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.
If I Loved You
Rahsaan Roland Kirk Lyrics
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Just exactly how I′d be-
If I loved you,
Time and again I would try to say
All I'd want you to know.
If I loved you,
Words wouldn′t come in an easy way
Round in circles I'd go!
But afraid and shy,
I′d let my golden chances pass me by!
Soon you′d leave me,
Off you would go in the mist of day,
Never, never to know how I loved you
If I loved you.
Well, anyway, you mean you don't love me.
That′s what you said, isn't it?
Yes!
I can smell ′em, can you, ah?
The blossoms. The wind brings 'em down!
There ain′t much wind tonight... Hardly any.
You can't hear a sound, not the turn of a leaf
Nor the fall of a wave hittin' the sand.
The tide′s creepin′ up on the beach like a thief,
Afraid to be caught stealin' the land!
On a night like this I start to wonder
What life is all about.
And I always say two heads are better than one to
Figure it out.
I don′t need you, I don't need anybody helpin′ me.
Well, I got it figured out for myself.
We're not important. What are we?
A couple o′ specks with nothin'
Look up there...
There's a hell of a lotta stars in the sky,
And the sky′s so big the sea looks small,
And two little people, you and I
We don′t count at all.
You're a funny kid, you know?
I don′t remember meetin' a girl like you.
Hey, you′re tryin' to get me to marry you?
No!
Then what′s puttin' into my head, babe?
You're diff′rent, alright! I know what it is...
You have doped me with that little kid′s face, right?
You've adjusted me!
I wonder what it′d be like...
What?
Nothin'.
No, I know what it′d be like.
It'd be awful! I can just see myself-
Kinda scrawny, and pale
Picking at my food,
And love-sick like any other guy.
I′d throw away my sweater, and dress up like a dude
In a dicky and a collar and a tie.
If I loved you.
But you don't!
No, I don't!
But somehow I can see
Just exactly how I′d be
If I loved you,
Time and again I would try to say
All I′d want you to know.
If I loved you,
Words wouldn't come in an easy way
Round in circles I′d go!
Longin' to tell you,
But afraid and shy
I′d let my golden chances pass me by!
Soon you'd leave me,
Off you would go in the mist of day,
Never, never to know
How I loved you
If I loved you.
Aha... I′m not the kinda fella to marry anybody!
No, even if a girl was foolish enough to want me to,
I wouldn't!
Don't worry about it, Billy!
Who′s worried?
You were right about there bein′ no wind.
The blossoms are comin' down by theirselves.
Just they′re in time to, I reckon.
The song "If I Loved You" by Rahsaan Roland Kirk expresses the emotions of a person who wishes to confess their love to someone but is worried about rejection. The lyrics portray an internal monologue of a person who imagines confessing their love and the consequences that may follow. The first stanza talks about how the individual knows exactly how they would behave if they loved the other person. The second stanza expresses the struggle to find the right words to say to the other person. The fear of losing this person who never knows their love for them is also highlighted in the lyrics.
The third stanza indicates that the person is comfortable being alone and does not seek any help from anyone. However, the individual starts to question the significance of life on a night where they look up at the stars. They reflect on how insignificant they are in comparison to the vastness of the universe. The fourth stanza suggests that the person they are talking to is someone they care about, feel comfortable around and may even want to marry, but ultimately decides against it as they do not want to accept it. The lyrics conclude with a reflection that the blossoms are falling, signifying the passing of time.
Line by Line Meaning
But somehow I can see
Despite not actually being in love with you, I can imagine what it would be like if I were.
Just exactly how I’d be-
I have a clear vision of how I would behave if I were to fall in love with you.
If I loved you,
Hypothetically speaking, if I were in love with you...
Time and again I would try to say
I would repeatedly attempt to express my feelings for you.
All I'd want you to know.
I would want you to understand how deeply I feel for you.
Words wouldn’t come in an easy way.
It would be difficult for me to articulate my emotions to you.
Round in circles I’d go!
I’d struggle to find the right words, going back and forth in my mind without making much progress.
Longin' to tell you,
I would have a strong desire to confess my love to you,
But afraid and shy,
But due to being afraid and shy, I wouldn’t have the courage to do so.
I’d let my golden chances pass me by!
I’d miss out on opportunities to express my feelings, possibly letting them slip away entirely.
Soon you’d leave me,
If you were to leave in the near future,
Off you would go in the mist of day,
Disappearing in the morning fog,
Never, never to know how I loved you
You would never know how deeply I cared for you.
Well, anyway, you mean you don’t love me.
Regardless, it seems you don’t have romantic feelings for me.
That’s what you said, isn’t it?
That’s what I’ve gathered from our previous conversations, am I correct?
Yes!
Affirmative, that is indeed what I said.
I can smell ’em, can you, ah?
Can you smell the blooming flowers too?
The blossoms. The wind brings ’em down!
The flowers are falling from their branches due to the breeze.
There ain’t much wind tonight… Hardly any.
The air is still and calm at the moment.
You can't hear a sound, not the turn of a leaf
It’s so quiet that not even the rustling of leaves can be heard.
Nor the fall of a wave hittin' the sand.
The waves crashing onto the beach are also completely silent.
The tide’s creepin’ up on the beach like a thief,
The tide is slowly and stealthily crawling up towards the sand as if it were trying to sneak up on it.
Afraid to be caught stealin’ the land!
The tide seems to be hesitating, frightened that it will be caught trying to claim more of the shore as its own.
On a night like this I start to wonder
Nights like this often make me ponder...
What life is all about.
...the meaning and purpose of life.
And I always say two heads are better than one to Figure it out.
I believe that it’s easier to figure things out when working with another person.
I don't need you, I don't need anybody helpin' me.
I’m capable of figuring things out on my own and don’t require anyone’s assistance.
Well, I got it figured out for myself.
I’ve already come to my own conclusions and don’t need any further guidance.
We're not important. What are we?
As individuals, we’re not significant. What’s our true worth?
A couple o' specks with nothin'
We’re just a tiny and insignificant part of the universe.
Look up there...
If you look skyward...
There's a hell of a lotta stars in the sky,
You’ll see an abundance of stars stretching across the sky.
And the sky’s so big the sea looks small,
The vastness of the sky is so great that it dwarfs even the vastness of the sea.
And two little people, you and I
Compared to the grandeur of the universe, we are insignificant.
We don't count at all.
We hold no real importance compared to the universe as a whole.
You're a funny kid, you know?
You have a humorous personality, don’t you?
I don't remember meetin' a girl like you.
I can’t recall ever encountering someone with a personality quite like yours before.
Hey, you're tryin' to get me to marry you?
Are you actively attempting to persuade me into marriage?
No!
Absolutely not!
Then what's puttin' into my head, babe?
What’s causing me to even consider such a thought, then?
You're diff'rent, alright! I know what it is...
You certainly have a unique personality; I believe I know what’s so different about you.
You have doped me with that little kid's face, right?
Your youthful appearance has fooled me into thinking of you as a child-like person.
You've adjusted me!
You’ve managed to alter my perceptions and fooled me into thinking you were someone else.
I wonder what it'd be like...
I’m curious about what an imagined scenario would look like...
What?
What are you wondering about?
Nothin'.
It’s nothing, forget about it.
No, I know what it’d be like.
Actually, I do have a pretty good idea of what it’d be like.
It'd be awful! I can just see myself-
In fact, I think it would be quite terrible! I can already imagine myself...
Kinda scrawny, and pale
Looking thin and weak with a pale complexion,
Picking at my food,
Struggling to eat food and barely picking at my plate,
And love-sick like any other guy.
Feeling lovesick and lovestruck like any typical person in love.
I’d throw away my sweater, and dress up like a dude
I’d abandon my normal style of dressing and instead wear masculine clothing,
In a dicky and a collar and a tie.
Sporting a smart-looking outfit consisting of a collared shirt, dicky, and tie.
But you don't!
Thankfully, I am not in love with you after all.
No, I don't!
No, as I just mentioned, I don’t actually love you.
Writer(s): Oscar Hammerstein Ii, Richard Rodgers
Contributed by Hannah G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.