Laura
Sonny Stitt Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

You know the feeling of something half remembered
Of something that never happened, yet you recall it well
You know the feeling of recognizing someone
That you've never met as far as you could tell, well

Laura is the face in the misty light
Footsteps that you hear down the hall
The laugh that floats on a summer night
That you can never quite recall
And you see Laura on the train that is passing through
Those eyes, how familiar they seem




She gave your very first kiss to you
That was Laura but she's only a dream

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Sonny Stitt's song "Laura" speak to the experience of nostalgia and the feeling of being haunted by ephemeral memories. The first verse describes the sensation of recalling something that never actually happened, but feels vivid and real. The second verse introduces the titular figure, "Laura," as a mysterious and elusive presence that the singer feels haunted by. Laura is described as the "face in the misty light," a phantom figure that seems to exist in a liminal space between reality and memory. The lyrics continue to emphasize the strange familiarity that the singer feels towards Laura, even though they never met her in waking life.


Line by Line Meaning

You know the feeling of something half remembered
The uncanny experience of remembering only partial details of something that should be more vivid in your memory.


Of something that never happened, yet you recall it well
The feeling of certain memories that seem to occur in a parallel universe like a dream, but you remember it happening almost like it was real.


You know the feeling of recognizing someone
The feeling of déjà vu when you see someone whom you are certain you've never met before, but something about them seems oddly familiar.


That you've never met as far as you could tell, well
Even after investigating the connection, you realize that you do not know that person or how they should know you.


Laura is the face in the misty light
Laura is a symbol representing memories and the recreation of the emotions surrounding the significant events or people in our lives.


Footsteps that you hear down the hall
Echoes of memories from the past linger with us and can resurface during present times creating a strong emotional response.


The laugh that floats on a summer night
Sometimes memories can resurface during specific moments like the sound or smell of a season, creating a sense of nostalgia for the listener.


That you can never quite recall
The sense of frustration tied to nostalgia where it can be challenging to place or understand the event completely, but the feeling is there despite memory problems.


And you see Laura on the train that is passing through
The sudden emergence of memories can be triggered by factors like conversations, smells, places, or even strangers and rush back as vividly as it first happened.


Those eyes, how familiar they seem
Recognition of a stranger that seems to be tied to a familiar memory leads to a confusing sense of déjà vu.


She gave your very first kiss to you
She represents the first time that you felt love, even if it was not a real person, then it could have been a feeling or perhaps the experience of the first kiss.


That was Laura but she's only a dream
The realization that memories are not always real representations of past events, but the emotions and reactions we associate with them are valid, indicating that memories and dreams can be hard to differentiate.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: David Raksin

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

Howard Gibson

Some musicians just play their instrument, Stitt always had something to say and boy did he say it in such magnificently beautiful melodic tone,perfect harmony .Sonny although you are gone thank you for the musical legacy you left for mankind to treasure throughout the ages. GOD BLESS YOU, RIP 🎶🎷

mark higgins

One day it will be recognised just how great Sonny Stitt was

ConcertGrande

exactly my friend ! cheers from France

Howard Gibson

I totally agree,Sonny Playing is like medicine for the soul, every day I have to take my dose!!! 🎶🎷.

Parker Ward

Perfect sound. Perfect technique. And with soul. Stitt is one of those players where "perfect" is a completely appropriate adjective.

ALAIN DRILLON

Une des meilleures version de ce standart,Sony tu était le meilleur!

Hans H

Those years around 1959 , so many underrated jazzmen who become famous today. Thumbs up !!!

Piero Chiti

for me one of the greatest sax men of jazz story.

caponsacchi

Sonny Stitt may not have been the most innovative player, but he-more than anyone else- consolidated the music of the past--the best popular songs and the most expressive styles in playing material for which lyrics were an unnecessary burden--hindering rather than furthering communication. Sonny's command of the music was so complete he could make it "talk" with a power exceeding the medium of verbal communication. His was a language of sheer emotion, taking the listener into worlds of beauty and profound emotion for which the words have yet to be invented. If the song could not stand up without "words," it was unworthy. of the repertory of the most creative jazz musicians, who transformed the song into emotive poetry going beyond the reach of pedestrian "words." Most songs requiring words are like the "recitative" of opera, which consists of inferior melody, conventional harmony and pitter-patter rhythms--all for the sake of conveying pedestrian information about motive and plot to spectator who mistakes story business for art. But the best songs are like the "arias" of opera, conveying not mere information but offering the possibility of epiphany and transformation. Such songs can stand soley on the strength of their melodies, harmonies and rhythms--words unneeded. And there's no one better at communicating the power of such "wordless messages" than Sonny Stitt, who somehow never loses track of the main melody while locating the counter-melodies that add drama and adventure to each of his improvisational adventures.

Stitt would show up for a recording session with no rehearsal beforehand and lay down as many as 10 tracks--many first takes--and then move on, usually finishing the session ahead of schedule. With pianists like Jimmy Jones (Sarah's accomapnist) and Hank Jones (Ella's pianist) Sonny had guys who understood the music and its most intuitive, melodic exponent. They were musicians happy to stay out of Sonny's way, satisfied to make his route as unimpeded as possible and his successful arrival all but certain. All of these 1950s recordings by Stitt on the Roost label are exemplary and of exceeding value to any young musician becoming familiar with the most vital standards of the Great American Songbook. Records like "Kind of Blue," "Time Out" and "Getz/Gilberto" may receive the most publicity, but the Stitt recordings made for Roost are exemplary blue ribbon recordings that every serious listener of jazz, saxophone playing, and the jewels of the Great American Songbook simply cannot afford to be without.

Howard Gibson

Excellent commentary, Love Stitt.!!!

More Comments

More Versions