuti take her home no later than midnight.
Although she had brief stints in 1939 with Bob Crosby and Glenn Miller (who hired her in July of that year when his regular singer, Marion Hutton, was sick), she spent most of her next few years with Venuti, until he dissolved his band in 1942. It was, however, with Miller that she cut her first record: "Baby Me"/"Love with a Capital You." It was not a great success, in part because the band played in a key more appropriate for Marion Hutton, which was less suited for Kay's vocal range.
I'm Waiting For The Ships That Never Came
Kay Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wonder where they can be
Life is only a game of poker
And "happiness" is the pot
Fate deals you five cards in the cradle
And you play, whether you like it or not
And the game doesn't seem on the square
When you look at your hand and discover
You were born without even a pair
But there's no use in kicking or squawking
Just pick up your cards and begin
To figure and plan and puzzle
While Fate looks on with a grin
Some take a chance at bluffing
And stake everything they've got
On a dinky little four-flush
And, sometimes, it wins the pot
Others will break up openers
To draw for a middle straight
They know what a chance they're taking
And they learn their mistake too late
Some can't help playing crooked
Against all good advice
But they seldom get away with it
And in the end, they'll pay the price
The most of us play straight poker
But I tell you, boys, it's hard
When you're there with both ends open
And you can't draw the winning card
Now I've always been a loser
It seems that I never can win
And I'm just a dreamer who's
Waiting for ships that never come in
I wonder where they can be
The song "I'm Waiting For The Ships That Never Come" by Kay Starr discusses the unpredictability of life and how it parallels a game of poker. The singer describes how life deals out cards from the start, and some people seem to have better luck than others. We can look at our hand and see we do not have anything to work with. Conversely, some people take chances and win big, while others end up drawing losing cards. Some play a crooked game and cheat the system, but ultimately, they end up paying for their decisions. The rest of us play a straight game, but sometimes, we still can't win, and we end up waiting for the "ships that never come in."
The overall theme of the song conveys that we are powerless in life to an extent, and everything is left up to chance. Individuals have a choice on how to play the cards they are dealt, but the outcomes are unpredictable. Despite everything, people still hope for a better result in life by waiting for these imaginary "ships" that may never arrive.
The song’s musical style is called big band music, featuring the brass and percussive elements played by a full band. Kay Starr’s vocals reflect the soulful nature commonly associated with jazz and blues music. The song was initially written in 1919 by songwriter John S. Fearis and first performed by artist George Ballard.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm waiting for ships that never come in
I am waiting for something that will probably never happen.
I wonder where they can be
I am clueless about the location of these non-existent ships.
Life is only a game of poker
Life is like a game of poker.
And "happiness" is the pot
The ultimate goal in life is happiness, which is like the bet in poker.
Fate deals you five cards in the cradle
When you are born, fate gives you certain cards to play with in life.
And you play, whether you like it or not
You have to play the game of life, whether you want to or not.
Some get a pat hand to start with
Some people are lucky enough to have been born with advantages in life.
And the game doesn't seem on the square
Life may seem unfair to those who have not been dealt a good hand.
When you look at your hand and discover
When you realize your situation in life.
You were born without even a pair
When you don't have even the smallest advantage in life.
But there's no use in kicking or squawking
There is no use in complaining or being upset about it.
Just pick up your cards and begin
You should start playing the game of life anyway.
To figure and plan and puzzle
Try to strategize and make the most of what you have.
While Fate looks on with a grin
Fate is watching and enjoying the game.
Some take a chance at bluffing
Some people take risks and pretend to have a better hand than they actually do.
And stake everything they've got
They risk losing everything they have.
On a dinky little four-flush
On a weak combination of cards.
And, sometimes, it wins the pot
Sometimes luck is on their side, and they win the bet.
Others will break up openers
Some people will discard one or two good cards to try and get a better combination.
To draw for a middle straight
To try and get a good hand by drawing the necessary cards.
They know what a chance they're taking
They know they are taking a risk.
And they learn their mistake too late
But sometimes it doesn't work out, and they realize too late that they made a bad decision.
Some can't help playing crooked
Some people cheat or take immoral actions to try and get ahead.
Against all good advice
Even though they know it is not the right way to play the game.
But they seldom get away with it
They usually get caught.
And in the end, they'll pay the price
There are consequences for cheating or taking immoral actions.
The most of us play straight poker
Most people play the game of life fairly.
But I tell you, boys, it's hard
But it's not easy.
When you're there with both ends open
When you don't have any advantages or resources to rely on.
And you can't draw the winning card
And it seems impossible to improve your situation.
Now I've always been a loser
In this case, the singer herself feels like a loser.
It seems that I never can win
In her experience, she has not been successful in life.
And I'm just a dreamer who's
But she doesn't give up hope.
Waiting for ships that never come in
And continues to wait for something that might never happen.
I wonder where they can be
Without knowing where to start looking, or if there is anything to look for in the first place.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Un known
Great song!
MrRJDB1969
I agree :) - MrRJDB1969
Alpha Classical
Breathtaking!
MrRJDB1969
Kay was one of the very best, though somewhat forgotten today. Even Elvis loved her singing - MrRJDB1969
Un known
Great song!