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.
Why Was I Born
Sonny Rollins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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
The lyrics of Sonny Rollins's song "Why Was I Born?" are filled with loneliness, heartache, and self-doubt. The singer spends his lonesome evenings with nothing to do, but to live in the dreams that he makes up all by himself. He dreams about having his beloved beside him and pictures the prettiest stories, only to wake up all by himself. He questions the good of being by himself and wonders why he was born and what he is living for. The singer is filled with self-doubt and questions why he even wants things he daren't hope for and what he can hope for. He tries to draw his beloved near him but it seems his efforts are in vain as he cries and they never hear him. The singer laments over how he's a poor fool but can't seem to help himself because he was born to love his beloved, seemingly bearing a great burden.
The song seems to be dealing with feelings of loneliness and heartbreak. The singer is left questioning the purpose of his existence and seems to be grappling with his self-worth as a result of unrequited love. The lyrics also point towards unfulfilled dreams and hopes, making it quite a relatable song.
Line by Line Meaning
Spending these lonesome evenings
I am spending these evenings alone, feeling lonesome with no company.
With nothing to do
I have nothing to do and nowhere to go, hence I am idle with my time.
But to live in dreams that I make up
To stay occupied, I spend time fantasizing to make myself feel better.
All by myself
I am alone, with no one to share my thoughts with.
Dreaming that you're beside me
I often dream about you being with me, giving me company and making me less lonely.
I picture the prettiest stories
In my dreams, I create scenarios where everything is perfect and ideal, brighter than reality.
Only to wake up
Unfortunately, my dreams come to an end as soon as I wake up.
All by myself
Once again, I find myself alone after waking up, with no one to share my thoughts with.
What is the good of me by myself?
I start to wonder if it is any good to be alone without anyone beside me, is it advantageous?
Why was I born
I reflect on the purpose of my existence, wondering what the reason for my birth was.
Why am I living
Why am I alive and what is the meaning of my life?
What do I get
I question my accomplishments and achievements, what did I gain in life?
What am I giving
What have I done for others? How have I contributed to society?
Why do I want a thing
I question why I desire things that I am so afraid to hope for.
I daren't hope for
I am hesitant to hope for something because my fear of not getting it is greater than the possibility of being disappointed.
What can I hope for
I ponder what things are worth hoping for if I am scared of being let down.
I wish I knew
I yearn to have the answer to this question, to know what is truly worth having hope for.
Why do I try
I question my efforts to get closer to you.
To draw you near me
To be with you, I exert myself in trying to create a connection between us.
Why do I do I cry
I express my frustration with the fact that you don't hear me, that my efforts go unappreciated.
You never hear me
I am discouraged by your unresponsiveness and indifference towards me.
I'm a poor fool
I recognize my own foolishness, naivety, and vulnerability.
But what can I do
I am at a loss for what to do, how to change my predicament, how to be in control of my own destiny.
Why was I born
I reiterate my earlier question, lamenting why I am the way I am.
To love you
My ultimate, inescapable conclusion is that I was born to love you, for better or for worse.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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andrew gillis
that is an ideal electric bass recording for many purposes, maybe every purpose - difficult work for Bob Cranshaw & engineer - except not ideal IMO for bebop, which requires notes be (in RIAA terms) missing, dropped, ghosted - artifacts of upright bass performance - likewise the horn mix is too dry for my taste, Mr Rollins misses the high lonesome that a little more air on the mic provides