Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jaz… Read Full Bio ↴Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a leader. A number of his compositions, including "St. Thomas", "Oleo", "Doxy", "Pent-Up House", and "Airegin", have become jazz standards. Rollins has been called "the greatest living improviser" and the "Saxophone Colossus".

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.

This Love of Mine
Sonny Rollins Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

This love of mine, goes on and on
Though life is empty, since you have gone
You're always on my mind, though out of sight
It's lonesome through the day and all the night

I cry my heart my out, it's bound to break
Since nothin' matters, then let it break
I ask the sun and the moon, the stars that shine

What's to become of it, this love of mine?

I cry my heart my out, it's bound to break
Since nothin' matters, then let it break

I ask the sun and the moon, the stars that shine
What's to become of it, this love of mine?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "This Love of Mine" convey deep feelings of loss, longing, and heartbreak. The singer expresses intense emotions and the pain of separation from a loved one. The opening lines suggest that the love he had for this person is so strong that it continues endlessly, despite the fact that they are no longer together. The feelings are so strong that they seem to consume him, and he cannot escape the memories of the relationship, even when the other person is out of sight. The loneliness seems to permeate his life both day and night, with no respite.

The singer then describes how he cries his heart out, knowing that it is bound to break. He recognizes that nothing else really matters in life. This feeling of abandonment and sadness is so overwhelming that he turns to the celestial bodies of the sun, moon and stars seeking some kind of explanation. The repetition of the lines "What's to become of it, this love of mine?" shows the depth of his distress.

Overall, the song is a powerful expression of the universal experience of heartbreak and love lost, and Sonny Rollins's musical interpretation of the lyrics only serves to amplify the emotional impact.

Line by Line Meaning

This love of mine, goes on and on
My love for you is never-ending and continues to persist.

Though life is empty, since you have gone
Since you left, my life has become meaningless and somber.

You're always on my mind, though out of sight
I can't stop thinking about you, even though you're not here with me.

It's lonesome through the day and all the night
I feel lonely and isolated throughout the day and night.

I cry my heart my out, it's bound to break
I'm expressing my intense emotions and feelings, which may lead to my heart breaking.

Since nothin' matters, then let it break
I'm resigned to the fact that since nothing seems to matter anymore, my heart may as well break.

I ask the sun and the moon, the stars that shine
I'm searching for answers and guidance from the universe.

What's to become of it, this love of mine?
I'm uncertain about what the future holds for my love for you, and I'm asking for insight and clarity.

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SOL PARKER, HENRY W. SANICOLA, FRANK SINATRA

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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