Begin the Beguine
Cole Porter Lyrics
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It brings back the sound of music so tender,
It brings back a night of tropical splendor,
It brings back a memory ever green.
I'm with you once more under the stars,
And down by the shore an orchestra's playing
And even the palms seem to be swaying
When they begin the beguine.
To live it again is past all endeavor,
Except when that tune clutches my heart,
And there we are, swearing to love forever,
And promising never, never to part.
What moments divine, what rapture serene,
Till clouds came along to disperse the joys we had tasted,
And now when I hear people curse the chance that was wasted,
I know but too well what they mean;
So don't let them begin the beguine
Let the love that was once a fire remain an ember;
Let it sleep like the dead desire I only remember
When they begin the beguine.
Oh yes, let them begin the beguine, make them play
Till the stars that were there before return above you,
Till you whisper to me once more,
"Darling, I love you!"
And we suddenly know, what heaven we're in,
When they begin the beguine
Cole Porter's song Begin the Beguine is a nostalgic homage to a lost love. The first stanza of the song paints a picture of past memories that are brought back when the beguine begins. The mention of the sound of music being tender and the night being of tropical splendor romanticizes the past experiences. The memory of the lover is evergreen and the beguine brings it all back. The second stanza brings up the idea of past lovers reuniting. The singer mentions being with the lover under the stars and by the shore, listening to music. There’s a feeling of paradise being in the presence of the lover. The moment of reunion is divine and serene, but clouds of sorrow arrived to disperse the joy. From the third stanza the singer requests that the beguine not be played anymore as it reminds him of a love that was lost. He advises that the ember of the fire that was once there should be left alone and not stirred as it can’t be reignited.
Line by Line Meaning
When they begin the beguine
When the music starts playing the beguine, it takes me back to a time filled with tender melodies, tropical nights, and evergreen memories.
I'm with you once more under the stars,
I feel like I'm back with you again, under the starry night sky.
And down by the shore an orchestra's playing
As we stand here by the shore, we can hear the orchestra playing in the distance.
And even the palms seem to be swaying
The palm trees appear to be dancing to the rhythm of the music.
To live it again is past all endeavor,
To relive that time is impossible.
Except when that tune clutches my heart,
Except when that melody tugs at my heartstrings.
And there we are, swearing to love forever,
In that moment, we once again pledge our undying love to each other.
And promising never, never to part.
We make a vow to never leave each other's side.
What moments divine, what rapture serene,
What heavenly moments filled with tranquility and bliss.
Till clouds came along to disperse the joys we had tasted,
Until unforeseen events came and destroyed the happiness we shared.
And now when I hear people curse the chance that was wasted,
When I hear others lamenting lost opportunities,
I know but too well what they mean;
I can relate all too well to their pain and regret.
So don't let them begin the beguine
Don't let the music start playing and bring back memories that will only cause us heartache.
Let the love that was once a fire remain an ember;
Let our love that was once so passionate now be a small flame that still burns.
Let it sleep like the dead desire I only remember
Let it be dormant like a forgotten desire that I can only recall.
Oh yes, let them begin the beguine, make them play
But then again, let the music start and let the orchestra play.
Till the stars that were there before return above you,
Until the stars that were once shining above us return.
Till you whisper to me once more, "Darling, I love you!"
Until you whisper those words of love to me once again.
And we suddenly know, what heaven we're in,
And in that moment, we feel like we're in heaven.
When they begin the beguine
When they begin the beguine.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jamesforbes2871
@@shirleybalinski4535 ...
"Artie by the way appears to have been a monster with women."
Was that a little gem from a women's studies course? Some of the world's most desirable were lined up to marry him (8 times), so he couldn't have been all that bad. Many of them were serial marriers as well.
Maybe they meant "had a monster ****"
@richardwheeler7845
Hard to believe you could go out to a nightclub and spend an evening listening to these great bands. Eating, drinking, dancing. I was born too late.
@nd5301
Ты совершенно точно прочитал мои мысли)
@vicgallimore6756
Only the rich could afford this .
@isabelleon3360
@@vicgallimore6756 nope, not just for the rich, my Dad went out dancing, it was the thing to do, and saw all the greats in concert and danced, and my Pop had worked since he was 7 years old...and the 40s were his hay days
@elizabethgatesdodge8320
Didn't hear A.S. live, but was privileged to see Benny Goodman, Sarah Vaughan, several other greats, and danced at the Rainbow Room and a few other legendary venues back in the day ('60s, early '70s). Yeah, I was a baby in my 20s! VERY proud to have grown up in the "old" NY!
@seanohare5488
Me too
@vincejamison2401
It's August 2023.
How many of you would love to jump into a time machine and be transported back to the time when these bands reigned supreme in the American music scene?
Absolute Big Band platinum!
@mooniegoodie
This was released in the 1930s
The great depression was in
@Maggie-du4mw
Yessss, I wish a time machine would come, we would gladly go back to an era that truly knew how to live and love...
@toddbonin6926
This was one of my dad's favorite songs. I used to hate it when he'd pull out his old records and play this. Funny, now that he's gone, I could listen over and over. I love it. Gosh, we're dumb when we're young.