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.

I'll Begin Again
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics

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I'll begin again
I will build my life
I will live to know
That I fulfilled my life
I'll begin today
Throw away the past
And the future I build
Will be something that will last

I will take the time
I have left to live
And I'll give it all
That I have left to give
I will live my days
For my fellow men
And I'll live in praise
Of that moment when
I was able to, to begin again

I will start anew
I will make amends
And I'll make quite certain
That my story ends
On a note of hope
On a strong amen
And I'll thank the world

And remember when
I was able to begin again, again, again

Overall Meaning

The song "I'll Begin Again" by Sammy Davis Jr. talks about redemption and starting over. The singer professed his desire to rebuild his life and live it to the fullest by throwing away his past and making something lasting out of his future. He acknowledges that he has limited time left to live and pledges to dedicate it to serving others joyfully.

The lyrics suggest that the singer has gone through a difficult time and is now willing to make amends and right the wrongs by starting afresh. He recognizes that he might not have the power to change the entire world, but he can impact the people around him positively. At the end of his life, he wants his story to be one of hope, and he vows to thank the world for giving him a chance to begin again.

I'll Begin AgainSammy Davis Jr. Lyrics

I'll Begin Again
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics