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.
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Sometimes)
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
A long ways from home
A long ways from home
A long ways from home
A long ways from home
Yes, sometimes I feel like a motherless child
(Why?)
Why? 'Cause nothin' ever happens
(Nothin')
Well, nothin' good
(So what's good?)
You know to have a ball, man
(You sick?)
No
(Hungry?)
No, man
I just had myself a whole mess of black-eyed peas and rice
(Long way, long way)
(See what I mean?)
I did; I am a long ways from home
But things could be worse, sure could
The song "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" by Louis Armstrong is a traditional African-American spiritual. The lyrics convey a feeling of loneliness and abandonment, as the singer compares themselves to a motherless child, far from home. The repetition of the phrase "Sometimes I feel like a motherless child" emphasizes the isolation the singer feels, and the lack of something essential in their life, represented by the mother. The use of different variations of the same line creates a sense of circularity, as if the singer is stuck in their feeling of emptiness and separation.
The lyrics also contain elements of hope and resilience, as the singer acknowledges that things could be worse, and expresses their satisfaction with having just had a good meal. This juxtaposition of sorrow and joy, of longing and contentment, is typical of African-American spirituals and reflects the resilience of Black communities in the face of hardship.
Overall, "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" is a poignant expression of the pain of isolation and the yearning for a sense of belonging and familial love, as well as a testament to the power of music to convey complex emotions and provide comfort in times of sorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
At times, I feel abandoned and left to face the world alone
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
There are instances when I feel lost and helpless without guidance
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
I occasionally experience an intense feeling of loneliness and isolation
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
There are moments when I feel neglected and unloved
A long ways from home
I am far away from the place where I belong
A long ways from home
I am not in my comfort zone
Do believe us?
Can you understand our situation and empathize with us?
A long ways from home
We are geographically far from our residence
A long ways from home
I am in an unfamiliar territory and feel disoriented
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
I feel abandoned and forgotten like an orphan
Why? 'Cause nothin' ever happens
I feel stagnant and unproductive with my life's progress
Nothin'
There is nothing to do or look forward to
Well, nothin' good
There is nothing positive or enjoyable happening
You know to have a ball, man
It is nice to have fun and enjoy oneself
No
I am not feeling sick or unwell
No, man
I am not feeling hungry or malnourished
I just had myself a whole mess of black-eyed peas and rice
I just had a hearty and satisfying meal
(Long way, long way)
I am far from home and missing familiarity
(See what I mean?)
Do you understand where I am coming from?
I did; I am a long ways from home
I understand my current physical distance from my place of belonging
But things could be worse, sure could
Despite my current situation, I acknowledge that things could be even more challenging and difficult.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DP, SY OLIVER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sindile Khumalo
Perfect harmonies. One of my favourite songs of all time, since I was a teenager. When my mother died, I asked God to take her place. He did. My father was a kind, caring man who invested so much in my private school education. God bless you Babayi. I miss your gentle smile. It's been 20 years since they passed, and God has been with me all the way. He has provided jobs; fought my battles; taken away my loneliness with His sweet presence; blessed and protected my children; He is my everything. I don't feel like a motherless child just because He takes care of me. Just ask Him, He'll take care of you and all that concerns you too. Even when He's all you have, it's alright. You are covered. Bless you all.
Edith Mhlope
He just does it for me ,love his songs and music
examinfo
You can feel the agony and pain of the times. What a song!
Thomas Whiteley
I was not aware of the origin of this song until now. We sang it in our grammar school choir, in the mid 1950’s. I will always think of it as a very sad song.
Heidi Rucki
A true classic.
Amair Campos
I love this song!
Loreto Guerrero
Beautiful choir and great Louis
Francisco Rebecchi
MARAVILLOSO!!!!!
Jose Antonio Sánchez Arias
Oh god. Incredible song.
Thomas .Hennessey
The pictures are of Louise Brooks. She had a brief but very memorable film career in the 1920s when Armstrong and Bechet were building their careers. She wrote about the period later. Her characters and life can fit into the role of a "motherless child" in a different way from the original spiritual's meaning. Her film career too place a long way from her home.