Clark was born and raised in Herminie, Pennsylvania, a coal mining town southeast of Pittsburgh. At age 12, he moved to Pittsburgh. When visiting an aunt in California at age 20, Clark decided to stay and began working with saxophonist Wardell Gray. Clark went to San Francisco with Oscar Pettiford and after a couple months, was working with clarinetist Buddy DeFranco in 1953. Clark toured the U.S. and Europe with DeFranco until January 1956, when he joined The Lighthouse All-Stars, led by bassist Howard Rumsey.
Wishing to return to the east coast, Clark served as accompanist for singer Dinah Washington in February 1957 in order to relocate to New York City. In New York, Clark was often requested as a sideman by many musicians, partly because of his rhythmic comping. He frequently recorded for Blue Note Records, playing as a sideman with many hard bop players, including Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, Paul Chambers, John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Art Farmer, Curtis Fuller, Grant Green, Philly Joe Jones, Clifford Jordan, Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Art Taylor, and Wilbur Ware. He also recorded sessions with Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins, Billie Holiday, Stanley Turrentine, and Lee Morgan.
As a band leader, Clark recorded albums Dial "S" for Sonny (1957), Sonny's Crib (1957), Sonny Clark Trio (1957), with Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones, and Cool Struttin' (1958). Sonny Clark Trio, with George Duvivier and Max Roach was released in 1960.
Clark died of a heart attack in New York City, although commentators attribute the early death to Clark's drug and alcohol abuse.
Close friend and fellow jazz pianist Bill Evans dedicated the composition "NYC's No Lark" (an anagram of "Sonny Clark") to him after his death, included on Evans' Conversations with Myself (1963). John Zorn, Wayne Horvitz, Ray Drummond, and Bobby Previte recorded an album of Clark's compositions, Voodoo (1985), as The Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet. Zorn also recorded several of Clark's compositions with Bill Frisell and George Lewis on News for Lulu (1988) and More News for Lulu (1992).
I Can't Give You Anything but Love
Sonny Clark Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's not a joke, kid, it's a curse.
My luck is changing, it's gotten from
simply rotten to something worse
Who knows, some day I will win too.
I'll begin to reach my prime.
Now though I see what our end is,
I can't give you anything but love, baby.
That's the only thing I've plenty of,baby.
Dream awhile, scheme awhile
We're sure to find
Happiness and I guess
All those things you've always pined for.
Gee I'd like to see you looking swell, baby.
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby.
I can't give you anything but love.
Rome wasn't built in a day, kid.
You have to pay, kid, for what you get.
But I am willing to wait, dear,
Your little mate, dear, will not forget.
You have a lifetime before you.
I'll adore you, come what may.
Please don't be blue for the present,
When it's so pleasant to hear you say
I can't give you anything but love, baby.
That's the only thing I've plenty of,baby.
Dream awhile, scheme awhile
We're sure to find
Happiness and I guess
All those things you've always pined for.
Gee I'd like to see you looking swell, baby.
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby.
I can't give you anything but love.
In Sonny Clark's song "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," the lyrics highlight the struggles that come with poverty and the lack of resources. The opening lines emphasize the difficulty of being broke, as the singer laments, "Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid. It's not a joke, kid, it's a curse." The singer goes on to note that while their luck seems to be improving, it may not be enough to change their situation. Despite this, the singer urges their partner to dream and scheme with them to find happiness and fulfillment.
The lyrics also speak to themes of hope, patience, and devotion. The singer acknowledges that their financial situation may not allow them to give their partner material things, such as diamond bracelets, but expresses a willingness to wait and remain devoted, as they believe a brighter future is possible. The line "Rome wasn't built in a day, kid. You have to pay, kid, for what you get" emphasizes the idea that success and fulfillment require hard work and patience.
Overall, "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" is a romantic and uplifting song that speaks to the enduring power of love in the face of difficult circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid.
Being financially unstable is tough and extremely difficult, kid.
It's not a joke, kid, it's a curse.
Financial instability is not funny, but rather, it is a curse, kid.
My luck is changing, it's gotten from
simply rotten to something worse
My luck has changed, but unfortunately, it’s gone from bad to worse.
Who knows, some day I will win too.
I'll begin to reach my prime.
Maybe one day, I will also become successful and reach my prime as well.
Now though I see what our end is,
All I can spend is just my time.
I may not have a lot to offer you right now, but I can only offer my time and love.
I can't give you anything but love, baby.
That's the only thing I've plenty of,baby.
I may not have much, but I can offer you all the love I have, baby.
Dream awhile, scheme awhile
We're sure to find
Happiness and I guess
All those things you've always pined for.
Let's dream and plan together, we will surely find happiness and all the things you've been longing for.
Gee, I'd like to see you looking swell, baby.
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
I want to see you looking amazing, and wearing expensive diamond bracelets you can't get at Woolworth, baby.
Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby.
I can't give you anything but love.
Until I can finally afford to give you all those things, just know that I can only offer you my love, baby.
Rome wasn't built in a day, kid.
You have to pay, kid, for what you get.
It takes time to build something great, kid. You have to work hard and pay for what you want to achieve success.
But I am willing to wait, dear,
Your little mate, dear, will not forget.
I am willing to wait and work hard for us, my dear, and your little partner, who adores you, will never forget.
You have a lifetime before you.
I'll adore you, come what may.
You have your whole life ahead of you, and I’ll always love and cherish you, no matter what happens.
Please don't be blue for the present,
When it's so pleasant to hear you say
Don’t be sad about the present moment, because it’s always pleasant to hear your voice and your feelings.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind