Carolina
Gave me Dinah;
I'm the proudest one
Beneath the Dixie sun.

News is spreadin'
'Bout our weddin';
I hear church bells ringin',
Here's the song my heart keeps singin':

Dinah,
Is there anyone finer
In the state of Carolina?
If there is and you know her,
Show her!

Dinah,
With her Dixie eyes blazin',
How I love to sit and gaze in
To the eyes of Dinah Lee!

Yet, every night,
My, how I shake with fright,
Because my Dinah might,
Change her mind about me!

But if Dinah,
Ever wandered to China,
I would hop an ocean liner,
Just to be with Dinah Lee!

Dinah,
Is there anyone finer
In the state of Carolina?
If there is and you know her,
Show her!

Dinah,
With her Dixie eyes blazin',
How I love to sit and gaze in
To the eyes of Dinah Lee!

Yet, every night,
My, how I shake with fright,
Because my Dinah might,
Change her mind about me!

But if Dinah,
Ever wandered to China,
I would hop an ocean!,
Just to be with Dinah Lee!

Overall Meaning

In "Dinah," Fats Waller sings about his love for a woman named Dinah, whom he proudly claims as his own. He starts by introducing her as a gift from Carolina, and how he feels like the proudest man in all of Dixie, the southern US region. He talks about how news of their wedding has spread, and he hears church bells ringing, which fills him with joy. The chorus talks about how Dinah is the finest woman in all of Carolina, with her "Dixie eyes blazin'", and encourages other men to show him a woman finer than her.

In the second verse, Waller admits that he shakes with fright every night, fearing that Dinah might change her mind about him, but he can't help but love her. He ends the song by saying that even if Dinah were to wander to China, he would go to any lengths to be with her, even if it means taking an ocean liner.

Line by Line Meaning

Carolina
The state of Carolina where I met the love of my life, Dinah.

Gave me Dinah;
Carolina gave me the best thing that ever happened to me, Dinah.

I'm the proudest one Beneath the Dixie sun.
I am so proud to be with Dinah that I feel like the luckiest man under the sun in all of Dixie.

News is spreadin' 'Bout our weddin'; I hear church bells ringin', Here's the song my heart keeps singin':
People are talking about our upcoming wedding and I can hear the church bells ringing. The song in my heart keeps repeating my love for Dinah.

Dinah, Is there anyone finer In the state of Carolina? If there is and you know her, Show her!
Dinah is the most beautiful and finest woman in all of Carolina. If you know someone who is more beautiful, then show her!

Dinah, With her Dixie eyes blazin', How I love to sit and gaze in To the eyes of Dinah Lee!
I love looking into Dinah's beautiful eyes, which remind me of the blazing sun in Dixie.

Yet, every night, My, how I shake with fright, Because my Dinah might, Change her mind about me!
I fear every night that Dinah might one day change her mind about our relationship and leave me.

But if Dinah, Ever wandered to China, I would hop an ocean liner, Just to be with Dinah Lee!
I would go to any lengths just to be with Dinah, even if that meant crossing an ocean to find her in China.

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Akst, Samuel M. Lewis, Joseph Young

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

pghagen

7y↑14

This is really a masterpiece! Like de way he fills up inner voices in G-F-G and sometime A-flat, and later on put these notes in Chords and Vocals and even at the very end he does play these notes. In fact it's a sad melody in minor. He really was a top artist.

SELMER B.Action

9y↑10

Un humour décapant, un swing vertigineux, des solistes inspirés par Fats, un solo de piano magique, un chef d'oeuvre !!!!!!!

Michael Klein

10y↑8

I'm very fortunate in that I was introduced to the music and fun of Mr. Waller at a fairly young age. Today I have all of his recordings and this is one my very favorites. Thank you so much for remembering him and his great little band.