Larry Coryell (April 2, 1943-February 19, 2017) was an American jazz fusion… Read Full Bio ↴Larry Coryell (April 2, 1943-February 19, 2017) was an American jazz fusion guitarist.

He was born in Galveston, Texas in 1943. After growing up in Seattle, Washington, in 1965, Coryell moved to New York City where he became part of Chico Hamilton's quintet, replacing Gabor Szabo. In 1967 and 1968, he recorded with Gary Burton. His music during the late 1960s and early 1970s combined the influences of rock, jazz and eastern music. He formed his own group, The Eleventh House, in 1974. Following the break-up of this band, Coryell played mainly acoustic guitar, but returned to electric guitar later in the 1980s.

Among others, he has performed with:Jack Bruce

* Paco de Lucía
* Chick Corea
* John McLaughlin
* Billy Cobham
* Miles Davis
* Jaco Pastorius
* Al Di Meola
* Bireli Lagrene
* Emily Remler
* Harry Wilkinson

Body & Soul
Larry Coryell 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

Larry Coryell's song "Body & Soul" is a poignant love ballad, expressing the intense longing and devotion of the singer for their beloved. Throughout the song, the singer expresses their sadness and loneliness, declaring their love and willingness to surrender themselves entirely to the object of their affection. The lyrics are simple and straightforward, but they convey a depth of emotion that is both moving and relatable.

The singer begins by expressing their overwhelming sadness and longing for their beloved, whom they desire above all others. They wonder why their beloved hasn't yet noticed their love, and express the intensity of their devotion with the line "I'm all for you body and soul." This line is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the depth of the singer's feelings.

As the song progresses, the singer reveals that they are deeply hurt by their beloved's lack of reciprocation. They spend their days in longing and wondering why they are being wronged. They plead with their beloved to give them a chance to prove their love, as they cannot bear the thought of losing them. The final lines of the song emphasize the singer's willingness to surrender themselves entirely to their beloved, despite the emotional turmoil that this causes them.

Line by Line Meaning

My heart is sad and lonely
I feel sorrow and loneliness in my heart

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

Why haven't you seen it
Why haven't you noticed my feelings

I'm all for you body and soul
I completely devote myself to you, including my body and soul

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're treating me unfairly

I tell you I mean it
I am expressing my genuine feelings

I'm all for you body and soul
I completely devote myself to you, including my body and soul

I can't believe it
I'm having trouble accepting it as true

It's hard to conceive it
It's hard to imagine it

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