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 Got Plenty O' Nuttin'
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics

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Oh, I got plenty o' nuttin'
And nuttin's plenty for me
I got no car, got no mule
I got no misery
De folks wid plenty o' plenty
Got a lock on de door
'Fraid somebody's a-goin' to rob 'em
While dey's out a-makin' more

What for?
I got no lock on de door
Dat's no way to be
Dey kin steal de rug from de floor
Dat's okeh wid me
'Cause de things dat I prize
Like de stars in de skies
All are free

Oh, I got plenty o' nuttin'
And nuttin's plenty for me
I got a gal, got my song
Got Hebben the whole day long
No use complaining
Got my gal, got my Lawd
Got my song

Oh, I got plenty o' nuttin'
And nuttin's plenty for me
I got the sun, got the moon
Got the deep blue sea
De foks wid plenty o' plenty
Got to pray all de day
Seems wid plenty you sure got to worry
How to keep the debbel away
Away

I ain't frettin 'bout hell
'Till de time arrive
Never worry long as I'm well
Never one to strive
To be good, to be bad
What the hell
I is glad I's alive

Oh, I got plenty o' nuttin'
And nuttin's plenty for me
I got a gal, got my song
Got Hebben the whole day long
No use complaining
Got my gal, got my Lawd
Got my song

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'" by Sammy Davis Jr. represents a mantra on embracing the beauty of simplicity and minimalism in life. The song is about a man who has nothing material but expresses his contentment with what he has by stating that he has plenty of nothing. It reflects a message of choosing an uncomplicated life rather than focusing on material wealth, which brings anxiety and worry.

The lyrics describe a man who does not have a car or a mule, and has minimal possessions, but is glad to be alive. He is grateful for the simple things in life, like having a song to sing and a gal to love. In contrast, people who have plenty of everything are constantly worried about being robbed or losing their possessions, signified by the line "Got a lock on de door, 'Fraid somebody's a-goin' to rob 'em While dey's out a-makin' more." The song also mentions how individuals with every resource still have to pray and worry about keeping the devil away whereas the man with nothing has no worries.

The song ultimately teaches us to appreciate and enjoy the present moment and cherish the free things in life as they are the most valuable ones. It tells about the freedom that comes of not acquiring too many things or being too attached to worldly possessions.

I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics

I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics