Summertime

Summertime, and the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high
Oh, your daddy's rich and your ma is good-lookin'
So hush little baby, don't you cry
One of these mornings, you're goin' to rise up singin'
And you'll spread your wings and you'll take the sky
But 'til that mornin', there's a-nothin' can harm you
With daddy and mommy standin' by
One of these mornings, you're goin' to rise up singin'
And you'll spread your wings and you'll take the sky
But 'til that mornin', there's a-nothin' can harm you
With daddy and mommy standin' by

    Summertime, composed by the great George Gershwin for Porgy and Bess and popularized by the great Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, was written to bring attention to racial injustices of African Americans under the era of Jim Crow laws. Upon a casual listen, it seems as if the song carries a lazy slant reflecting a summer evening and the dream of a better life. However, upon deeper consideration of the lyrics, another layer of meaning is found. In the era of racial injustices the lines "Oh, your daddy's rich and your ma is good-lookin'" hold a different connotation than a simple compliment. The ironic nature of praising the poor African Americans that Ella is portraying as being rich and pretty offers a false comfort in a lazy dream that will never come true. The slow tempo and minor key compounds with the lazy feel of the piece to create almost a dirge. 

    To add to the irony, the use of dissonance by Gershwin adds to the juxtaposition of the lyrics and the melody that they sit upon. Gershwin tends to avoid a strong resolution to further enhance the sense of incompleteness and the wrongness of the situation which once again ties into the theme that was ever-present in the opera Porgy and Bess.