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Nature Boy
Words & Music by Eden AhbezRecorded by Nat "King" Cole, 1948
E7 Am Dm E7 Am Dm7
There was a boy, a very strange enchanted boy.
E E7 Am Am+7 Am7 Am6
They say he wandered very far, very far,
Dm7 Am E7
Over land and sea;
Dm7 E7 Bm7-5 Am F Dm7 E7
A little shy and sad of eye, but very wise was he.
Am Dm E7 Am Dm7
And then one day, a magic day he passed my way;
E E7 Am Am+7 Am7 Am6
And while we spoke of many things, fools and kings,
Dm7 Am E7
This he said to me,
Gdim Dm7 Bm7-5 Am Am+7
"The greatest thing you'll ev - er learn
Bm7-5 E7 Bm7-5 E7 E7+5 Am E7
Is just to love and be loved in re - turn."
(Instrumental Interlude - 1st 3 lines of second verse)
Gdim Dm7 Bm7-5 Am Am+7
"The greatest thing you'll ev - er learn
Bm7-5 E7 Bm7-5 E7 E7+5 Am
Is just to love and be loved in re - turn."
The author of this song is one of the more unusual characters in the entire history of popular music -- and the fact that he is seen as a "one-hit wonder" barely scratches the surface of the story.
A recent visitor to the site provided to links to URL's that go into the story in greater detail than I will here, but if you've got a couple of extra minutes, I'd suggest visiting both: http://www.spaceagepop.com/ahbez.htm covers the essence of his story, and http://shadowboxstudio.com/edenahbez.htm provides more information. The latter includes a lyric revision that the author wanted made; at this point, however, the lyric is so deeply ingrained in all of us who remember the song that I don't think there's much likelihood of the author's wishes ever taking hold. Read in any depth, both URL's suggest the author was, to put it kindly, a little on the "strange" side -- yet the song proves beyond debate that greatness can come from even the most unlikely source.
(Thanks to J.M., who declined idenfication here, for the sources of information.)