Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August … Read Full Bio ↴(from wikipedia)
Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979)[1] was a pianist, composer, and arranger who led a highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American jazz orchestra. In later years he was widely active as an educator.
Willow Weep For Me
Stan Kenton and His Orchestra Lyrics
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Willow weep for me
Bend your branches green along the stream that runs to sea
Listen to my plea
Listen willow and weep for me
Gone my lover's dream
Lovely summer's dream
Sad as I can be
Hear me willow and weep for me
Whisper to the wind and say that love has sinned
Leave my heart a-breaking, and making a moan
Murmur to the night to hide her starry light
So none will find me sighing and crying all alone
Oh, weeping willow tree
Weep in sympathy
Bend your branches down along the ground and cover me
When the shadows fall, bend, oh willow, and weep for me
Ooh, weeping willow tree
Weep in sympathy
Bend your branches down along the ground and cover me
When the shadows fall, bend, oh willow, and weep for me
Willow Weep For Me is a melancholic ballad that portrays the poet's distress and feeling of loss after a breakup. The title serves as a call to the willow tree, representing nature, to share in the poet's grief. The opening lines of the song, "Willow weep for me, bend your branches green along the stream that runs to the sea, listen to my plea," set the tone of the song, which is one of sadness and despair. The willow tree is viewed as a symbol of nature, which is unaffected by the poet's pain and continues to exist unchangingly.
The second verse describes the poet's emotional state after his lover's departure; "Gone, my lover's dream, lovely summer's dream, gone and left me here to weep my tears into the stream, sad as I can be, hear me willow and weep for me." Here, the river is viewed as a metaphor for the flow of time and life, which continues despite the poet's sorrow. The third verse describes the poet's wish for the night to hide the stars and allow him to grieve privately. The final lines of the song, "When the shadows fall, bend, oh willow and weep for me," underscore the poet's desperate desire for solace.
Line by Line Meaning
Willow weep for me
The singer requests a willow tree to weep in sympathy for their sadness
Bend your branches green along the stream that runs to sea
The willow tree is asked to bend its green branches over the stream and weep
Listen to my plea
The singer requests the willow tree to listen to their sadness and weep for them
Gone my lover's dream
The singer's lover has left them and is no longer a part of their life
Lovely summer's dream
The singer remembers their lover as a lovely summer's dream
Gone and left me here to weep my tears into the stream
The singer's lover leaving them has caused them to weep their sadness into the stream
Sad as I can be
The singer expresses their deep sadness
Hear me willow and weep for me
The singer repeats their plea for the willow tree to weep in sympathy for them
Whisper to the wind and say that love has sinned
The singer wants the willow tree to tell the wind that love has caused them to suffer
Leave my heart a-breaking, and making a moan
The singer's heart is broken and they are expressing their pain
Murmur to the night to hide her starry light
The singer wants the willow tree to ask the night to hide its light so they can grieve in private
So none will find me sighing and crying all alone
The singer wants to grieve alone without anyone else knowing
Oh, weeping willow tree
The singer addresses the willow tree once again
Weep in sympathy
The singer repeats their request for the willow tree to weep in sympathy
Bend your branches down along the ground and cover me
The singer wants the willow tree to bend down and cover them with its branches when the shadows fall
When the shadows fall, bend, oh willow, and weep for me
The singer repeats their request for the willow tree to weep in sympathy and cover them with its branches when the shadows fall
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@caileanjack6284
Lovely version. It always makes me think of a film noir with the piano and June's vocals. VERY CLASSY indeed
@colsomemiah6095
1953.......on every radio.....also artistry in rhythm....Momm said.....
@tuxguys
One of only two Kenton tracks I have ever really liked.
(Coincidentally, Ms. Christy also has a vocal on the other one.)
Recorded July 25, 1946, in Hollywood, and I think the reason I like it is because, intermittently roaring as it is, the stuff that's done to this Bluesy Non-Blues in this arrangement reminds me of the French Impressionists, especially Maurice Ravel.
(Of course, the arranger is not Kenton, it's Pete Rugolo.)