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.
Sit Down You're Rocking The Boat
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've learned my lesson and I ain't ready to go yet
Let me tell you all about it
I dreamed last night I got on the boat to Heaven
And by some chance I had brought my dice along
And there I stood, and I hollered, "Someone fade me"
But the passengers they knew right from wrong
For the people all said
"Sit down, sit down you're rockin' the boat"
And the people all said
"Sit down, sit down you're rockin' the boat"
"And the devil will drag you under
By the sharp lapel of your checkered coat
Sit down, sit down
Sit down you're rocking the boat"
Now I sailed away on that little boat to Heaven
And by some chance found a bottle in my fist
And there I stood nicely passin' out the whiskey
But the passengers were bound to resist
For the people all said
"Beware, you are on a heavenly trip"
People all said
"Beware, beware you'll scuttle the ship"
“And the devil will drag you under
By the fancy tie 'round your wicked throat
Sit down, sit down
Sit down you're rockin' the boat"
Now as I laughed at those passengers to Heaven
A great big wave came and washed me overboard
And as I sank, and I hollered, "Someone save me"
That's the moment I woke up, thank the Lord
And I said to myself
“Sit down, sit down you're rockin' the boat"
I said to myself
“Sit down, sit down you're rockin' the boat"
“And the devil will drag you under
With a soul so heavy you'd never float
Sit down, sit down
Sit down you're rockin' the boat"
Sit down you're rockin' the boat
Sit down you're rockin' the boat
And I ain't gonna rock it no more
Louis Armstrong's "Sit Down You're Rockin' The Boat" is a song about a man who had a dream that he was on a boat on his way to heaven, where he began playing dice and passing out whiskey, causing chaos and rocking the boat. The other passengers warned him to sit down and stop, and even warned him about the devil who would drag him down by his coat or tie in the song's repeated refrain.
The song has a religious undertone, with the idea of going to heaven and meeting the devil, and suggests that people should stay grounded and not let themselves become too carried away with vices or temptation. The repeated refrain of "Sit down, sit down you're rockin' the boat" serves as a reminder to stay humble and grounded in the face of temptation and sin.
Line by Line Meaning
Now look here don't be singin' that pretty music for me
Don't try to sweet-talk me, I know better.
I've learned my lesson and I ain't ready to go yet
I'm not ready to die, I've got things I still want to do.
Let me tell you all about it
Listen up, I've got a story to tell.
I dreamed last night I got on the boat to Heaven
I had a dream that I was going to Heaven.
And by some chance I had brought my dice along
I had my gambling tools with me.
And there I stood, and I hollered, "Someone fade me"
I asked if anyone wanted to gamble with me.
But the passengers they knew right from wrong
The other passengers on the boat told me not to gamble, as it was wrong.
For the people all said
Everyone on the boat was in agreement.
"Sit down, sit down you're rockin' the boat"
They told me to stop causing trouble.
"And the devil will drag you under
If you keep this up, you'll end up in hell.
By the sharp lapel of your checkered coat
He'll grab you by your flashy clothing and drag you down.
Sit down, sit down
Stop causing a commotion.
Sit down you're rocking the boat"
You're causing the boat to move too much.
Now I sailed away on that little boat to Heaven
I went on the boat trip to Heaven.
And by some chance found a bottle in my fist
I got my hands on some alcohol.
And there I stood nicely passin' out the whiskey
I started sharing the alcohol with others on the boat.
But the passengers were bound to resist
They didn't want to drink and told me to stop.
For the people all said
Everyone on the boat agreed.
"Beware, you are on a heavenly trip"
They warned me that this was a religious journey and I should behave accordingly.
People all said
Again, everyone on the boat agreed.
"Beware, beware you'll scuttle the ship"
If you keep this up, you'll ruin the whole experience for everyone.
"And the devil will drag you under
If you don't listen, you'll go to hell.
By the fancy tie 'round your wicked throat
Satan will grab you by your fancy clothes and take you down.
Sit down, sit down
Stop causing problems.
Sit down you're rockin' the boat"
You're causing the boat to move too much.
Now as I laughed at those passengers to Heaven
I found their reactions funny.
A great big wave came and washed me overboard
Suddenly, a wave hit and I fell off the boat.
And as I sank, and I hollered, "Someone save me"
As I was drowning, I cried for help.
That's the moment I woke up, thank the Lord
I woke up and was relieved I didn't actually drown.
And I said to myself
I reflected on what had happened.
Sit down, sit down you're rockin' the boat"
I realized I had caused trouble and should stop.
I said to myself
I reminded myself of my realization.
Sit down, sit down you're rockin' the boat"
I reiterated that I needed to stop causing problems.
"And the devil will drag you under
If you don't listen, you'll end up in hell.
With a soul so heavy you'd never float
Your soul will be weighed down and you won't be saved.
Sit down, sit down
Stop causing trouble.
Sit down you're rockin' the boat
You're causing the boat to move too much.
And I ain't gonna rock it no more
I promise not to cause trouble again.
Contributed by Nolan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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