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Summertime Lyrics
Summertime....and the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin'...and the cotton is high
Yo' daddy's rich...and yo' mama's good-lookin'
So hush little baby......don't you cry
One of these mornin's..you gonna rise up singin'
You gonna spread your little wings...and you'll take to the sky
But 'till that mornin'...there ain't nothin' gonna harm you
With yo Mama and Daddy...standin' bye
(instrumental break)
Now it's summertime....and the livin' is easy
Them fish are jumpin'...and the cotton's 'bout waist high
Yo' daddy's rich...and, ya know yo' mama's good-lookin'
Now hush little baby......don't....you cry
Summertime....
Ah said it's summertime
Fish are jumpin'...and the cotton is high
Yo' daddy's rich...and yo' mama's good-lookin'
So hush little baby......don't you cry
You gonna spread your little wings...and you'll take to the sky
But 'till that mornin'...there ain't nothin' gonna harm you
With yo Mama and Daddy...standin' bye
Them fish are jumpin'...and the cotton's 'bout waist high
Yo' daddy's rich...and, ya know yo' mama's good-lookin'
Now hush little baby......don't....you cry
Song Info
Submitted by
anna118k On Jul 24, 2002
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I hear this song as a black servant (employed to look after rich white children) singing to the baby she's looking after. It sounds like a happy song the first time you hear it, but every line is loaded with oppression - the servant sings to the baby of its fortune in life - "your daddy's rich and your ma is good-looking" knowing that owing to her own start in life, she will never have as much as this child is certain to have some day. The song is full of references to the legacy of slavery - references to cotton recalls the plantations, and while "one of these mornings" this baby will "spread its wings and take to the sky", but the singer never will - she will never truly be free. What confirms this for me is the music. If this was a happy song, it would be full of uncomplicated major chords. The dark lyricism of the music in this song makes me certain that it was never meant to be viewed as a happy song.
It means to me that you should enjoy your childhood while you can, and for parents to make that possible by protecting their children.
Beyond that, this is a beautiful song, it's sorta my lullabye, I sleep extra well after I am sent of by this beautiful duo.
this is so amazing, especialy the trumpet intro, the first time u hear it you are taken aback, its very special, i actually heard the zombies version first, which is shit in comparison