El… Read Full Bio ↴Kurt Elling (born November 2, 1967) is an American jazz vocalist.
Elling graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota in 1989. He then enrolled in The University of Chicago's Divinity School and remained a student there until January 1992, when he left school one credit short of graduation.
In the last decade, Elling has released seven albums for the Blue Note label. He has also performed and recorded with many musicians, including David Amram, Bob Belden, Joanne Brackeen, Oscar Brown, Jr., Billy Corgan, Orbert Davis, George Freeman, Buddy Guy, Jon Hendricks, Charlie Hunter and Rex Richardson.
As of late 2005, Elling's current band includes Rob Amster on bass, Laurence Hobgood on piano, and Kobe Watkins on drums. He is regularly featured at the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge at 4802 N. Broadway in Chicago.
Elling has won the Down Beat and JazzTimes critics’ polls three years in a row in the Best Male Singer category. He is also Vice Chair of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the 17,000-member service organization that produces the annual Grammy Awards.
Leaving Again/In The Wee Small Hours
Kurt Elling Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It’s morning I have to go
Though every night pretends
Begins in quiet hoping that it never ends
They’re always ending again
Breaking another dream
A dream where we could breathe
Watching lightning over wheat fields
Through a bedroom window
And the prairie gently rose up
With a feeling and embraced us
And when morning found us
I pulled you to me and promised to stay
But that was the night and now day
In the wee small hours of the morning
While the whole wide world is fast asleep
You lie awake and think about the girl
And never ever think of counting sheep
And when your lonely heart has learned its lesson
You’d be hers if only she would call
For in the wee small hours of the morning
That’s the time you miss her most of all
The lyrics to Kurt Elling's song Leaving Again/In The Wee Small Hours explore the complex emotions experienced by two lovers who find themselves torn apart by circumstance once again. The singer is vividly aware of the cyclical nature of their relationship, as they go to sleep and wake up crying and leaving again. Despite this, they cling to the hope that each night will never end, even as they admit that 'they're always ending again.' Here, the lyrics speak to the bittersweet nature of separation: the desire to hold onto those moments of intimacy, even as they inevitably slip away into memory.
The second half of the song shifts into a more wistful tone, as the singer reflects on the memories of a summer night spent watching lightning over wheat fields with their lover. The imagery is powerful, evoking a sense of nostalgia and longing for those fleeting moments of connection. The song's final lines speak to the universal experience of yearning for lost love, particularly in the wee small hours of the morning when the world is still asleep. The lyrics capture the feeling of wanting to reach out to the one you miss the most, but feeling powerless to do so.
Overall, the lyrics to Leaving Again/In The Wee Small Hours are a poignant and evocative portrayal of the pain and longing that can come with romantic separation. They speak to the cyclical nature of relationships, the power of shared memories, and the universal experience of missing someone deeply.
Line by Line Meaning
Sleeping, waking, crying, leaving again
Repeating the painful cycle of sleeping, waking up, crying and leaving once more
It’s morning I have to go
Having to leave in the morning despite not wanting to
Though every night pretends
Each night feels hopeful and promising, but ultimately ends in heartbreak
Begins in quiet hoping that it never ends
Starting each night with a quiet sense of hope that the time with loved one will last forever
They’re always ending again
The moments of happiness are always short-lived and come to an end too quickly
Breaking another dream
Having another dream or hope shattered with each farewell
A dream where we could breathe
Having a dream where they can breathe easily and freely, without the constraints of separation
In the heavy curtained Prairie air of summer night
Breathing in the thick, humid air of the summer night on the prairie
Watching lightning over wheat fields
Observing the beauty of lightning over the fields of wheat
Through a bedroom window
Gazing through the window of their shared bedroom
And the prairie gently rose up
Feeling a sense of connection and love from the prairie landscape
With a feeling and embraced us
Feeling embraced by the overwhelming emotion of the moment
And when morning found us
When the morning inevitably arrived
I pulled you to me and promised to stay
Holding their loved one close and making promises of staying together forever
But that was the night and now day
The moment of connection and promises made was fleeting, and they are forced to face the reality of separation once more
In the wee small hours of the morning
During the quiet, early hours of the morning when the rest of the world is asleep
While the whole wide world is fast asleep
The world is oblivious to the pain and longing being felt in the wee hours of the morning
You lie awake and think about the girl
Unable to sleep, the person's mind is consumed with thoughts of their loved one
And never ever think of counting sheep
Traditional methods of getting to sleep, like counting sheep, don't even cross their mind
And when your lonely heart has learned its lesson
After experiencing enough heartbreak and pain, the person has learned not to take love for granted
You’d be hers if only she would call
If the person's loved one were to reach out and contact them, they would drop everything to be with them once again
For in the wee small hours of the morning
Their longing and desire to be with their loved one is most intense in the quiet, early morning hours
That’s the time you miss her most of all
Feeling the strongest sense of missing and longing for their loved one during these early morning hours
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: KEITH JARRETT, KURT ELLING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mereduh
I saw him sing this in a small room once, right after he talked about how hard it was to go on tour and be without your family. The emotional connection when he sang this was beautiful and made me weep. Still can't listen to this song without tearing up- so gorgeous and genuine.
Alee Noland
This has been in my top 5 for near seven years now. I think it's safe to say this holds a permanent space in my heart!
Chris Walker
Me too❤
Dude on a computer
+Alee Noland I like your style ;)
Pamela Ledgerwood
His interpretation of Wee Hours is perfect, simple, smooth, and with so much gentle emotion. Bravo, Kurt. I am a fan.
Dillon Bien
Because of the actor and musician that I am, I always create a scene in my mind for each song I hear. As I created a scene for this piece, I was moved by the way that he sang all the gentle words of this song. Props to you, Mr. Elling.
Pamela Ledgerwood
The song, Leaving Again, written by Kurt, is absolutely beautiful! He is a poet as well as a wonderful vocalist! I'm a jazz singer myself, and it is a pleasure to hear him, and the love he puts into this song.
Failaip
one of my favorite song ever... his voice embrace you warmly!
Russell Seymour
unbelievable voice - it melts my soul!!
CptnObvious21
This song is my favorite song right now. Talk about emotion! And listen to the way he caresses every part of every word. Not even the consonants on the ends of words are allowed to pass without being imbued with meaning. I would give anything to study under this guy.