Robert Glasper was raised in Houston, Texas. His mother was his first and s… Read Full Bio ↴Robert Glasper was raised in Houston, Texas. His mother was his first and strongest musical influence. Mrs. Glasper not only played piano and sang gospel music in the family's church, she led a band that worked the city's jazz and blues club circuit as well. By the age of twelve, young Robert was playing piano in that church. "Gospel music is built on emotion and spirituality; you go to church and leave crying," he smiles. "It definitely just gave me that sensitivity and knowing how to reach people and knowing how to be in tune with your feelings and the emotion of the music. My thing is, it helps me relate to the audience 'cause they're gonna give you what you give them. When you bring the crowd into your world, you can do anything you want."

By the time he reached adolescence, Robert knew his destiny was to be a jazz musician. He was accepted to the Houston's famed High School for the Performing Arts ("Jason Moran went there before me."). Post-graduation, Glasper enrolled at New School University in Manhattan. Soon after arrival, he hooked up with future bandmember Reid and vocalist Bilal, an old schoolmate. As an undergrad, Glasper gigged with Christian McBride, Russell Malone and Kenny Garrett. Professional life after the New School was even sweeter: stints with Nicholas Payton, Roy Hargrove, Terence Blanchard, Carmen Lundy, and Carly Simon.

The Bilal connection brought the pianist back to hip-hop. Glasper's contributions to Bilal's debut and subsequent tour brought him to the attention of Q-Tip (A Tribe Called Quest). "Tip would come hang out at my shows, and one day he called me and said, ‘I'm doing this tour and I need you to play keys. Can you do it?’” He's also since played with Mos Def, and is featured prominently on Bilal's forthcoming sophomore release.

In 2003, Glasper's first album Mood was released on indie label Fresh Sound New Talent, and two years later, Blue Note came calling. At Blue Note, Glasper joins a jazz piano legacy that stretches back to 1939, beginning with Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis, and continuing through Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Andrew Hill, Cecil Taylor, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Jacky Terrasson, Jason Moran and Bill Charlap. Undaunted, Glasper reflects, “I’m just happy to be a part of the Blue Note family and its rich history.”

-- From Glasper's Official Website

Why Do We Try
Robert Glasper Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
I can ? than myself
? ever single life, my last breath
You know I've found someone to fulfil all my needs
Why do we have the ? in how it should be, yeah, yeah

So why do we try to let love pass us by?
Worst than how we feel, the love is not for real

Do I continue living by myself?
Living the single life to my last babe
I know I've found someone to fulfil all my needs
Let me ? why do we have to ? how it should be

So why do we try to let love pass us by?
Worst than how we feel, the love is not for real
So why do we try to let love pass us by?
Worst than how we feel, the love is not for real

Oh no
Why? Uh
Might have, might have...
Is right there underneath your nose!
Look to your left
Look to your right
Open your eyes!

Why do we try?

Why, why, why, why?
Why, why, why?

Overall Meaning

The song "Why Do We Try" by Robert Glasper featuring Stokley Williams talks about the struggle of finding love and how sometimes we limit ourselves with unrealistic expectations. The lyrics start with the line "I can be harder on myself, than anyone else" which represents one's tendency to be self-critical. The following line "promise to cherish every single breath, my last breath" indicates the desire to live life to the fullest and appreciate every moment. The next line "you know I've found someone to fulfill all my needs" shows that the singer has found someone special, but there is still doubt in their minds about the relationship and they question why we have to complicate things when they could just be happy.

The chorus repeats the question "why do we try to let love pass us by?" indicating that the singer is struggling with the idea of letting love slip away. The line "worst than how we feel, the love is not for real" suggests that they are willing to take a risk on love, but only if it's genuine and not just for show. The last verse highlights the struggle of being alone versus being in a relationship. The line "living the single life to my last babe" indicates that the singer is comfortable being alone, but the following line "let me know why do we have to complicate how it should be" shows that they are aware that they may be missing out on something special.

Overall, the song "Why Do We Try" is an introspective look at the struggle of finding love and the doubts that come with it. It is a reminder to be open to love when it comes your way and not to let self-criticism and unrealistic expectations get in the way.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Expressing a feeling of excitement

I can ? than myself
I can trust myself to make the right decisions

? ever single life, my last breath
No matter what happens in my life, I will cherish every moment until I take my last breath

You know I've found someone to fulfil all my needs
I have found someone who understands me completely and is perfect for me

Why do we have the ? in how it should be, yeah, yeah
Why are we never satisfied with how things are, even though they seem perfect?

So why do we try to let love pass us by?
Why do we hesitate to pursue love, even when it seems to be right in front of us?

Worst than how we feel, the love is not for real
The pain of not pursuing love is worse than the fear of rejection, but sometimes we realize that the love is not genuine

Do I continue living by myself?
Should I continue to live a solitary life?

Living the single life to my last babe
Living a single life until the end of my days

Let me ? why do we have to ? how it should be
Let me question why we always have to question how things should be

Oh no
Expressing a feeling of concern or sadness

Why? Uh
Asking oneself why something is happening

Might have, might have...
Thinking about the possibilities that could have existed

Is right there underneath your nose!
Realizing that what you were searching for was right in front of you all along

Look to your left
Encouraging to explore and see things from different perspectives

Look to your right
Encouraging to explore and see things from different perspectives

Open your eyes!
Encouraging to look and pay attention to the world around you

Why do we try?
Continuing to question why we do certain things or behave in a certain way

Why, why, why, why?
Repeating the question to emphasize its importance

Why, why, why?
Repeating the question to emphasize its importance

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Homer R ODell, Jeffrey Stephen Allen, Lawrence G Waddell, Ricky Kinchen, Stokley M Williams

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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