Simone was born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on 21st February 1933 in Tryon, North Carolina, USA, one of eight children. Like a number of other black singers in the U.S., she was inspired as a child by Marian Anderson, and began singing at her local church, also showing great talent as a pianist. Her public debut, a piano recital, was made at the age of ten. Her parents, who had taken seats in the front row, were forced to move to the back of the hall to make way for white audience members. This incident contributed to her later involvement in the civil rights movement.
Simone's mother, Mary Kate Waymon (who lived into her late nineties) was a strict Methodist minister; her father, John Divine Waymon, was a handyman and sometime barber who suffered bouts of ill-health. Mrs Waymon worked as a maid, and her employer, hearing of Nina's talent, provided funds for piano lessons for the little girl. Subsequently, a local fund was set up to assist in Eunice's continued education.
At seventeen, Simone moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she taught piano and accompanied singers. She was able to begin studying piano at New York City's prestigious Juilliard School of Music but lack of funds meant that she was unable to fulfill her dream of becoming America's first Black classical pianist. She later had an interview to study piano at the Curtis Institute, but was rejected. Simone believed this rejection, which fueled her hatred of racism, was because she was black.
Simone turned to blues and jazz after getting her start at the Midtown Bar & Grill on Pacific Avenue in Atlantic City, taking the name Nina Simone in 1954; "Nina" was her boyfriend's nickname for her, and "Simone" was after the French actress Simone Signoret. She first came to public notice in 1959 with her wrenching rendition of George Gershwin's "I Loves You Porgy" (from Porgy and Bess), her only Top-Forty hit in the United States. This was soon followed by the single "My Baby Just Cares for Me" (this was also a hit in the 1980s in the United Kingdom when used for television advertisements for Chanel No 5 perfume).
Throughout the 1960s, Simone was involved in the civil rights movement and recorded a number of political songs, including "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" (later covered by Aretha Franklin and Donny Hathaway), "Backlash Blues", "Mississippi Goddam" (a response to the murder of Medgar Evers and the bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama killing four black children), "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free", and Kurt Weill's "Pirate Jenny", from The Threepenny Opera, re-cast in a southern town.
In 1961, Simone recorded a version of the traditional song "House of the Rising Sun", which was then covered by folk-blues artist, Dave Van Ronk, and later recorded by Bob Dylan, where it was picked up by The Animals and became their signature hit. Other songs she is famous for include "I Put a Spell on You" (originally by Screamin' Jay Hawkins), The Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun", "Four Women", Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released", the Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody", and "Ain't Got No (I Got Life)". The latter, from the musical Hair, was her debut in the UK charts, reaching number two in 1968, and a remixed version of the recording by Groovefinder was a UK Top Thirty hit in 2006.
Broadway musicals also supplied several hits for Simone: "My Baby Just Cares for Me", "Love Me or Leave Me", "Feeling Good", and "Ne Me Quitte Pas". Also "You Can Have Him" on the LP Live at Town Hall recorded when she was twenty-six years old; at the end of this operatic performance, which displays her great skill as an actress as well as a musician, she whoops with joy. This single recording encapsulates her extraordinary power, wit, flexibility, sensuality and occasional menace.
In 1987 Nina experienced a resurgence in popularity when "My Baby Just Cares for Me", a track from her first Bethlehem Records album (1958) became a huge hit in the UK and elsewhere. Nina's versatility as an artist was evident in all her music, which often had a folk-music simplicity.
In a single concert, she moved easily from gospel-inspired tunes to blues and jazz and, in numbers like "For All We Know", to numbers infused with European classical stylings, and counterpoint fugues.
Throughout most of her career she was accompanied by percussionist Leopoldo Flemming and guitarist and musical director Al Shackman.
In 1971, Simone left the United States following disagreements with her agents, record labels, and the tax authorities, citing racism as the reason. She returned in 1978 and was arrested for tax evasion (she had withheld several years of income tax as a protest against the Vietnam War). She lived in various countries in the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe, continuing to perform into her 60s. In the 1980s, she performed regularly at Ronnie Scott's jazz club in London. In 1995, Simone reportedly shot and wounded her neighbour's son with an air pistol after his laughing disturbed her concentration.
She had a reputation in the music industry for being volatile and sometimes difficult to deal with, a characterization with which Simone strenuously took issue.
Though her onstage style could be somewhat haughty and aloof, in later years, Simone particularly seemed to enjoy engaging her adoring audiences by recounting sometimes humorous anecdotes related to her career and music and soliciting requests. Simone's regal bearing and commanding stage presence earned her the title the "High Priestess of Soul."
In 1993, she settled near Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. She had been ill with cancer for several years before she died on 21st April 2003 in her sleep at her home in Carry-le-Rouet.
Simone was the recipient of a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2000 for her song "I Loves You Porgy." She has also received fifteen Grammy Award nominations. On Human Kindness Day 1974 in Washington, D.C., more than 10,000 people paid tribute to Simone. Simone received two honorary degrees in music and humanities, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Malcolm X College. She preferred to be called "Dr. Nina Simone" after these honors were bestowed upon her. Only two days before her death, Simone was awarded an honorary degree by the Curtis Institute, the music school that had refused to admit her as a student at the beginning of her career.
In 2002, the city of Nijmegen (The Netherlands) named a street after her, the Nina Simonestraat. Simone lived in Nijmegen between 1988 and 1990.
Simone was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009.
In 2010 a statue in her honor was erected in Trade Street, Tryon, North Carolina, her place of birth.
*Official site
Pirate Jenny
Nina Simone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm scrubbin' the floors while you're gawking
Maybe once ya tip me and it makes ya feel swell
In this crummy Southern town
In this crummy old hotel
But you'll never guess to who you're talkin'.
No. You couldn't ever guess to who you're talkin'.
And you'll wonder who could that have been
And you see me kinda grinnin' while I'm scrubbin'
And you say, "What's she got to grin?"
I'll tell you.
There's a ship
The Black Freighter
With a skull on its masthead
Will be coming in
You gentlemen can say, "Hey gal, finish them floors!
Get upstairs! What's wrong with you! Earn your keep here!
You toss me your tips
And look out to the ships
But I'm counting your heads
As I'm making the beds
Cuz there's nobody gonna sleep here, honey
Nobody
Nobody!
Then one night there's a scream in the night
And you say, "Who's that kicking up a row?"
And ya see me kinda starin' out the winda
And you say, "What's she got to stare at now?"
I'll tell ya.
There's a ship
The Black Freighter
Turns around in the harbor
Shootin' guns from her bow
Now
You gentlemen can wipe off that smile off your face
Cause every building in town is a flat one
This whole frickin' place will be down to the ground
Only this cheap hotel standing up safe and sound
And you yell, "Why do they spare that one?"
Yes.
That's what you say.
"Why do they spare that one?"
All the night through, through the noise and to-do
You wonder who is that person that lives up there?
And you see me stepping out in the morning
Looking nice with a ribbon in my hair
And the ship
The Black Freighter
Runs a flag up its masthead
And a cheer rings the air
By noontime the dock
Is a-swarmin' with men
Comin' out from the ghostly freighter
They move in the shadows
Where no one can see
And they're chainin' up people
And they're bringin' em to me
Askin' me,
"Kill them NOW, or LATER?"
Askin' ME!
"Kill them now, or later?"
Noon by the clock
And so still by the dock
You can hear a foghorn miles away
And in that quiet of death
I'll say, "Right now.
Right now!"
Then they'll pile up the bodies
And I'll say,
"That'll learn ya!"
And the ship
The Black Freighter
Disappears out to sea
And
On
It
Is
Me
The song “Pirate Jenny” by Nina Simone is a powerful and dramatic depiction of a woman’s transformation from being the object of mistreatment and disdain to becoming the harbinger of death and vengeance. The lyrics are presented through the perspective of a chambermaid who works in a crummy hotel and is subject to the degrading treatment of the guests. She is scrubbing floors while they gawk and toss her tips like she is a menial slave. They could never guess that they are talking to the person who holds the fate of their lives in her hands, as she conjures up a vision of the Black Freighter, a ghostly pirate ship, that is sailing into the harbor to wreak havoc and destruction.
The chambermaid is transformed into a pirate queen, who is empowered with the destiny-changing role of deciding who lives and who dies. She is no longer a victim; instead, she becomes the master of her own fate. The images of the ship with the skull on its masthead, the noise of the gunshots, and the screams of people being chained up and brought to her seem hauntingly real. She is asked to decide whether to kill them now or later, and she promptly chooses the former, as the ship disappears out to sea. The song ends with the chilling and unforgettable phrase, “On It Is Me”.
The song is contrasted with a cooing and almost soothing tune, which seems to add to the sinister tone of the lyrics. It is a classic example of Simone’s signature style of making socio-political commentary through her music. The song is a tribute to the oppressed and downtrodden and signifies that they can rise up and take control of their lives if they decide to do so.
Line by Line Meaning
You people can watch while I'm scrubbing these floors
You are free to watch me while I wash these dirty floors
And I'm scrubbin' the floors while you're gawking
As you watch me intently, I'm tirelessly scrubbing the floors
Maybe once ya tip me and it makes ya feel swell
Perhaps, if you're feeling generous, you'll give me a tip just to feel good about yourself
In this crummy Southern town
This is a less than desirable place to be, located in the South
In this crummy old hotel
This hotel isn't exactly luxurious, it's quite run-down in fact
But you'll never guess to who you're talkin'.
You cannot fathom my true identity and the fury I am capable of
No. You couldn't ever guess to who you're talkin'.
You'll never be able to guess who you're talking to
There's a ship
There exists a ship
The Black Freighter
The ship in question is named The Black Freighter
With a skull on its masthead
The symbol of a skull sits atop its mast
Will be coming in
It will arrive soon
You gentlemen can say, "Hey gal, finish them floors!
As men, you might say, "Hey girl, hurry up and finish cleaning these floors!
Get upstairs! What's wrong with you! Earn your keep here!
Go up the stairs, what are you doing? You need to earn your keep here
You toss me your tips
You nonchalantly throw me some money
And look out to the ships
You look outside towards the ships at the harbour
But I'm counting your heads
Meanwhile, I'm keeping score of how many men are in the hotel
As I'm making the beds
While at the same time, carefully crafting and tidying up the beds
Cuz there's nobody gonna sleep here, honey
In case you haven't figured it out yet, nobody is going to sleep here
Nobody. Nobody!
Absolutely no one
And ya see me kinda starin' out the winda
If you were to catch my gaze, you'd find me staring out of the window
And you say, "What's she got to stare at now?"
And you wonder, "What could she possibly be staring at now?"
That's what you say.
That's the thought that crosses your mind
Turns around in the harbor
The Black Freighter changes direction within the safety of the harbour
Shootin' guns from her bow
It begins to fire its guns rapidly from its front end
You gentlemen can wipe off that smile off your face
You need to wipe off that smug smirk off your faces
Cause every building in town is a flat one
Because of the barrage of gun shots, every building in town has been laid to waste
This whole frickin' place will be down to the ground
The entire place will be completely destroyed
Only this cheap hotel standing up safe and sound
Miraculously, this budget hotel still manages to stand upright in one piece
And you yell, "Why do they spare that one?"
You scream in confusion, "Why was this hotel the only one spared?"
All the night through, through the noise and to-do
Throughout the whole night, amidst all the commotion
You wonder who is that person that lives up there?
A thought may cross your mind, who is the person who lives upstairs?
And you see me stepping out in the morning
You witness me stepping outside the hotel the following morning
Looking nice with a ribbon in my hair
I am well-groomed and sporting a hair ribbon
Runs a flag up its masthead
The Black Freighter raises a flag up its mast
And a cheer rings the air
A resounding cheer spontaneously erupts
By noontime the dock
Midday has arrived and we're back at the dock
Is a-swarmin' with men
Countless men are now swarming the dock
Comin' out from the ghostly freighter
They're disembarking from the haunting, ghastly ship
They move in the shadows
These men quietly and surreptitiously move in the shadows
Where no one can see
Undetectable to the naked eye
And they're chainin' up people
They're beginning to chain up helpless individuals
And they're bringin' em to me
And they're delivering these captives to me
Askin' me,
They ask me
"Kill them NOW, or LATER?"
"Should we kill them now or wait?"
Askin' ME!
"Me?!"
"Kill them now, or later?"
"Should we kill them now or wait?"
Noon by the clock
It is exactly noon by the clock
And so still by the dock
Everything is unnervingly silent down by the dock
You can hear a foghorn miles away
You can actually hear a distant foghorn for miles and miles away
And in that quiet of death
In that solemn stillness of inevitable death
I'll say, "Right now.
It is time," I proclaim
Right now!"
Immediately"
Then they'll pile up the bodies
They'll then proceed to pile up the corpses
And I'll say,"That'll learn ya!"
I'll declare, "That serves you right"
Disappears out to sea
The ship then voyages off into the vast open waters
And
And finally
On
The last part to mention
It
The narrative
Is
Comes to a conclusion
Me
And I'm left alone with this haunting and dreadful experience
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NINA SIMONE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Harry strings
on Blackbird
This is one of the inspired song have ever heard, it's touches my soul..
Daniel
on Feeling Good
Just unbelievable, I dig it. Great music & artists.
Nikolaos Souroufis
on Sinnerman
amazing !!!!!!!!