He began his adult life as a young preacher in Philadelphia, where he hosted a gospel radio show. In the 1960s, he signed with Atlantic Records and began moving towards more secular music. His first hit was Just Out Of Reach Of My Open Arms, a cover of a country song. Though well-received by both peers and critics, and attaining a few moderate pop and several major R&B hits, Burke never could quite break through into the mainstream as did his contemporaries like Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin.
Nevertheless, his emotive delivery, polished production, as well as the touches of country and pop sensibility in his music won him admirers and imitators. In 1964 he wrote and recorded Everybody Needs Somebody To Love his most prominent bid for an enduring soul standard. Covered by the Rolling Stones the same year, other well-known versions include one by Wilson Pickett and another a decade and a half later in the 1980 feature film by The Blues Brothers. Burke's biggest hit was a 1969 cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's Proud Mary.
His career was to some degree revived in 2002, with the release of the album Don't Give Up On Me, produced by Joe Henry, where he sang songs written specifically for the album by a roster of top-rank artists, including Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits and Joe Henry himself.
He is featured in the 2004 movie Lightning in a Bottle singing Turn on Your Love Light and Down in the Valley.
As of October 2002 Burke was the father of 14 daughters and 7 sons with 64 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. Several of his children and grandchildren have had successful careers in various facets of the music industry, though none as much so as their patriarch.
Burke died, arriving at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam where he was supposed to perform with Dutch band De Dijk with whom he recorded an album, entitled Hold on Tight.
Rock icon Mick Jagger performed a tribute to Burke at the 2011 Grammy Awards, laying down Burke's classic hit "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love".
A cover of Everybody Needs Somebody To Love received huge exposure as the music for Amazon's 2019 Christmas commercial.
Sidewalks Fences and Walls
Solomon Burke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On an old brick wall
Started writing in the heart
That told one and all "Solomon loves Mary"
On sidewalks, fences, and walls
The rains that fell
Washed away those hearts and childish scrawls
Were big when we were small
And I wrote my love letters
On sidewalks, fences, and walls
Got chalk on my fingers
And chalk on my hands
And somebody wrote across my heart
"Ain't love so grand?"
Oh, so grand, so grand, so grand
Now I write my letters with a fancy pen
But my mind goes back to chalk
Every now and then "Solomon loves Mary"
Came straight from my heart
But like all the other kids
One day we had to part
Now Mary's married to Billy
But I can recall, ha "Solomon loves Mary"
Mmm, "Solomon loves Mary"
"Solomon loves Mary" on sidewalks, fences
Hey hey hey hey hey hey and walls
Hey, hey and walls
Yesterday I walked by there
To reminisce again
I saw a child that looked like Mary
My childhood friend
She was writing a love letter
To the boy of her dreams
Then her mother walked up, huh
I knew her but she didn't know me
I stood there in a daze
My mind repeating the phrase
"Solomon loves Mary"
"Solomon loves Mary"
"Solomon loves Mary" on sidewalks, fences
Hey hey hey hey and walls and walls
Sidewalks, fences, and walls
I can't help but remember that day
Sidewalks, fences, and walls
Oh, how it takes my heart away
Sidewalks, fences, and walls and walls
I remember writing the heart in the tree
Saying I love you, and you love me
I remember writing your name
I can see it plain, plain
Sidewalks do you remember how we played
Hop Skip on the sidewalks
Do you remember how I used to jump over
The fence and almost didn't make it? Hey
The lyrics of Solomon Burke's "Sidewalks Fences and Walls" capture the nostalgic longing for childhood innocence and the simple expression of love. The song begins with the image of a little crooked heart drawn in chalk on an old brick wall, serving as a canvas for young love. Solomon writes his declaration, "Solomon loves Mary," on sidewalks, fences, and walls, for everyone to see. These childish scrawls and hearts are eventually washed away by the rain, but the love they represented remained significant.
As Solomon reflects on his past, he reveals the transition from using chalk to a fancy pen to write his love letters. However, his mind always drifts back to the days when he expressed his love through chalk drawings and simple words on sidewalks, fences, and walls. The bittersweet twist comes when Solomon discovers that Mary, the subject of his childhood affection, has married someone else named Billy. Despite this, Solomon's memories of his love for Mary on those sidewalks, fences, and walls remain strong.
The final verse depicts a poignant moment when Solomon encounters a child who resembles Mary, his childhood friend. The child is writing a love letter just as Solomon once did, but her mother, who Solomon recognizes, is unaware of their shared past. Standing there in a daze, Solomon's mind repeats the phrase "Solomon loves Mary," reinforcing the enduring impact of those childhood memories and the sincere love expressed through the simple act of writing on sidewalks, fences, and walls.
Overall, "Sidewalks Fences and Walls" paints a nostalgic picture of young love and the innocence of childhood, emphasizing the heartfelt memories associated with expressing love in its purest and simplest form.
Line by Line Meaning
A little crooked heart drawn in chalk
A small, imperfect heart-shaped drawing made with chalk
On an old brick wall
On a weathered brick wall
Started writing in the heart
Begun to write a message inside the heart
That told one and all 'Solomon loves Mary'
That proclaimed to everyone 'Solomon loves Mary'
On sidewalks, fences, and walls
On the pavement, fences, and other walls
The rains that fell
The raindrops that came down
Washed away those hearts and childish scrawls
Effaced those hearts and naïve scribbles
But the love that filled those hearts
However, the love that filled those hearts
Were big when we were small
Was intense when we were young
And I wrote my love letters
And I composed my love messages
On sidewalks, fences, and walls
On the pavement, fences, and other walls
Got chalk on my fingers
Got chalk dust on my fingers
And chalk on my hands
And chalk powder on my hands
And somebody wrote across my heart
And someone inscribed on my heart
'Ain't love so grand?'
'Isn't love magnificent?'
Oh, so grand, so grand, so grand
Oh, exceedingly magnificent
Now I write my letters with a fancy pen
Now I write my letters using an elaborate pen
But my mind goes back to chalk
But my thoughts return to chalk
Every now and then 'Solomon loves Mary'
Occasionally 'Solomon loves Mary'
Came straight from my heart
Emerged directly from my heart
But like all the other kids
But, like every other child
One day we had to part
One day we had to separate
Now Mary's married to Billy
Now Mary is married to Billy
But I can recall, ha 'Solomon loves Mary'
But I can remember, haha, 'Solomon loves Mary'
Mmm, 'Solomon loves Mary'
Mmm, 'Solomon loves Mary'
On sidewalks, fences
On the pavement, fences
Hey hey hey hey hey hey and walls
Hey hey hey hey hey hey and walls
Yesterday I walked by there
Yesterday I passed by that place
To reminisce again
To remember and reflect once more
I saw a child that looked like Mary
I saw a child who resembled Mary
My childhood friend
My friend from childhood
She was writing a love letter
She was writing a letter expressing her love
To the boy of her dreams
To the boy she dreams of
Then her mother walked up, huh
Then her mother approached, huh
I knew her but she didn't know me
I recognized her, but she did not recognize me
I stood there in a daze
I stood there in a state of confusion
My mind repeating the phrase
My thoughts constantly repeating the phrase
'Solomon loves Mary'
'Solomon loves Mary'
'Solomon loves Mary'
'Solomon loves Mary'
'Solomon loves Mary' on sidewalks, fences
'Solomon loves Mary' on the pavement, fences
Hey hey hey hey and walls and walls
Hey hey hey hey and walls and walls
Sidewalks, fences, and walls
Pavement, fences, and walls
I can't help but remember that day
I cannot help but recall that day
Sidewalks, fences, and walls
Pavement, fences, and walls
Oh, how it takes my heart away
Oh, how it fills my heart with emotion
Sidewalks, fences, and walls and walls
Pavement, fences, and walls and walls
I remember writing the heart in the tree
I remember carving the heart on the tree
Saying I love you, and you love me
Expressing 'I love you' and 'you love me'
I remember writing your name
I remember inscribing your name
I can see it plain, plain
I can clearly see it
Sidewalks do you remember how we played
Pavement, do you recall how we played
Hop Skip on the sidewalks
Playing hopscotch on the pavement
Do you remember how I used to jump over
Do you remember how I used to leap over
The fence and almost didn't make it? Hey
The fence and nearly didn't succeed? Hey
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Terry Arnold
Wow, i never realised that the mighty Swamp Dogg wrote this beautiful lyric, such a sweet heartfelt song and Solomon's voice is a joy. Thanks for posting...it took me back some...
Ron Francis
The.preacher of soul.
Love it.
Jordan Pavlovski
I miss this man and his music so much. This is probably one of his nicest songs
James Lewis
this song brings back many memories
johnathon webster
A super song from this legend
Jean B
love this song
PoBoy65
Ooops! Solomon wrote it. I'm way too obsessed with BD!
Ignacio Vela Layna
Impeccable!
Alexander Gutterman
brilliance
Vikki Brocklehurst
Makes me cry every time I hear it???