Desmond was bor… Read Full Bio ↴Paul Desmond (1924-1977) was a U.S jazz saxophonist.
Desmond was born Paul Emil Breitenfeld in San Francisco, California on 25th November 1924. He came to prominence with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, which lasted from 1951 until 1967. Desmond wrote their biggest hit, "Take Five".
Desmond's alto saxophone tone and technique owed nothing to the great alto player of the time, Charlie Parker; instead his was a clear, light, floating sound and highly melodic playing style. Much of the success of the classic Brubeck quartet was due to the superposition of his fragile, airy sound over Brubeck's sometimes relatively heavy, polytonal piano work.
Desmond died on 30th May 1977.
Paul Desmond is widely recognized for his genius as a melodic improviser and as the benchmark of cool jazz sax players. His warm, elegant tone was one that he admittedly tried to make sound like a dry martini. He and Art Pepper were virtually the only alto players of their generation not directly influenced by Charlie Parker. Desmond was influenced by Lester Young, but took it further, into melodic and harmonic worlds never before traveled by reedmen -- especially in the upper registers. Desmond is best known for his years with the Dave Brubeck Quartet (1959-1967) and his infamous composition "Take Five." He met Brubeck in the late '40s and played with his Octet. The Quartet formed toward the end of 1950 and took final shape with Eugene Wright and Joe Morello a few years later. Jazz at Oberlin and Take Five were considered essential purchases by college students of the era, but Jazz Impressions of Japan was its most innovative recording. Desmond played his loping, slow, ordered, and intricate solos in direct contrast to the pianist's obsession with large chords, creating a myriad of textures for melodic and rhythmic counterpoint unlike any heard in jazz. His witty quotations from musicals, classical pieces, and folk songs were also a watermark of his artistry. When the Quartet split in 1967, Desmond began an intermittent yet satisfying recording career. It included dates with Gerry Mulligan for Verve, various sessions with Jim Hall, and a concert with the the Modern Jazz Quartet. He played his last gigs with the Brubeck Quartet at reunions before dying of lung cancer. Desmond's recordings for RCA have gotten box-set treatment and Mosaic issued one of the complete sessions with Hall. There are also reissues from A&M and CTI, though recordings on Artist House and Finesse remain regrettably out of print. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi
Then I'll Be Tired of You
Paul Desmond Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Darling your eyes are asking, "Will the flame burn out?"
Well, no one is sure of sun shine, no one is sure of dawn,
But I am sure my love will live on and on.
I'll be tired of you when stars are tired of gleaming
When I am tired of dreaming, then I'll be tired of you.
This I know is true, when winds are tired of blowing,
When grass is tired of growing, then I'll be tired of you.
Beyond the years,
'Til day is night, 'til wrong is right,
'Til birds refuse to sing,
Beyond the years, the echo of my only love
Will still be whispering, whispering.
And if my throbbing heart should ever start repeating
That it is tired of beating, then I'll be tired of you.
The lyrics of Paul Desmond's Then I'll Be Tired of You are a sweet affirmation of enduring love. The song addresses concerns of the longevity of love and assures that it will prevail beyond the years. The opening lines convey the doubts of the beloved regarding the strength of their relationship. The singer assures them that although nothing in life is certain or constant, the love they share is an exception that will not fade away. The singer proclaims that they will be tired "when stars are tired of gleaming" or "when grass is tired of growing," implying that the love they share is eternal and unchanging.
The singer goes on to explain that their love will endure even "beyond the years" and persist "til day is night, til wrong is right." The repetition of "beyond the years" emphasizes the timelessness of their love. Even when the singer's heart stops beating, the love they had will still be echoing. The final verse confirms the depth of the singer's love, assuring their beloved that they will be tired of them only if their heart stops beating.
Line by Line Meaning
You look at me and wonder, you look at me and doubt,
You search my eyes for a sign that my love may be ephemeral.
Darling your eyes are asking, "Will the flame burn out?"
Your eyes wonder if our love will inevitably diminish with time.
Well, no one is sure of sun shine, no one is sure of dawn,
Just as we can't predict the certainty of the sun rising, we can't predict the future of our love.
But I am sure my love will live on and on.
Despite the uncertainty of the future, I know that my love for you will never diminish.
I'll be tired of you when stars are tired of gleaming
I will never tire of you, not even in the unimaginable instance where stars will cease to exist.
When I am tired of dreaming, then I'll be tired of you.
I will never grow tired of you until I am willing to give up my ambitions and dreams.
This I know is true, when winds are tired of blowing,
Like the ceaseless winds, my love for you will remain unwavering and constant.
When grass is tired of growing, then I'll be tired of you.
I will never grow weary of you even in the unlikely scenario where life itself loses its essence.
Beyond the years, 'Til day is night, 'til wrong is right,
My love for you surpasses the bounds of time, and it will never falter even if everything else around us crumbles apart.
Til birds refuse to sing,
Even when there is despair all around us and the environment turns hostile, my love for you will never diminish.
Beyond the years, the echo of my only love Will still be whispering, whispering.
I will cherish and love you until my very last breath and beyond death--my love for you will echo through time.
And if my throbbing heart should ever start repeating That it is tired of beating, then I'll be tired of you.
The only scenario where I'd ever grow tired of you is if my heart ceases feeling entirely, which will never happen as my love for you transcends even the physical realm.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Round Hill Music Big Loud Songs, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ARTHUR SCHWARTZ, E. Y. HARBURG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind