Braff was a wonderfully characterful and melodic player with an immediately identifiable sound and unique tone on the cornet, an uncommon instrument in post-war jazz. He style was fundamentally based on that of earlier players including Louis Armstrong, Bobby Hackett and Bunny Berigan but he transcended these influences to always sounds fresh, sparky and somehow modern.
He was born in Boston and began playing in local clubs in the 1940s. In 1949, he was hired to play with the Edmond Hall Orchestra. He relocated to New York in 1953 where he was much in demand for band dates and recordings.
He died February 10, 2003, in Chatham, Massachusetts.
"Sure, they’ve made statements about my supposedly combining a modern approach with a feeling for traditional forms. Well, people say all sorts of things, because they want to categorise and label. I’ve only ever had two labels. Either it’s good or it stinks." - Ruby Braff speaking in 1968
Why Was I Born
Ruby Braff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With nothing to do
But to live in dreams that I make up
All by myself
Dreaming that you're beside me
I picture the prettiest stories
Only to wake up
What is the good of me by myself?
Why was I born
Why am I living
What do I get
What am I giving
Why do I want a thing
I daren't hope for
What can I hope for
I wish I knew
Why do I try
To draw you near me
Why do I do I cry
You never hear me
I'm a poor fool
But what can I do
Why was I born
To love you
I'm a poor fool
But what can I do
Why was I born
To love you
The lyrics to Ruby Braff's song "Why Was I Born?" express feelings of loneliness, unrequited love, and a sense of purpose. The singer spends his evenings alone, lost in thought and in dreams of his loved one. He wishes for someone to be beside him, to bring his stories to life. However, he is left with just his imagination, resulting in a feeling of emptiness. He questions the point of his existence and what he has to offer to the world. He yearns for things he knows won't come to fruition and is left with the crushing reality that he may never have them.
The chorus repeats the question, "Why was I born?" emphasizing the singer's feelings of despair and questioning his own value. He wants desperately to be loved but feels that he is unworthy or incapable of attaining it. The final lines express a sense of helplessness, revealing that even though he may feel foolish for loving someone who may never reciprocate, he has no control over his own heart.
Overall, the song captures the melancholic and complicated feelings of loving someone who may never love you back. It conveys a sense of emotional vulnerability and the universal search for purpose and meaning in one's life.
Line by Line Meaning
Spending these lonesome evenings
Passing through these desolate evenings with a lack of company or entertainment
With nothing to do
Without any activity or purpose
But to live in dreams that I make up
However, finding solace in creating and living in one's own fantasies
All by myself
Entirely by oneself
Dreaming that you're beside me
Visualizing an imaginary presence of someone through dreams
I picture the prettiest stories
Creating an idyllic, imaginative narrative
Only to wake up
To later emerge from the trance of that dream
All by myself
Alone once again
What is the good of me by myself?
What is the purpose of existing in isolation?
Why was I born
Questioning the reason behind one's birth
Why am I living
Questioning the purpose of one's current existence
What do I get
Wondering about the rewards obtained from life
What am I giving
Questioning the contributions made towards life
Why do I want a thing
Pondering the desire to hold onto something
I daren't hope for
Being too afraid to expect or wish for it
What can I hope for
Thinking about the possibilities that still exist
I wish I knew
Expressing the desire for understanding
Why do I try
Wondering why one attempts to achieve something
To draw you near me
Trying to bring the person of interest closer
Why do I do I cry
Asking why do tears fall from one's eyes
You never hear me
Not being listened to by the other party
I'm a poor fool
Acknowledging one's own foolishness
But what can I do
Feeling powerless to change the situation
Why was I born
Reiterating the initial question
To love you
Explaining the reason for existence is simply to love this person
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind