Sammy Kaye (1910 — 1987) was a famous U.S. bandleader and songwriter.
Read Full Bio ↴Sammy Kaye (1910 — 1987) was a famous U.S. bandleader and songwriter.

He graduated from Rocky River High School in Rocky River, Ohio in 1927. He attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio where he was a member of Theta Chi Fraternity. Kaye could play the saxophone and the clarinet, but he never featured himself as a soloist on either one.

A leader of one of the so-called "Sweet" bands of the Big Band era, he made a large number of records for Vocalion Records, RCA Victor, Columbia Records, and the American Decca record label. Kaye was known for an audience participation gimmick called "So You Want To Lead A Band?" where audience members would be called onto stage in an attempt to conduct the orchestra, with the possibility of winning batons. Kaye was also known for his use of "singing of song titles", which was emulated by Kay Kyser and Blue Barron.

Musicians included Ralph Flanagan, Dale Cornell and Marty Oscard. Singers included Don Cornell (not related to Dale Cornell), Billy Williams, and Nancy Norman.

He was posthumously inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1992 and for his contribution
to the recording industry has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Harbour Lights
Sammy Kaye Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I saw the harbor lights
They only told me we were parting
The same old harbor lights that once brought you to me
I watched the harbor lights
How could I help if tears were starting
Goodbye to tender nights beside the silv'ry sea

I long to hold you near and kiss you just once more

But you were on the ship and I was on the shore

Now I know lonely nights
For all the while my heart is whisp'ring
Some other harbor lights will steal your love from me

I long to hold you near and kiss you just once more
But you were on the ship and I was on the shore

Now I know lonely nights

For all the while my heart is whisp'ring
Some other harbor lights will steal your love from me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Sammy Kaye's "Harbour Lights" depicts a story of a man who watches his loved one sail away on a ship from the harbor. The harbor lights are a reminder of the love that they shared and the moments they spent together by the sea. The man is torn between his feelings of longing to be with the person he loves and his acceptance that they must part ways. He is resigned to the fact that their love story must come to an end.

The singer of the song is devastated and heartbroken over the fact that his lover is leaving him. He can't help but cry, knowing that the ship is separating him from his beloved, and that he will be left alone with his thoughts of her. The lyrics "the same old harbor lights that once brought you to me" tells us that the harbor lights once brought them together, but now they symbolize their separation. The song's message reveals the pain and grief that comes with a love that has to end, as the singer acknowledges that "some other harbor lights will steal your love from me."

Line by Line Meaning

I saw the harbor lights
I caught sight of the lights in the harbor

They only told me we were parting
Those lights made it clear that we were saying goodbye

The same old harbor lights that once brought you to me
I remember those familiar lights that led you to me in the past

I watched the harbor lights
I observed the lights in the harbor

How could I help if tears were starting
I couldn't prevent myself from crying

Goodbye to tender nights beside the silv'ry sea
I am bidding farewell to the sweet moments we shared by the calm sea

I long to hold you near and kiss you just once more
I yearn to embrace you closely and kiss you again

But you were on the ship and I was on the shore
You were sailing away while I remained on the land

Now I know lonely nights
I am aware of the solitude I will face

For all the while my heart is whisp'ring
My heart keeps saying softly

Some other harbor lights will steal your love from me
I fear that you will find new love under the lights of a different harbor