Sanders was… Read Full Bio ↴Pharoah Sanders (1940-2022) was a U.S. jazz saxophonist.
Sanders was born on 13th October 1940 in Little Rock, Arkansas, under the name Farrell Sanders. He began his professional career playing tenor saxophone in Oakland, California.
Sanders moved to New York City in 1962. He received his nickname "Pharoah" from Sun Ra, with whom Sanders performed. He came to prominence playing with John Coltrane's band starting in 1965, as Coltrane began experimenting with the music which would soon become known as avant-garde jazz.
Although he developed a slightly different style from Coltrane, Sanders was strongly influenced by their collaboration together. Sanders was also greatly influenced by Coltrane's earlier works (in which Sanders did not collaborate), particularly A Love Supreme. Spiritual elements such as the chanting in A Love Supreme would later show up in many of Sanders' own works. Sanders would also go on to produce much free jazz, being influenced by his free jazz collaborations with Coltrane, particularly Coltrane's most notable free-jazz work, Ascension (1965), as well as their dual-tenor recording Meditations (1965).
In 1968 he participated in Mike Mantler & Carla Bley's JCOA: Jazz Composer's Orchestra Association album Communications featuring Cecil Taylor, Don Cherry, Larry Coryell and Gato Barbieri. This solo has been referred to by John Zorn and others as the most intense and inspiring free tenor solo ever put to tape.
In the 1970s, Sanders pursued his own recordings and continued to work with the likes of Alice Coltrane on her Journey in Satchidananda album.
In 1994 he travelled to Morocco to record with master Gnawa musician Maleem Mahmoud Ghania, resulting in the Bill Laswell-produced The Trance of Seven Colours. Sanders continued to work with Laswell, Jah Wobble, and others on the albums Message from Home (1996) and Save Our Children (1998).
Sanders is known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of "sheets of sound".
Our Roots Began in Africa
Pharoah Sanders Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And don't let me out to get a terrible day
I cant feel my hearth and That youre sharing me is killing me
And i just want to wake up and say
(What is like to be loved to be killed to be dying?)
That the feeling here inside my heart
I want you back to me i need you now
I want you back to me i need you now
And with the blood shattered all over the blade
I got to say, the way that you are counting me
Its scaring me
But baby i just came here to say
(What is like to be loved to be killed to be dying?)
That the feeling here inside my heart
I want u back to me i need want you now
DIstressed
Out between you bit me
No more danger makes me feel
Just like dying now
Cut out my finger and pull the trigger
Right on my disaster
I felt its like (i want to celebrate the day)
Just like the kids with their lollypop
Just like i have the dagger in my hand
And i know it felt, i know it felt it is so wonderful
(I cry myself but with the happyness and joy
I dyed the sky with the colour of red
Because i dont want to miss a thing
I finally free just like i'm the almighty)
The lyrics of Pharoah Sanders's song Our Roots Began in Africa can be interpreted as a plea for love and affection. The lines "Take my heart and carry me now / And don't let me out to get a terrible day" suggest a desire for safety and comfort, away from the troubles of the world. However, the singer feels like they cannot trust the person who is with them, as they say "I can't feel my heart and That you're sharing me is killing me / And I just want to wake up and say (What is like to be loved to be killed to be dying?)". This is a cry for help, a need to be loved, but also a fear of being hurt or betrayed.
The second verse of the song continues the theme of desperation and pain. The image of cutting one's vein and waiting in pain is disturbing, and the line "And with the blood shattered all over the blade" evokes a sense of violence and despair. The singer is scared of the person they're with, as they count them, and yet they can't help but want them back. The repeated lines "I want you back to me, I need you now" underline the urgency of the situation, the desire for love and connection.
Overall, Our Roots Began in Africa is a song that explores the human condition, with all its ups and downs, its joys and struggles. Through the use of powerful images and evocative language, Pharoah Sanders creates a sense of emotional intensity that resonates with listeners around the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Take my heart and carry me now
I am surrendering myself completely to you, please take care of me now
And don't let me out to get a terrible day
I don't want to face any more trouble or hardships, please protect me
I cant feel my hearth and That youre sharing me is killing me
I am numb and your absence is taking its toll on me
And i just want to wake up and say (What is like to be loved to be killed to be dying?)
I wonder what it feels like to experience extreme emotions like love or death
That the feeling here inside my heart
The emotions I'm experiencing right now are overwhelming
I want you back to me i need you now
I crave your presence and need you now more than ever
I cut my vain, i'm waiting in pain
I'm inflicting harm upon myself and suffering in agony
And with the blood shattered all over the blade
I'm covered in blood and despairing completely
I got to say, the way that you are counting me Its scaring me
I'm petrified by the way you are treating me like a statistic to be counted
But baby i just came here to say (What is like to be loved to be killed to be dying?)
Once again, I'm contemplating the intense experience of love and death
Distressed Out between you bit me
You have hurt me to the core and I'm suffering immensely
No more danger makes me feel
Feeling safe again is a relief
Just like dying now
I'm emotionally drained and exhausted
Cut out my finger and pull the trigger
I am contemplating self-harm and suicide
Right on my disaster
I am at my lowest point and feeling hopeless
I felt its like (i want to celebrate the day)
In an ironic twist, I feel like celebrating this moment of despair
Just like the kids with their lollypop
Like a child with a sweet treat, I'm enjoying the fleeting joy amidst the pain
Just like i have the dagger in my hand
My pain is self-inflicted and yet, I can't seem to stop myself
And i know it felt, i know it felt it is so wonderful
In an odd way, the pain also feels good and I'm getting used to it
(I cry myself but with the happyness and joy
I'm crying tears of joy through the pain
I dyed the sky with the colour of red
My pain is overwhelming and it feels like it's seeping into the world around me
Because i dont want to miss a thing
Despite the pain, I am determined to experience every moment and emotion
I finally free just like i'm the almighty)
In an ironic twist, the pain has set me free from my own mortal limitations
Writer(s): Ferrell Lee Sanders
Contributed by Stella I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.