Sheila Jeanette Dawson (born November 18, 1928, in Detroit, Michigan) is a … Read Full Bio ↴Sheila Jeanette Dawson (born November 18, 1928, in Detroit, Michigan) is a jazz singer whose career spans six decades. Raised in poverty in Pennsylvania’s coal-mining country, Dawson began singing as a child and, by the time she was in her early teens, was working semi-professionally in Detroit clubs. Her first significant influence was Charlie Parker; indeed, most of her influences have been instrumentalists rather than singers. Working chiefly with black musicians, she met with disapproval from the white community but persisted with her career. She was a member of a vocal trio, Skeeter, Mitch, And Jean (she was Jean), who sang versions of Parker’s solos in a manner akin to that of the later Lambert, Hendricks, And Ross.

After moving to New York in the early 1950s, she married Parker’s pianist, Duke Jordan, and studied with Lennie Tristano, but it was not until the early 1960s that she made her first recordings. One was under her name; the other was “The Outer View” with George Russell, which featured a famous 10-minute version of “You Are My Sunshine.”

In the mid-1960s, her work encompassed jazz liturgies sung in churches and extensive club work, but her appeal was narrow even within the confines of jazz. However, by the late 1970s, jazz audiences had begun to understand her uncompromising style a little more. As a result, her popularity increased - as did her appearances on record, which included albums with pianist Steve Kuhn, whose quartet she joined, and an album, Home, comprising a selection of Robert Creeley’s poems set to music and arranged by Steve Swallow.

A 1983 duo set with bassist Harvie Swartz, “Old Time Feeling” comprises several standards Jordan regularly features in her live repertoire, while the 1990s “Lost And Found” pays tribute to her bebop roots. Both sets display her unique musical trademarks, such as the frequent and unexpected sweeping changes of pitch, which still tend to confound an uninitiated audience. Her preference for the bass and voice set led to another remarkable collaboration with bassist Cameron Brown, who has been performing worldwide for more than ten years and has released the live albums “I’ve Grown Accustomed to the Bass” and “Celebration.” Entirely non-derivative, Jordan is one of only a tiny handful of jazz singers who fully deserve the appellation and for whom no other term will do.

Why Was I Born
Sheila Jordan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Spending these lonesome evenings
With nothing to do
But to live in dreams that I make up
All by myself

Dreaming that you're beside me
I picture the prettiest stories
Only to wake up

All by myself

What is the good of me by myself?

Why was I born
Why am I living
What do I get
What am I giving

Why do I want a thing
I daren't hope for
What can I hope for
I wish I knew

Why do I try
To draw you near me
Why do I do I cry
You never hear me

I'm a poor fool
But what can I do
Why was I born
To love you

I'm a poor fool
But what can I do

Why was I born
To love you

Overall Meaning

In "Why Was I Born," Sheila Jordan captures the painful loneliness of unrequited love. The singer longs for someone who is not there, daydreams of a life she cannot have, and questions the purpose of her existence. The opening lines paint a bleak picture of the singer's current state - stuck in a lonesome evening with nothing to do but dwell in her dream world. Jordan emphasizes the isolation of the singer with the repetition of the phrase, "All by myself."

The second stanza of the song is filled with longing and anguish as the singer tries to conjure up the image of someone she loves beside her. The use of the word "dreaming" creates a sense of hopelessness that the singer's fantasies will never become a reality. The devastating realization that "I wake up / all by myself" further cements the singer's loneliness.

The following stanzas delve into the existential crisis that the singer is experiencing. She wonders why she was even born, what her purpose is, and what she can hope for. The repetition of the phrase "why" emphasizes the internal struggle the singer is facing. She longs for something she knows she cannot have, yet cannot help but try to draw that person near. The final lines of the song, "I'm a poor fool / But what can I do / Why was I born / To love you," perfectly capture the essence of the song - a heartbreakingly beautiful expression of unrequited love and the agony that comes with it.

Line by Line Meaning

Spending these lonesome evenings
Passing my evening in solitude

With nothing to do
Having no particular task

But to live in dreams that I make up
Creating unrealistic, imaginative scenarios

All by myself
Individualistic or in solitude

Dreaming that you're beside me
Imagining a companion by my side

I picture the prettiest stories
Visualizing the loveliest tales

Only to wake up
Breaking out of the dream state

What is the good of me by myself?
What is the point of being alone?

Why was I born
Asking the reason for my existence

Why am I living
Questioning the purpose of my life

What do I get
What am I receiving?