Rollins was born in New York City to parents from the United States Virgin Islands. The youngest of three siblings, he grew up in central Harlem and on Sugar Hill, receiving his first alto saxophone at the age of seven or eight. He attended Edward W. Stitt Junior High School and graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School in East Harlem. Rollins started as a pianist, changed to alto saxophone, and finally switched to tenor in 1946. During his high school years, he played in a band with other future jazz legends Jackie McLean, Kenny Drew, and Art Taylor.
As a saxophonist he had initially been attracted to the jump and R&B sounds of performers like Louis Jordan, but soon became drawn into the mainstream tenor saxophone tradition. The German critic Joachim Berendt described this tradition as sitting between the two poles of the strong sonority of Coleman Hawkins and the light flexible phrasing of Lester Young, which did so much to inspire the fleet improvisation of bebop in the 1950s. Other tenor saxophone influences include Ben Webster and Don Byas. By his mid-teens, Rollins became heavily influenced by alto saxophonist Charlie Parker. During his high school years, he was mentored by the pianist and composer Thelonious Monk, often rehearsing at Monk's apartment.
Rollins has played, at various times, a Selmer Mark VI tenor saxophone and a Buescher Aristocrat. During the 1970s he recorded on soprano saxophone for the album Easy Living. His preferred mouthpieces are made by Otto Link and Berg Larsen. He uses Frederick Hemke medium reeds.
Here You Come Again
Sonny Rollins Lyrics
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just when I've begun to get myself together,
you waltz right in the door,
just like you've done before
and wrap my heart 'round your little finger.
Here you come again,
just when I'm about to make it work without you,
and pretty soon I'm wond'rin how I came to doubt you.
All you gotta do is smile that smile
and there go all my defenses.
Just leave it up to you and in a little while
you're messin' up my mind and fillin' up my senses.
Here you come again lookin' better than a body has a right to;
and shakin' me up so that all I really know
is here you come again and here I go.
All you gotta do is smile that smile
and there got all my defenses.
Just leave it up to you and in a little while
you're messin' up my mind and fillin' up my senses.
Here you come again lookin' better than a body has a right to;
and shakin' me up so that all I really know
is here you come again and here I go and here I go
In Sonny Rollins's song, "Here You Come Again," the lyrics depict a sense of vulnerability and powerlessness that come with a past lover's return. The singer seems to have made progress in rebuilding themselves and moving on after a past heartbreak, but their progress is shattered when the object of their affection re-enters their life. The lyrics suggest a sense of familiarity with the situation, as the lover has waltzed right into the singer's heart before, and they are left feeling powerless and wrapped around their former lover's finger.
The singer's inner turmoil is further highlighted when the lover begins to charm them with their lies and pretty smile, causing the singer's defenses to crumble. As the lover messes with their mind and fills up their senses, the singer laments their powerlessness and the inevitability of their return to their former lover's side. The lyrics, "here you come again lookin' better than a body has a right to; and shakin' me up so that all I really know is here you come again and here I go," emphasize the cyclical nature of the singer's romantic struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
Here you come again,
You've returned once more to disrupt my life.
just when I've begun to get myself together,
You always seem to arrive right when I finally start to feel like I have a grip on things.
you waltz right in the door,
You enter my space without hesitation or permission.
just like you've done before
Your actions are familiar and unchanging.
and wrap my heart 'round your little finger.
You easily manipulate my emotions and pull me back under your control.
just when I'm about to make it work without you,
As soon as I believe I can function independently of you,
you look into my eyes and lie those pretty lies
Your false words and mannerisms deceive me and draw me back in.
and pretty soon I'm wond'rin how I came to doubt you.
I begin to question my doubts and trust in you despite my past experiences.
All you gotta do is smile that smile
Merely smiling in your characteristic way alone
and there go all my defenses.
Is enough to shatter any walls or barriers I've erected between us.
Just leave it up to you and in a little while
I have no control over my own reactions or feelings when I'm around you.
you're messin' up my mind and fillin' up my senses.
You alter my perceptions and take over all of my mental and physical faculties.
Here you come again lookin' better than a body has a right to;
Your appearance is striking and beyond what should be allowed.
and shakin' me up so that all I really know
You upset my sense of stability and leave me unsure of anything else.
is here you come again and here I go.
I'm caught in a vicious cycle of being drawn to you and then hurt by you once more.
and here I go and here I go.
I find myself falling back into old patterns and unable to resist your pull.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind