Here's how to play "Nature Boy" by Eden Ahbez (famously recorded by Nat King Cole) on piano!

With this piano sheet music, you can play the famous jazz ballad in a beautiful arrangement (intermediate difficulty).

Eden Ahbez, who was often seen in white robes and sandals (which, in combination with his long beard and hair, made him look a lot like Jesus), handed his composition to Nat "King" Cole's manager in 1947.

When Nat King Cole recorded the song in 1948, it became one of his biggest hits, topping the charts for eight weeks!

The song was later recorded by many famous artists (including Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett and Lagy Gaga).
It appeared in a number of films (such as "The Boy with Green Hair" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley") and became a central theme in the 2001 musical film "Moulin Rouge!".

It's certainly one of the most beautiful jazz ballads out there, and it makes for a wonderful, melancholic piano cover!

Here are the famous lyrics to "Nature Boy":

There was a boy
A very strange, enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far
Very far
Over land and sea
A little shy and sad of eyes
But very wise was he

And then, one day
One magic day, he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This, he said to me:
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return"

From the composer: "What are Morphs? Morphs are tiny compositions. I wrote them as springboards for improvisation. Most Morphs are under four measures; a few are longer. I wrote these little pieces on piano, but any instrumentalist or vocalist can adapt them. They can also be played in groups. Morphs can be played as written -- with no improvisation -- to practice rhythmic dexterity and keeping a steady pulse. However, you'll have the most fun with these pieces if you have some knowledge of improvisation, scales, modes and chord symbols, or if you have an experienced improviser to work with. As you can see, Morphs are not just in major and minor scales; they are also in some of the various modes and occasionally a pentatonic scale. The time signatures also vary. Try playing the Morphs as written for a few cycles, then branch out and start improvising. There are no rules. In fact, you can change meter or key as desired. These pieces are meant to spark your own improvisations. Musically yours...Mikael Elsila (composer), melsila@hotmail.com". Watch Morphs in action at www.bitly.com/morphsetudesforimprovisation . Morphs are (c) Mikael Elsila and registered with ASCAP. Contact the composer at melsila@hotmail.com.