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.
Lover Come Back To Me
Rahsaan Roland Kirk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I let you
We broke the ties that bind
I wanted to forget you
And leave the past behind
Still, the magic of the night I met you
Seems to stay forever in my mind
And high above
The moon was new
And so was love
This eager heart of mine was singing
Lover where can you be
You came at last
Love had its day
That day is past
You've gone away
This aching heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me
When I remember every little thing
You used to do
I'm so lonely
Every road I walk along
I walk along with you
No wonder I am lonely
The sky is blue
The night is cold
The moon is new
But love is old
And while I'm waiting here
This heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me
When I remember every little thing
You used to do
I grow lonely
Every road I walk along
I walk along with you
No wonder I am lonely
The sky is blue
The night is cold
The moon is new
But love is old
And while I'm waiting here
This heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me
The lyrics to Rahsaan Roland Kirk & The Vibration Society's song "Lover" speak of the pain and longing that one experiences after a love has ended. The singer describes how they had wanted to forget their former lover and move on, but the magic of the night they met is still fresh in their memory. The lyrics convey the bittersweet memories that come with a love that was once cherished, but has since ended.
The opening lines of the song, "You went away, I let you," suggests that the singer was not ready to let go of their lover, but somehow they forced themselves to let the lover go. The lyrics then go on to express a deep longing for the lover to return, with lines such as "every road I walk along, I walk along with you" and "lover come back to me". The song is essentially about heartbreak and the pain that follows the end of a relationship, and how memories of a lost love can continue to haunt you.
Overall, the lyrics to "Lover" are poignant and relatable to anyone who has experienced the heartache of losing a lover. The song speaks to the universal emotions of love and loss in a way that is timeless and enduring.
Line by Line Meaning
You went away
The person addressed in the song left.
I let you
The singer allowed the person to leave.
We broke the ties that bind
The relationship between the two people was ended.
I wanted to forget you
The singer desired to move on from the past relationship.
And leave the past behind
The singer wanted to move forward from events that had already occurred.
Still, the magic of the night I met you
Despite trying to move on, the singer cannot forget the magical night they met.
Seems to stay forever in my mind
The memory of that night remains vivid and permanently etched in the singer's mind.
The sky was blue
The sky was a bright and clear blue color.
And high above
Up in the sky.
The moon was new
The moon was in a phase where it was barely visible.
And so was love
The love between the two people was new and fresh.
This eager heart of mine was singing
The singer's heart was full of joy and happiness.
Lover where can you be
The singer wonders where their lover is now.
You came at last
The lover finally arrived.
Love had its day
The love between the two people flourished for a time.
That day is past
That time has come and gone.
You've gone away
The lover has left once again.
This aching heart of mine is singing
The singer's heart is aching and full of sorrow.
Lover come back to me
The singer pleads for their lover to return.
When I remember every little thing
The singer thinks back on all the small details of their past relationship.
You used to do
The actions the lover used to perform.
I'm so lonely
The absence of the lover has left the singer feeling lonely and empty.
Every road I walk along
The singer cannot escape thoughts about their lover, even when walking alone.
I walk along with you
The singer feels as though the lover is still with them, in a way.
No wonder I am lonely
The singer isn't surprised that they feel lonely given their constant thoughts of their past relationship.
The night is cold
The temperature is chilly outside.
But love is old
The love between the two people has grown and aged over time.
And while I'm waiting here
The singer is waiting for their lover to return.
This heart of mine is singing
The singer's heart is expressing its emotions through song.
Lover come back to me
The singer repeats their plea for the lover to come back.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, TuneCore Inc., CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O DistroKid, ONErpm, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN, II, OSCAR II HAMMERSTEIN, SIGMUND ROMBERG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind