Nat Riddles (b. 4 February 1952 - d. 11 August 1991) was a blues harmonica … Read Full Bio ↴Nat Riddles (b. 4 February 1952 - d. 11 August 1991) was a blues harmonica player who played an important role in the New York blues scene during the late 1970s to mid 1980s. Born in Bronxville, a Westchester County suburb of New York, he was educated at Brooklyn College and the Pratt Institute. In the early 1980s, he became known in New York blues circles for his street performances with guitarist Charlie Hilbert as part of a free-form duo that he labeled "El Cafe Street".

Riddles performed with Larry Johnson and Odetta as well as Hilbert. He recorded several albums with Johnson (one produced by Len Kunstadt for Spivey Records, one produced by Horst Lipmann) and a solo album on Spivey entitled "The Artistry of Nat Riddles". He also contributed several cuts to a Spivey series of LP's entitled "New York Really has The Blues".

Nat Riddles was a blues harp mentor of Adam Gussow.
Riddles died of leukemia in August 1991 in Richmond, Virginia at the age of 39.

In 2007 the Modern Blues Harmonica record label issued a compilation album of Riddles, entitled El Cafe Street Live!

Cross My Heart
Nat Riddles Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If I give my heart to you, will you handle it with care?
Will you always treat me tenderly and in every way be fair?
If I give my heart to you, will you give me all your love?
Will you swear that you'll be true to me by the light that shines above?
And will you sigh with me when I'm sad
Smile with me when I'm glad
And always be as you are with me tonight

Think it over and be sure
Please don't answer 'til you do
When you promise all these things to me
Then I'll give my heart to you

If I give my heart to you, will you handle it with care?
Will you always treat me tenderly and in every way be fair?
If I give my heart to you, will you give me all your love?
Will you swear that you'll be true to me by the light that shines above?
And will you sigh with me when I'm sad
Smile with me when I'm glad
And always be as you are with me tonight

Think it over and be sure
Please don't answer 'til you do

When you promise all these things to me
Then I'll give my heart to you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Nat Riddles's song "Cross My Heart" are a plea for assurance and loyalty from a loved one. The singer is considering giving their heart to their significant other, but first wants to know if they will handle it with care and always treat them fairly and tenderly. The singer asks the important questions that ensure trust and commitment in a relationship - will you give me all your love and will you swear to me that you will be true.

The second verse follows the same pattern as the first, suggesting that the singer wants to be assured that their loved one will share both their happiness and their sadness. The song is a classic love song with lyrics that perfectly capture the doubts and reservations that often come with falling in love.

Overall, "Cross My Heart" is a powerful representation of the desire for honesty and commitment in a romantic relationship. Its simple, straightforward lyrics allow anyone who has ever been in love to relate to the song's message. The soft, gentle melody of the song supports the tender themes explored in the lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

If I give my heart to you, will you handle it with care?
Will you take my heart delicately and treat it with the utmost care and attention?

Will you always treat me tenderly and in every way be fair?
Will you be kind and gentle to me and treat me with fairness in every aspect of our relationship?

If I give my heart to you, will you give me all your love?
If I entrust you with my heart, will you reciprocate in full with your abundant love?

Will you swear that you'll be true to me by the light that shines above?
Can you promise to remain loyal and faithful to me, with the heavenly stars as your witness?

And will you sigh with me when I'm sad
Will you sympathize with me when I'm feeling unhappy or distressed?

Smile with me when I'm glad
Will you be happy and joyful with me when I'm elated or content?

And always be as you are with me tonight
Will you remain the same caring and loving person you are today, every day with me?

Think it over and be sure
Take some time to reflect on these questions and make a thoughtful decision.

Please don't answer 'til you do
I request that you hold off on responding until you have put considerable thought into your answer.

When you promise all these things to me
If you promise to meet all of these conditions, as laid out above,

Then I'll give my heart to you
I will trust you with my heart completely.

Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

@clearwaterlotus

9y↑5

Swamp blues, I'm Nat's 2nd cuz, I don't think the family has heard any of this since his passing so we thank you! I'm posting links to facebook to his sister, brother and niece right now! I just dreamed about Nat last night and I had been searching for his music since about 1996!