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.
Eee-O Eleven
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
chauffeur... and a block long limousine
Eee-o-Eleven.
Eee-o-Eleven.
Someday I'll have me a penthouse.
Stacks and stacks of folding green.
Eee-o-Eleven.Eee-o-Eleven.
It's all a state of mind.
Whether or not you'll fine.
That place down there or heaven.
In the meantime.
Eee-o Eee -o
Eee - o- Eleven.
Eee- o - Eleven.
Eee- o -Eleven.
Show me a man without a dream.
And I'll show you a man that's dead.
Real Dead.
Once I had me a dream.
But that dream got kicked in the head.
Dream dead.
I nearly had me that chauffeur
And that block long limousine.
Eee-o-Eleven
Eee-o-Eleven
I nearly had me that penthouse.
All them stacks of folding green.
Eleven.
Some Judge is gonna say.
I'm putting you away.
For four score years add seven.
In the meantime.
Eee-o-Eleven
Eee-o-Eleven
In Sammy Davis Jr.'s song Eee-O Eleven, the singer expresses his desires for a luxurious lifestyle that includes having a chauffeur, a block long limousine and a penthouse with stacks and stacks of folding green. He sings that it's all a state of mind and whether or not you find that place down there or in heaven. The song reflects on how having dreams is important, and without them, people are like walking dead.
The lyrics also reveal the singer's lament about how his dreams were shattered, and he nearly achieved the kind of lifestyle he wanted. However, he still sings that he would continue dreaming and hoping, "In the meantime Eee-o Eee-o Eee-o Eleven." The song suggests that the singer may end up in jail for a long time because he is willing to do anything to fulfill his dream.
Line by Line Meaning
One day I'll have me a chauffeur... and a block long limousine
Someday, I aspire to attain immense wealth so that I can afford to own a car of the utmost extravagance - with a personal driver - a symbol of my success and achievement.
Eee-o-Eleven.
This line serves as a catchy refrain, used repeatedly throughout the song without any explicit meaning, but rather as a way to reinforce the image of power and luxury in the listener's mind.
Someday I'll have me a penthouse.
My ambition is to reach such financial heights that I can purchase a residence in the city's most elite and glamorous area, signified by the penthouse apartment, the ultimate status symbol.
Stacks and stacks of folding green.
I will accumulate vast amounts of money - piles of currency bills - to signify my extreme wealth and success.
It's all a state of mind.
Success and satisfaction are determined by one's own thoughts and mindset, not necessarily by external circumstances.
Whether or not you'll find that place down there or heaven.
It is ultimately up to each individual to decide what their goals and aspirations are in life, including what they consider their own version of 'heaven' - a place of ultimate fulfillment and happiness.
In the meantime.
While I work toward my ultimate dreams and aspirations, I will continue to use my ambition and drive to push forward and persevere.
Eee-o Eee -o Eee - o-Eleven.
Again, this line serves to emphasize the underlying themes of wealth, power, and opulence, acting as a sort of shorthand to reference these ideals for the listener.
Show me a man without a dream.
A person without a goal or ambition in life is akin to a lifeless being, devoid of any driving force or motivation to continue striving forward.
And I'll show you a man that's dead. Real Dead.
The statement is intensified with the use of 'real dead,' underlining the importance of having passion and ambition prompting someone to truly live life to its fullest.
Once I had me a dream, But that dream got kicked in the head.
I have had a previous dream or aspiration, but it was unfulfilled or led to disappointment, underscoring the idea that the journey to success is never easy or straightforward.
Dream dead.
This short and direct line emphasizes the crushing reality and emotional pain that comes with realizing one's dreams may not come to fruition.
I nearly had me that chauffeur, And that block long limousine.
There were times where I was so close to reaching my goals, that I could almost touch the luxury and opulence I longed for - represented by the chauffeur and incredibly long car.
Eee-o-Eleven
Again, the refrain is used to strengthen the idea of success and luxury, acting as a shorthand for these concepts throughout the song.
Some Judge is gonna say, I'm putting you away
This line speaks to the idea that those who are highly ambitious often take risks that are not necessarily legal or ethical, which can lead to punishment or imprisonment, underscoring that the path to success can be perilous.
For four score years add seven.
The image of the Judge using such formal language, emphasizing a long sentence of punishment indicates the severity and harshness of the punishment given. This form of archaic language conjunction in sentencing lengthen the duration and tensity of the impending doom.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JAMES VAN HEUSEN, SAMMY CAHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@emr305
One day I'll have me a
chauffeur... and a block long limousine
Eee-o-Eleven.
Eee-o-Eleven.
Someday I'll have me a penthouse.
Stacks and stacks of folding green.
Eee-o-Eleven.
Eee-o-Eleven.
It's all a state of mind.
Whether or not you'll fine.
That place down there or heaven.
In the meantime.
Eee-o Eee -o
Eee - o- Eleven.
Eee- o - Eleven.
Eee- o -Eleven.
Show me a man without a dream.
And I'll show you a man that's dead.
Real Dead.
Once I had me a dream.
But that dream got kicked in the head.
Dream dead.
I nearly had me that chauffeur
And that block long limousine.
Eee-o-Eleven
Eee-o-Eleven
I nearly had me that penthouse.
All them stacks of folding green.
Eee-o-Eleven
Eleven.
Some Judge is gonna say.
I'm putting you away.
For four score years add seven.
In the meantime.
Eee-o-Eleven
Eee-o-Eleven
@fanwithnoname
This song has been stuck in my head for days. People don't understand when I suddenly go EEEEEEOOOOO ELLLEVEN.
@shamilkhamitov6842
True !
@TheAmericanNostalgist
I do 🤣 I got 8 decades of music stuck in my head constantly And nobody understands when I make references 🤣
@kthornton4103
Same. People also refuse to acknowledge this was the best version of the movie, Ocean's Eleven.
@larryosberg1366
Enjoy this song to but this is the only place I can find it. It's not even on the original soundtrack.
@taronroberts1977
😄😄😄 That's funny and awesome!
@gillyjames9609
Sammy Davis Jr is the coolest cat ever! The best singer and performer, like a stick of dynamite ... no one can come close! He was treated abysmally by some of those 'so called friends'! Sammy, you were the best! xxx
@RupantheWolf
You do realize that those "so called friends", as you put them, had Sammy's back every time a hotel or a performance place discriminated against him because of the color of his skin. Also, in the song "Sam Song" if you actually listened to it, Frank says "Since you're a Jew" instead of a derogatory name of a black person. Before you disrespect the Rat Pack (a name that Sinatra, believe it or not, hated) get your facts straight
@juliohermosillo4854
Absolute classic, who listening during the pandemic ???
@Scradee
Some day I'll have me a doctor and a two dose vaccine.
Coooovid 19. Co-ooovid 19.
One day I can get out of the house and go make some stacks of green
Coooovid 19. Co-oooovid 19.
It's a coronavirus, that can mutate and wreck, our e-con-om-ic agenda.
In the meantime, I'm gonna smoke a joint.
Covid 19. Covid 19. Cooooooooooovid 19