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Honeysuckle Rose
Anita O'Day Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Honey, honey,
Oh, honey, listen to my plea:

Every honeybee
Fills with jealousy,
When they see you out with me!
I don't blame them, goodness knows,
Oh, honey! suckle rose!

When you're passin' by,
Flowers droop and sigh
And I know the reason why,
You're my sweety, goodness knows,
Oh, honey! suckle rose!

I don't buy sugar,
You just have to touch my cup;
I don't need sugar,
It's sweet enough when you stir it up!
When I'm taking sips
From your dainty lips,
Seems the honey fairly drips,
You're confection, goodness knows,
Oh, honey! suckle rose.

Every honeybee
Fills with jealousy,
When they see you out with me!
I don't blame them, goodness knows,
Oh, honey! suckle rose!

When you're passin' by,
Flowers droop and sigh,
And I know the reason why,
You're my sweety, goodness knows,
Oh, honey ! suckle rose!

I don't buy sugar,
You just have to touch my cup;
I don't need sugar,
It's sweet, stir it up!
When I'm taking sips
From your dainty lips,
Seems the honey fairly drips,
You're confection, goodness knows,
Oh, honey! suckle rose.

Overall Meaning

The song "Honeysuckle Rose" by Anita O'Day is a love song that uses wonderfully poetic language to describe the sweet and desirable qualities of her beloved. In the chorus, she pleads with her honey to listen to her plea, as she describes how every honeybee becomes jealous when they see her out with him. Anita recognizes the allure of her honey, likening him to a honeysuckle rose, a flower known for its sweet fragrance and attractiveness to bees.


As she continues to sing, Anita is not shy about expressing her love and attraction. She notes how every time he passes by, flowers droop and sigh, acknowledging that she understands the reason why - it is because he is her beloved. She also paints a vivid picture of their intimacy, noting that she doesn't need sugar, because touching her cup or tasting his lips is sweet enough. She describes him as a confection, further emphasizing his appeal to her.


Overall, "Honeysuckle Rose" is a song that celebrates the beauty and sweetness of love, using imagery and metaphor to paint a picture of a relationship that is desirable and enviable.


Line by Line Meaning

Honey, honey,
My dearest love,


Oh, honey, listen to my plea:
Please hear my request, my love:


Every honeybee
All the bees in the garden,


Fills with jealousy,
Become envious,


When they see you out with me!
When they see us together!


I don't blame them, goodness knows,
I can't blame them, my love,


Oh, honey! suckle rose!
You're as sweet and beautiful as a honeysuckle rose!


When you're passin' by,
When you walk by me,


Flowers droop and sigh
Flowers wilt and sigh,


And I know the reason why,
And I know why it happens,


You're my sweety, goodness knows,
You are my darling, my love,


Oh, honey! suckle rose!
You're as sweet and beautiful as a honeysuckle rose!


I don't buy sugar,
I don't need to buy sugar,


You just have to touch my cup;
All you need to do is touch my cup;


I don't need sugar,
I don't need added sweetness,


It's sweet enough when you stir it up!
Your presence alone makes it sweet enough!


When I'm taking sips
When I'm drinking,


From your dainty lips,
From your delicate lips,


Seems the honey fairly drips,
It feels like honey is dripping from the cup,


You're confection, goodness knows,
You're a sweet treat, my love,


Oh, honey! suckle rose.
You're as sweet and beautiful as a honeysuckle rose!


Every honeybee
All the bees in the garden,


Fills with jealousy,
Become envious,


When they see you out with me!
When they see us together!


I don't blame them, goodness knows,
I can't blame them, my love,


Oh, honey! suckle rose!
You're as sweet and beautiful as a honeysuckle rose!


When you're passin' by,
When you walk by me,


Flowers droop and sigh,
Flowers wilt and sigh,


And I know the reason why,
And I know why it happens,


You're my sweety, goodness knows,
You are my darling, my love,


Oh, honey ! suckle rose!
You're as sweet and beautiful as a honeysuckle rose!


I don't buy sugar,
I don't need to buy sugar,


You just have to touch my cup;
All you need to do is touch my cup;


I don't need sugar,
I don't need added sweetness,


It's sweet, stir it up!
It's already very sweet, just stir it up!


When I'm taking sips
When I'm drinking,


From your dainty lips,
From your delicate lips,


Seems the honey fairly drips,
It feels like honey is dripping from the cup,


You're confection, goodness knows,
You're a sweet treat, my love,


Oh, honey! suckle rose.
You're as sweet and beautiful as a honeysuckle rose!




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Andy Razaf, Thomas Waller

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@RubyPaulharpistsinger

one of my favourite singers of this era- original, vibrant and humorous

@skeezix64

wow....she was spectacular....so cool

@jamesmaseobrown

This is one of my absolutely favorites. Anita kicks ass with this song !!! I did buy this DVD !

@alice1177

I'm crazy about this version! Great one!!! Thanks! :)

@wa2lds

Phrasing!

@1986babyboi

i just sang this song in a concert and her version of this song inspired me when i wrote out the lead sheet. thanks for posting it.

@IanReoch

The song they are riffing in and out of is "The Best is Yet to Come"

@cjm608

gorgeous!

@agnesbazsinka

swing goddess...

@ViolaWoigk

soooooooo nice!

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