Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an inventive trumpet and cornet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance. With his instantly-recognizable gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes. He was also skilled at scat singing (vocalizing using sounds and syllables instead of actual lyrics).
Renowned for his charismatic stage presence and voice almost as much as for his trumpet-playing, Armstrong's influence extends well beyond jazz music, and by the end of his career in the 1960s, he was widely regarded as a profound influence on popular music in general. Armstrong was one of the first truly popular African-American entertainers to "cross over", whose skin-color was secondary to his music in an America that was severely racially divided. He rarely publicly politicized his race, often to the dismay of fellow African-Americans, but took a well-publicized stand for desegregation during the Little Rock Crisis. His artistry and personality allowed him socially acceptable access to the upper echelons of American society that were highly restricted for a black man.
Armstrong was born and brought up in New Orleans, a culturally diverse town with a unique musical mix of creole, ragtime, marching bands, and blues. Although from an early age he was able to play music professionally, he didn't travel far from New Orleans until 1922, when he went to Chicago to join his mentor, King Oliver. Oliver's band played primitive jazz, a hotter style of ragtime, with looser rhythms and more improvisation, and Armstrong's role was mostly backing. Slow to promote himself, he was eventually persuaded by his wife Lil Hardin to leave Oliver, and In 1924 he went to New York to join the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. At the time, there were a few other artists using the rhythmic innovations of the New Orleans style, but none did it with the energy and brilliance of Armstrong, and he quickly became a sensation among New York musicians. Back in Chicago in 1925, he made his first recordings with his own group, Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, and these became not only popular hits but also models for the first generation of jazz musicians, trumpeters or otherwise.
Other hits followed through the twenties and thirties, as well as troubles: crooked managers, lip injuries, mob entanglements, failed big-band ventures. As jazz styles changed, though, musical purists never lost any respect for him -- although they were sometimes irritated by his hammy onstage persona. Around the late forties, with the help of a good manager, Armstrong's business affairs finally stablilized, and he began to be seen as an elder statesman of American popular entertainment, appearing in Hollywood films, touring Asia and Europe, and dislodging The Beatles from the number-one position with Hello Dolly". Today many people may know him as a singer (a good one), but as Miles Davis said: “You can’t play nothing on modern trumpet that doesn’t come from him."
The 62-year-old Armstrong became the oldest act to top the US charts when "Hello Dolly" reached #1 in 1964. Four years later Satchmo also became the oldest artist to record a UK #1, when "What a Wonderful World" hit the top spot.
Free As A Bird / When The Saints Go Marching In
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of those who've gone before
But we'll all be reunited (but if we stand reunited)
On a new and sunlit shore (then a new world is in store)
Oh when the saints go marching in
When the saints go marching in
Oh lord I want to be in that number
cnd when the sun refuse (begins) to shine
cnd when the sun refuse (begins) to shine
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in
When the moon turns red with blood
When the moon turns red with blood
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in
On that hallelujah day
On that hallelujah day
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in
Oh when the trumpet sounds the call
Oh when the trumpet sounds the call
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in
Some say this world of trouble
Is the only one we need
But I'm waiting for that morning
When the new world is revealed
When the revelation (revolution) comes
When the revelation (revolution) comes
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in
When the rich go out and work
When the rich go out and work
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in
When the air is pure and clean
When the air is pure and clean
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in
When we all have food to eat
When we all have food to eat
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in
When our leaders learn to cry
When our leaders learn to cry
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in
The song "Flee as a Bird / When the Saints Go Marching In" essentially speaks to the desire for a better world and the hope for a future where all suffering is eradicated and harmony is achieved. The first verse highlights the idea of following in the footsteps of those who came before us and mentions the possibility of being reunited on a new and brighter shore. This could be interpreted as a reference to the afterlife or a new beginning where all believers come together.
The chorus, "Oh when the saints go marching in," expresses the longing to be part of the righteous and virtuous group of people who will enter this new realm. It conveys a sense of anticipation for the arrival of a significant event, possibly the end of times or a spiritual awakening.
The subsequent verses introduce various scenarios that signify the dramatic changes that need to occur for this ideal world to be realized. The lines "when the sun refuse (begins) to shine" and "when the moon turns red with blood" suggest moments of extreme turmoil and darkness. Despite these challenges, there is still an unwavering desire to be part of that righteous number.
The song also addresses the need for social and societal changes. Lines like "when the rich go out and work" and "when our leaders learn to cry" reflect a desire for equality, justice, and humility in society. The lyrics express the hope that one day everyone will have access to basic needs such as food, clean air, and a fair system of governance.
Overall, "Flee as a Bird / When the Saints Go Marching In" is an expression of faith, hope, and the longing for a better world. It highlights the belief that there is more beyond our present reality and calls for the transformation of society towards a more righteous and compassionate existence.
Line by Line Meaning
We are traveling in the footsteps
We are following in the path
Of those who've gone before
Of those who came before us
But we'll all be reunited (but if we stand reunited)
But if we stand united, we will all come together
On a new and sunlit shore (then a new world is in store)
In a new and bright future awaits us
Oh when the saints go marching in
Oh, when the righteous people march together
When the saints go marching in
When the righteous people march together
Oh lord I want to be in that number
Oh lord, I wish to be included in that group
When the saints go marching in
When the righteous people march together
When the sun refuse (begins) to shine
When the sun stops shining
When the sun refuse (begins) to shine
When the sun stops shining
Oh lord I want to be in that number
Oh lord, I wish to be included in that group
When the saints go marching in
When the righteous people march together
When the moon turns red with blood
When the moon becomes blood-red
When the moon turns red with blood
When the moon becomes blood-red
Oh lord I want to be in that number
Oh lord, I wish to be included in that group
When the saints go marching in
When the righteous people march together
On that hallelujah day
On that joyous day
On that hallelujah day
On that joyous day
Oh lord I want to be in that number
Oh lord, I wish to be included in that group
When the saints go marching in
When the righteous people march together
Oh when the trumpet sounds the call
Oh when the trumpet signals the call
Oh when the trumpet sounds the call
Oh when the trumpet signals the call
Oh lord I want to be in that number
Oh lord, I wish to be included in that group
When the saints go marching in
When the righteous people march together
Some say this world of trouble
Some people say this troubled world
Is the only one we need
Is the only world we need
But I'm waiting for that morning
But I'm waiting for the time
When the new world is revealed
When a new world is unveiled
When the revelation (revolution) comes
When a great change occurs
When the revelation (revolution) comes
When a great change occurs
Oh lord I want to be in that number
Oh lord, I wish to be included in that group
When the saints go marching in
When the righteous people march together
When the rich go out and work
When the wealthy go and labor
When the rich go out and work
When the wealthy go and labor
Oh lord I want to be in that number
Oh lord, I wish to be included in that group
When the saints go marching in
When the righteous people march together
When the air is pure and clean
When the air becomes clean and pure
When the air is pure and clean
When the air becomes clean and pure
Oh lord I want to be in that number
Oh lord, I wish to be included in that group
When the saints go marching in
When the righteous people march together
When we all have food to eat
When we all have enough food to eat
When we all have food to eat
When we all have enough food to eat
Oh lord I want to be in that number
Oh lord, I wish to be included in that group
When the saints go marching in
When the righteous people march together
When our leaders learn to cry
When our leaders learn to express sorrow
When our leaders learn to cry
When our leaders learn to express sorrow
Oh lord I want to be in that number
Oh lord, I wish to be included in that group
When the saints go marching in
When the righteous people march together
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BEN POLLACK, GEORGE EDWARD BRUNS, LEON RAPPOLO, MELVILLE J. STITZEL, PAUL JOSEPH MARES, WALTER MELROSE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anonymous
on What A Wonderful World
What A Wonderful World - Casey Abrams - Lyrics
I see trees of green
Red roses too
I see them bloom
For me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I see skies of blue
And clouds of white
The bright blessed day
The dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Singing how do you do
They're really singing
I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They'll learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Musical Interlude
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Singing how do you do
They're really singing
I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They goin’ learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I think to myself
What a wonderful world