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.
River Stay 'Way from My Door
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics
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But I have heard somebody say
That someday you may
Squeeze my home away.
So roll along you lonely river
And find your way to the sea,
I don't bother you,
You keep goin' your way,
I'll keep goin' my way,
River, stay 'way from my door!
I just got a cabin,
You don't need a cabin,
River, stay 'way from my door!
Don't come up any higher,
I'm so all alone.
Leave my bed and my fire,
That's all I'll ever own!
I ain't breakin' your heart,
Don't start breakin' my heart,
River, stay 'way from my door!
The lyrics of Sammy Davis Jr.'s River Stay 'Way From My Door highlights the singer's plea for solitude from the eponymous river. The singer perceives the river as a potential enemy whose unfettered encroachment on his cabin might leave him homeless. The lyrics are symbolic because the river represents change, turbulence, and unpredictability. Davis Jr. employs a distinct tone of voice to plead with the river, reminding it of its insignificance and his own right to dwell in peace. The chorus "River, stay 'way from my door" provides a rhythmic and memorable refrain that underlines the singer's rejection of the river's potential threat.
The song's choice of lyrics is an interesting representation of Sammy Davis Jr.'s music influence that was largely influenced by the tumultuous sociopolitical context of the 1960s in the United States. At the time, the Civil Rights Movement was at its peak, and the music industry had started embracing black artists' fight for equality. Therefore, Davis Jr.'s River Stay 'Way From My Door can be interpreted as a representation of black Americans' struggle for self-determination and their right to an equal footing. The song's message of resistance to perceived threats symbolizes the black man's struggle against government and institutionalized discrimination.
Line by Line Meaning
You're just a lonely little river,
You are only a small, secluded river,
But I have heard somebody say
I have heard rumors that you may become dangerous.
That someday you may
At some point in the future, you might
Squeeze my home away.
Flood and destroy the house where I live.
So roll along you lonely river
Just keep flowing downstream, as a solitary river
And find your way to the sea,
Drift away into the vast ocean where you belong,
I don't bother you,
I am not interfering with your peaceful existence,
Don't you bother me!
Please, do not trouble or disrupt my life!
You keep goin' your way,
You can continue flowing in your direction,
I'll keep goin' my way,
while I continue living my life and making my own choices,
River, stay 'way from my door!
I am ordering you to stay away from my home and property!
I just got a cabin,
I have recently acquired a small house,
You don't need a cabin,
You don't need shelter or lodging,
River, stay 'way from my door!
I am warning you to keep away from me, my family, and my home.
Don't come up any higher,
Do not rise any higher or come closer to me,
I'm so all alone.
I am feeling depressed and isolated,
Leave my bed and my fire,
Don't damage my bedding and refuse to destroy my source of warmth,
That's all I'll ever own!
Because they are all the possessions I have,
I ain't breakin' your heart,
I am not trying to hurt or damage you,
Don't start breakin' my heart,
I pleading with you not to cause me any emotional or physical harm.
River, stay 'way from my door!
I'm ordering you again to leave me in a peaceful and comfortable state.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Woods, Mort Dixon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jon Shannon
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