Eldridge was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His nickname was Little Jazz. Eldridge played in the bands of Fletcher Henderson, Gene Krupa and Artie Shaw before making records under his own name. He also played in Benny Goodman's and Count Basie's Orchestras, and co-led a band with Coleman Hawkins.
Rockin' Chair
Roy Eldridge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't you raise the sails anymore.
It's for sure, I've spent my whole life at sea
And I'm pushin' age seventy three;
Now there's only one place that was meant for me:
Oh, to be home again,
Down in old Virginny,
With my very best friend,
They call him Ragtime Willie.
We're gonna soothe away the rest of our years,
We're gonna put away all of our tears,
That big Rockin' Chair won't go nowhere.
Slow down, Willie Boy,
Your heart's gonna give right out on you
It's true, and I believe I know what we should do.
Turn the stern and point to shore,
The seven seas won't carry us no more.
Oh, to be home again,
Down in old Virginny,
With my very best friend,
They call him Ragtime Willie.
I can't wait to sniff that air,
Dip'n snuff, I won't have no care,
That big Rockin' Chair won't go nowhere.
Hear the sound, Willie Boy,
The Flyin' Dutchman's on the reef.
It's my belief
We've used up all our time,
This hill's to steep to climb,
And the days that remain ain't worth a dime.
Oh, to be home again,
Down in old Virginny,
With my very best friend,
They call him Ragtime Willie.
Would-a-been nice just t'see the folks,
Listen once again to the stale jokes,
That big Rockin' Chair won't go nowhere.
I can hear something calling on me
And you know where I want to be
Oh Willie don't you hear that sound
Oh to be home again down in old Virginny
I just want to get my feet back on the ground
Oh to be home again down in old Virginny
I'd love to see my very best friend
They call him Rag-time Willie
I believe old rockin chair's got me(oh to be home again)
The song 'Rockin' Chair' by Roy Eldridge portrays a sense of nostalgia for home and an acknowledgement of old age. The first few lines address Willie Boy to stay and not sail any longer. The singer then confesses to having spent his whole life at sea and now, at the age of seventy-three, feels the pull of his homeland, old Virginia. The song includes a reference to a friend called Ragtime Willie and their joint plans to soothe away their remaining years and put away their tears in old Virginia. There's certainty in the singer's tone as he proclaims that the big Rockin' Chair won't go anywhere, symbolizing the comfort and stability of his life coming full circle.
Line by Line Meaning
Hang around, Willie Boy, Don't you raise the sails anymore.
Stay here with me, Willie Boy, let's not leave anymore.
It's for sure, I've spent my whole life at sea And I'm pushin' age seventy three; Now there's only one place that was meant for me:
I am certain that I have spent most of my life in the sea and I'm getting too old for it. I think my true place is somewhere else.
Oh, to be home again, Down in old Virginny, With my very best friend, They call him Ragtime Willie. We're gonna soothe away the rest of our years, We're gonna put away all of our tears, That big Rockin' Chair won't go nowhere.
I long to go back home to Virginia and spend the remaining days of my life with my closest friend, Ragtime Willie. We will enjoy ourselves and forget about our problems, and the big Rockin' Chair will remain in the same place it's always been.
Slow down, Willie Boy, Your heart's gonna give right out on you It's true, and I believe I know what we should do. Turn the stern and point to shore, The seven seas won't carry us no more.
You need to slow down, Willie Boy, before your heart gives up on you. I have an idea of what we need to do, let's turn around and go back to shore. The seven seas have been enough for us.
Hear the sound, Willie Boy, The Flyin' Dutchman's on the reef. It's my belief We've used up all our time, This hill's to steep to climb, And the days that remain ain't worth a dime.
Can you hear that sound, Willie Boy? It's the Flyin' Dutchman crashing into the reef. I think we have spent all the time we had, it's time to give up. The remaining days won't be worth much either.
Would-a-been nice just t'see the folks, Listen once again to the stale jokes, That big Rockin' Chair won't go nowhere.
It would have been great to see our people again and listen to their jokes. But we know the big Rockin' Chair will still be here when we get back.
I can hear something calling on me And you know where I want to be Oh Willie don't you hear that sound Oh to be home again down in old Virginny
Something is calling for me, and I know where I want to go. Willie, can't you hear that sound? I wish to go back home to Virginia.
I just want to get my feet back on the ground I'd love to see my very best friend They call him Rag-time Willie I believe old rockin chair's got me(oh to be home again)
I just want to stand on solid ground again and meet my friend, Rag-time Willie. I think that the old Rockin' Chair has a hold on me, and I would love to be home again.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROBBIE ROBERTSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jukeboxeddie1
Tune was originally recorded in 1941 in NY City with the Gene Krupa orchestra. Eldridge walked in drunk, took the horn out of his case, sat down, and recorded it in 1 take -- he then picked up his horn, put it back in his case, & walked out. Months later he was sitting in a juke joint and he heard a song on the jukebox. Eldridge exclaimed to his friend: "Man, that cat can blow -- who is that?" And his friend exclaimed: "Fool, that's you.!" True story.
@facekickr
Hilarious story!
@Titurel
It wasn't this version though...
@barrykrause1061
Great performance and fun story. Gene was spot on
@waynejones205
I heard the friend was Ben Webster! And that he dragged Little Jazz out of a diner to a place that had a jukebox and played it for him, told him it hit, and it hit BIG!
@brycecall7321
Gubyfg7
@johnfinck288
What a tone! How a horn can be that bright and raspy and still be as beautiful as Roy makes it just knocks me out.
@JerryJr65
Roy always was, and always will be the best! May God rest his soul, and put a halo over that head for the blessing of great music that he left us! When you listen to Roy, you know there is a God. I have been privileged in my lifetime to also here jazz saxophone that communicated that same certainty - God is with us in this room! That is what jazz does for the human soul & that is why as long as we breathe a breath, we will as human beings be breathing jazz!
@michaelfishman8137
"That is what jazz does for the human soul"
Amen.
@BmakinFilm
So sweet - it's clear where Dizzy got his inspiration from!!