Kirk was born Ronald Kirk on 7th August 1935, in Columbus, Ohio, but felt compelled by a dream to transpose two letters in his first name to make Roland. After another dream in about 1970 he added Rahsaan to his name.
His playing was generally rooted in soul jazz or hard bop, but Kirk's encyclopedic knowledge of jazz history allowed him to draw convincingly on any element of the music's history, from ragtime to swing and free jazz. Kirk also regularly explored classical and pop music.
Kirk played and collected a vast number of musical instruments, mainly various saxophones, clarinets, and flutes. His main instruments were tenor saxophone, and two obscure saxophones: the manzello (similar to a soprano sax) and the stritch (a straight alto sax lacking the instrument's characteristic upturned bell). Kirk modified these instruments himself to accommodate his simultaneous playing technique. He typically appeared on stage with all three horns hanging around his neck, as well as a variety of other instruments, including flutes and whistles. Kirk also played harmonica, cor anglais, recorders, and was a competent trumpeter. He often used unusual instruments or combinations of instrument parts, using a saxophone mouthpiece on a trumpet or playing nose flute. He additionally used many extramusical sounds in his music, such as alarm clocks, whistles, sirens, and even primitive electronic sounds (before such things became commonplace).
In addition to the saxophones, Kirk was also an influential flautist, employing several novel techniques that he developed himself. One technique was to sing or hum into the flute at the same time as playing. (This technique was adopted later by many other players, including Jeremy Steig and Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull.) Another was to play the standard transverse flute at the same time as a nose flute.
Days of Wine and Roses
Rahsaan Roland Kirk Lyrics
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Through a meadowland toward a closing door
A door marked "nevermore" that wasn't there before
The lonely night discloses just a passing breeze filled with memories
Of the golden smile that introduced me to
The days of wine and roses and you
Of the golden smile that introduced me to
The days of wine and roses and you
The lyrics of Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s song, Days of Wine and Roses, explores the fleeting and tempestuous nature of life’s pleasures. The opening line, “The days of wine and roses laugh and run away like a child at play,” creates a vivid imagery of something fleeting and carefree, like the innocence of childhood. The singer then describes a path, “Through a meadowland toward a closing door /A door marked ‘nevermore’ that wasn’t there before,” which adds a layer of darkness and pointlessness to the pursuit of happiness. The mention of a door marked “nevermore” suggests that the end of the road is death and that the journey towards joy is futile.
Similarly, the second verse, “The lonely night discloses just a passing breeze filled with memories / Of the golden smile that introduced me to / The days of wine and roses and you,” speaks to the transience of love and happiness. The “lonely night” and “passing breeze” evoke a sense of melancholy and the idea that everything will eventually fade away. The “golden smile” is symbolic of happiness and the fact that it “introduced” the singer to the days of wine and roses implies that it is something that was once joyful but has now passed. The song, in its essence, is about the fleeting nature of pleasure and the inevitability of everything coming to an end, a bittersweet acknowledgement of the beauty in life's transience.
Line by Line Meaning
The days of wine and roses laugh and run away like a child at play
Just like a child at play, happy moments in life (like the days of wine and roses) seem to pass by quickly and disappear suddenly.
Through a meadowland toward a closing door
Life is like a journey through a meadowland, but eventually we come to a closing door which marks the end of good times.
A door marked 'nevermore' that wasn't there before
As we reach the end of good times, we may face a door marked 'nevermore', which signifies that those happy moments will never come back again.
(The lonely night discloses) just a passing breeze filled with memories
During lonely nights, memories of the past (like the days of wine and roses) come back to us like a passing breeze, reminding us of the happiness we once had.
Of the golden smile that introduced me to
The memories that we hold dear are often associated with a person, in this case, someone who introduced the singer to the days of wine and roses.
The days of wine and roses and you
Ultimately, the days of wine and roses are intimately connected to a particular person, adding to their specialness and significance in our memories.
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HENRY N. MANCINI, JOHNNY MERCER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind