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.
Smoke gets in your eyes
Kurt Elling Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
that love was sent from above
yet, today, find my love has flown away
I am without my love
They ask me how I knew
My true love was true
I of course reply
Cannot be denied
They said someday you'll find
All who love are absolutely blind
When your heart's on fire
You must realise
Smoke gets in your eyes
So I chaffed them
And I gayly laughed
that they would doubt my love
yet today
I find my love has flown
I am without my love
Now laughing friends deride
Tears I cannot hide
So I smile and say
When a lovely flame dies
Smoke gets in your eyes
So I chaffed them
And I gayly laughed
that they would doubt my love
yet today
I find my love has flown
I am without my love
Now laughing friends deride
Tears I cannot hide
So I smile and say
When a lovely flame dies
love will leave you
crying in your sleep
once you're in too deep
love will leave lost and lonely
love will break your heart
love will make you fall apart
the moment that you stop belonging
nothing ends the pain
tearing you away
wondering where you made your big mistake
Wishing on a star
promises go far
now, she's gone
never in my wishing did I think of love's pain
now, i'll have to think again
my happy ever ending is for someone else.
Kurt Elling’s version of “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” is a love song exploring the emotions of heartbreak and lost love. The lyrics symbolise the journey taken from being in love to heartbreak; pain and sorrow are standing in for the smoke that fills your eyes, blurring your vision of the one that you love. The first verse expressed the singer’s confidence in the longevity of his love, a sentiment that drastically changes by the end of the song. The lyrics explain that the emotion of love is hard to communicate, as it is primarily felt by human instinct rather than physical sensation. The chorus states that when love is lost, it can leave a person feeling devastated and alone with no warning of what may come next.
The second verse takes on a conversational tone as the singer fights with his friends' beliefs about what love means. The line "All who love are absolutely blind" refers to the notion that love is unpredictable, often causing people to behave irrationally. The song title and chorus refer to the literal smoke that can obscure one's vision, but this image also carries the metaphorical meaning of the way love can cloud one's judgement. The following lines suggest the inevitability of heartbreak when trying to hold onto something that is falling apart. The song’s final verse represents the singer’s realization that he may never find his ideal love or happy ending.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday, I thought that love would last
I used to believe in eternal love
that love was sent from above
that love was a divine gift
yet, today, find my love has flown away
But now I've lost my love
I am without my love
I feel incomplete without my love
They ask me how I knew
People ask me how I was so sure
My true love was true
That my love was sincere
I of course reply
And I simply say
Something deep inside
It's just a feeling I can't hide
Cannot be denied
I can't deny what's inside of me
They said someday you'll find
People said I'd realize eventually
All who love are absolutely blind
That love blinds us all
When your heart's on fire
When you're passionately in love
You must realise
You have to understand
Smoke gets in your eyes
That sometimes love is a mirage
So I chaffed them
So I mocked them
And I gayly laughed
And I laughed with joy
that they would doubt my love
Because they didn't believe that my love was real
Now laughing friends deride
Now those same friends make fun of me
Tears I cannot hide
I can't stop crying
So I smile and say
So I fake a smile and say
love will leave you
That love can hurt
crying in your sleep
That it can make you cry
once you're in too deep
Once you're completely invested
love will leave lost and lonely
That it can leave you feeling lonely and lost
love will break your heart
Love can break your heart
love will make you fall apart
It can make you crumble
the moment that you stop belonging
When you feel like you don't belong anymore
nothing ends the pain
Nothing can take away the pain
tearing you away
Breaking you apart
wondering where you made your big mistake
Questioning where you went wrong
Wishing on a star
Hoping for a miracle
promises go far
Believing in empty promises
now, she's gone
But she's gone now
never in my wishing did I think of love's pain
It didn't occur to me that love could hurt
now, i'll have to think again
Now I'll have to reconsider
my happy ever ending is for someone else.
I guess my happy ending isn't with her.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ira Gershwin, George Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind