Sweet Pea

from Lilacs EP by Jimmy Kraft

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about

I wrote this tune when my sister was living in far away from home and being seriously challenged by life in a big city. She needed all the love she could get to help her through those times, and I gave it to her in the best way I knew how. I wrote this song to help her feel less alone while she was far from her favorite people. Coincidentally, sweet pea flowers are said to represent good wishes, friendship, and farewells—a strikingly appropriate symbology for this song. (It’s just a bonus that Sweet Pea was also the nickname of one of my favorite composers, Billy Strayhorn.) From the effusively supportive lyrics, to the portrayal of familial love’s omnipresence, to the use of my grandfather’s nickname for my sister as the title, “Sweet Pea” is about the importance of family through and through.

lyrics

There’s a certain special something to her
That you won’t find in many other
Girls in the world today
It’s hard to put to words but it makes me sure
She’ll find her way

Confidentially she’s scared like us all
But on the surface is a stone wall
Grinning, bearing, getting by
And holding on until the day her smile
Isn’t just another lie

Go on sweet pea, it’s all in your able hands
Nothing that you can do, don’t you understand
Keep your head toward future opportunity
And don’t forget just how much you mean to me
While you’re gone

There’s a certain shimmer there in her eye
You’ll barely notice as you pass by
But it speaks loud and clear
And it says, “look out, lemme tell you why
Ain’t no room for your rules here”

Simultaneously she’ll put you at ease
A silly smile and a little tease
And she’s friends with the world
You will learn a thing or two about love
From living with this girl

Go on sweet pea, it’s all in your able hands
Nothing that you can do, don’t you understand
Keep your head toward future opportunity
And don’t forget just how much you mean to me
While you’re gone

While you’re gone, we’ll be here
Far away but always near
Even though you’re on your own
You don’t have to feel alone
No you’ll never be alone

Sweet pea, there a long road ahead
But if you heard a word that I said
Then I think that you’ll see
You deserve to take some pride
In how proud you’ve made me

Go on sweet pea, it’s all in your able hands
Nothing that you can do, don’t you understand
Keep your head toward future opportunity
And don’t forget just how much you mean to me
While you’re gone

credits

from Lilacs EP, track released November 5, 2021
All vocals: Jimmy Kraft

Piano: Javier Santiago
Bass: Giulio Xavier Cetto
Drums: Michael Mitchell

Alto sax: John Palowitch
Tenor sax: Andrew Dixon
Trumpet: Dan Herrera
Trombone: Rob Ewing

Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jeff Kolhede at 25th St. Studios

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about

Jimmy Kraft California

Jimmy Kraft synthesizes a wealth of musical influences into the sweetest intersection of harmonic intricacy, rhythmic intrigue, buttery vocals, and poignant lyricism. His credentials in jazz and composition have merged with his love of neosoul, Impressionism, chamber music, and poetry to create a sound that is uniquely his. Jimmy lives, performs, and teaches in San Francisco and the SF Bay Area. ... more