Summertime

Album: Porgy and Bess (1935)
Play Video
  • Summertime, time, time,
    Child, the living's easy.
    Fish are jumping out
    And the cotton, Lord,
    Cotton's high, Lord, so high.

    Your daddy's rich
    And your ma is so good-looking, baby.
    She's looking good now,
    Hush, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby,
    No, no, no, no, don't you cry.
    Don't you cry

    One of these mornings
    You're gonna rise, rise up singing,
    You're gonna spread your wings,
    Child, and take, take to the sky,
    Lord, the sky.

    But until that morning
    Honey, nothing's going to harm you now,
    No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
    No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
    No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
    Don't you cry,
    Cry. Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 13

  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn March 4th 1962, Ricky Nelson's covered version of "Summertime" entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #95, the following week it was at #89 and that was also its last week on the chart...
    The A-side of the record, "Young World", fared a little bit better, it peaked at #5 {for 1 week} on April 15th, 1962 and spent 13 weeks on the Top 100...
    Between 1957 and 1973 he had fifty-three songs make the Top 100; seventeen made the Top 10 with two reaching #1, "Poor Little Fool" for two weeks in 1958 and "Travelin' Man" for two weeks in 1961...
    He just missed having four #1s when "Teenager's Romance" {1957} and "Stood Up" {1958} both peaked at #2 on the Top 100...
    R.I.P. Fredrick Hilliard Nelson {1940 - 1985}.
  • Jorge from Bronx, NyJanis of course is the best among rock vocalist,I believe she played and recorded with 3 great bands,Big Brother & The Holding Company,Blues Kozmic Band and Full Tilt Boogie,,,It doesn't matter what a raspy voice she had,she was great at her singing,,,many just sing,she interpret every song.
  • Meocyber from Alma, CoJanis owned this version! Has anybody ever thought BB & the hold company were one of the most underrated rock bands for their tight muscianship? They kicked ass.
  • Sara from Kenosha, United Kingdomi love janis joplin, you have no idea, her voice had got to be the most beautiful i have ever herd. And has anyone noticed on how she died wih her arms the way they were, to me she looks like an angel.may she rest in peace babe
  • Stefan from Campinas, Brazilis it correct that Janis performed it at the Woodstock festival with Jimi Hendrix on the guitar?
  • Wanda from Upstate , NyA very fine recording of Porgy and Bess songs was made by Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald--it also has Armstrong's fantastic trumpeteering; on it the two do a more standard version of this song, long, with fine trumpet too.
  • Mel from Riverbank, CaMy favorite version is by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong..
  • Linc from Beaumont, TxYou can see Janis memorabilia (including her car) in the Museum of the Gulf Coast in Southeast Texas and celebrate the Janis Joplin birthday bash in January.
    www.museumofthegulfcoast.org
  • Victoria from Memphis, TnMy favorite Janis Joplin song:)
  • Lew Quzmic from Moscow, Russia FederationGershwin is said to have based this song on a Ukrainian lullaby, Oi Khodyt Son Kolo Vikon (A Dream Passes By The Windows), which he heard in a New York City performance by Oleksander Koshetz's Ukrainian National Chorus.
    (c) Wikipedia
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summertime_%28song%29
    a 1980 version of the Ukrainian lullaby can be listened to at http://q3mi4.multiply.com/music/item/196
  • Hans from Weteringbrug, NetherlandsAn international group of collectors of recordings of Summertime exists under the name The Summertime Collection. At 07-07-2007 hey know of almost 19,500 performances, of which about 13,325 have been recorded and of which 8,151 are in the collection of the group.
  • Nicole from Boston, MaThis song is just wonderful. Joplin's version was the first I heard, but I have to say I like Billie Holliday's version equally well. The lyrics are so simple that improvisation is easy. Probably will live on as a classic for years to come. ** Speaking of [i]Porgy and Bess[/i], is there a place to find some of the other songs from it? Just curious.
  • Clare from Dallas, Txher rendition is AMAZING. it made me cry when i first heard it because it was so beautiful.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)Songwriter Interviews

"Come On Eileen" was a colossal '80s hit, but the band - far more appreciated in their native UK than stateside - released just three albums before their split. Now, Dexys is back.

Shawn Mullins

Shawn MullinsSongwriter Interviews

"Lullaby" singer Shawn Mullins on "Beautiful Wreck," beating the Devil, and his writing credit on the Zac Brown Band song "Toes."

Protest Songs

Protest SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know your protest songs (including the one that went to #1)?

Timothy B. Schmit

Timothy B. SchmitSongwriter Interviews

The longtime Eagle talks about soaring back to his solo career, and what he learned about songwriting in the group.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?

In The Cards

In The CardsSong Writing

Songwriters have used cards and card games to make sense of heartache, togetherness, and even Gonorrhea.