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 lyrics to Louis Armstrong's song "Sometimes I feel like a motherless child" express the feelings of loneliness and displacement that were common among African Americans during the time of slavery in the United States. The repeated phrase "sometimes I feel like a motherless child" emphasizes the sense of abandonment and loss that those who were enslaved experienced. The line "a long ways from home" further highlights the feeling of being removed from one's roots and community, deepening the sense of loneliness and disconnection in the lyrics.
The song also touches upon the lack of agency and control that enslaved people had over their own lives. The line "why? 'cause nothin' ever happens" highlights the monotony and lack of change or progress that those who were enslaved felt. The singer expresses that "nothin' good" ever happens in their life, emphasizing the lack of positive experiences or opportunities available to them.
Overall, the lyrics of "Sometimes I feel like a motherless child" convey a sense of pain, longing, and hopelessness that reflect the lived experiences of many African Americans during the time of slavery. However, the song also suggests that despite these difficult circumstances, there is still room for optimism and a belief that things could be worse.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
At times, I feel as though I'm all alone and without guidance or nurturing
A long ways from home
I am far away from my place of origin and comfort
Do believe us?
Are you taking us seriously?
Yes, sometimes I feel like a motherless child
I repeatedly go through the feeling of being alone without a mother figure
Why? 'Cause nothin' ever happens
The reason behind my feeling is that nothing interesting or positive is happening in my day to day life
Well, nothin' good
More specifically, nothing good is happening in my life
You know to have a ball, man
You know, to have fun and enjoy oneself
No
But I am not feeling that way
I just had myself a whole mess of black-eyed peas and rice
I just ate a meal consisting of black-eyed peas and rice
Long way, long way
I am far away from home and comfortable surroundings
See what I mean?
Do you understand my point of view?
But things could be worse, sure could
Despite my current situation, I acknowledge that things have the potential to be even worse
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: 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.