Samuel George "Sammy" Davis, Jr. (born December 8, 1925 in Harlem, New York… Read Full Bio ↴Samuel George "Sammy" Davis, Jr. (born December 8, 1925 in Harlem, New York; died May 16, 1990 in Beverly Hills, California) was a Grammy Award winning singer, Golden Globe and Emmy Award winning actor, dancer, multi-instrumentalist and only black member of Frank Sinatra's The Rat Pack. Davis began his career with his father and uncle in the Will Mastin Trio and he toured nationally with them, only leaving due to military service. He became an overnight sensation following a nightclub performance at Ciro's after the 1951 Academy Awards, became a successful recording artist and then made his first film performances later that decade.

Davis, Jr. was born in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, to Elvera Sanchez, a dancer, and Sammy Davis, Sr., an African-American entertainer. The couple were both dancers in vaudeville. As an infant, he was raised by his paternal grandmother. When he was three years old, his parents split up. His father, not wanting to lose custody of his son, took him on tour. Sammy Davis Jr. claimed that his mother was Puerto Rican, however the 2003 biography In Black and White alleges that he made this claim due to the political sensitivities of the 1960s (during the Cuban Missile Crisis), and that his mother was born in New York of Cuban descent rather than in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

As a child he learned how to dance from his father, Sammy Davis, Sr., and his "uncle" Will Mastin, who led the dance troupe his father worked for. Davis joined the act as a young child in 1928 and they became the Will Mastin Trio. Throughout his long career, Davis included the Will Mastin Trio in his billing.

Mastin and his father had shielded him from racism. Snubs were explained as jealousy. But during World War II, Davis served in the United States Army, where he was first confronted by strong racial prejudice. As he said later, "Overnight the world looked different. It wasn't one color anymore. I could see the protection I'd gotten all my life from my father and Will. I appreciated their loving hope that I'd never need to know about prejudice and hate, but they were wrong. It was as if I'd walked through a swinging door for eighteen years, a door which they had always secretly held open.

And This Is My Beloved
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Dawn's promising skies
Petals on a pool drifting
Imagine these in one pair of eyes
And this is my beloved

Strange spice from the south
Honey through the comb sifting
Imagine these on one eager mouth

And this is my beloved.

And when she speaks
And when she talks to e
Music! Mystery!
And when she moves
And when she walks with me
Paradise comes suddenly near

All that can stir, all that can stun
All that's for the heart's lifting
Imagine these in one perfect one

And this is my beloved
And this is my beloved

Overall Meaning

In Sammy Davis Jr.'s song "And This is My Beloved," the lyrics express the overwhelming joy and love felt towards their beloved. The first stanza describes the beauty of nature and how it pales in comparison to the beauty found in just one pair of eyes. The second describes the exotic and sweet tastes that can be imagined on one mouth. The chorus illustrates the power of their beloved's movement, voice, and presence as they bring paradise close. The final stanza brings together all the amazing things in the world and attributes them to the one perfect person - their beloved.

Overall, the song gives a beautifully touching description of someone's love and admiration towards their significant other. The lyrics are very poetic and use nature imagery to convey the deep beauty and appreciation felt for their beloved. Sammy Davis Jr's smooth voice and jazzy style make the song even more romantic and timeless.

Line by Line Meaning

Dawn's promising skies
The hopeful beginning of a new day

Petals on a pool drifting
The gentle, peaceful movement of flower petals floating on water

Imagine these in one pair of eyes
To envision the beauty of the sunrise and floating petals reflected in someone's eyes

And this is my beloved
Referring to the person who embodies such beauty

Strange spice from the south
Exotic, unfamiliar flavors from a different part of the world

Honey through the comb sifting
The sweet and satisfying process of collecting honey from a honeycomb

Imagine these on one eager mouth
To imagine the pleasure of tasting such exotic flavors on someone's eager lips

And when she speaks
The enchanting sound of her voice

And when she talks to e
The captivating way she converses with him

Music! Mystery!
Her voice holds the wonder of music and mystery

And when she moves
The graceful and alluring way she moves her body