Allan Sherman was a pioneer of the comedy-rock scene. Although not much to… Read Full Bio ↴Allan Sherman was a pioneer of the comedy-rock scene. Although not much to look at, the overweight, balding, short, Jewish man gained popularity and became quite the star because of his witty infusion of satirical comedy into very well orchestrated renditions of classic tunes and songs. A song would usually have a lyric, perhaps a name or phrase, that has very little to do with what the original song was about, but the words would sound similar. His albums had nothing to hide, either, as each one was recorded live, and all the laughter, and occasionally a lack thereof, could be heard.

Sherman was just a television producer, most famous for the quiz show "I've Got a Secret," not at all known as a comedian or performer, and it shocked everyone in the know when songs from his album My Son, The Folk Singer became popular. In fact, president John F. Kennedy was heard singing the song Sarah Jackman. Sherman's overnight popularity suddenly ended when the nation's attention focused on Kennedy's assassination, and the nation was too sad for such up-beat musical offerings.

Sherman then slipped back into his longtime depression, and died, quietly, at the young age of 48.

Night and Day
Allan Sherman Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Like the beat comma beat comma beat of the tom hyphen tom,
When the jungle shadows fall
Like the tick hyphen tick hyphen tock of the stately clock,
As it stands against the wall
Like the drip comma drip comma drip of the raindrops,
When the summer shower is through
Some voice within me keeps repeating
Colon, quotation mark

You comma you comma you, exclamation point
Close quotation, period, dash

Night and day, comma
You are the one, dash
Only to you comma beneath the moon comma and under the sun
Semicolon
Whether near to me or far, dot dot dot,
It's no matter comma darling comma where you are, dash
I think of you, comma
Night and day, period new paragraph
Night and day, exclamation point
Under the height of me dash
There's an oh such a hungry yearning comma
Burning parenthesis inside of me
Closed parenthesis, period
(Well, "inside of me" is a parenthetical phrase that describes where the yearning is burning)
And torment won't be through
Until you let me spend my life making love to you asterisk!
('Cause there's a footnote at the bottom that tells who's making love to who)
Spend my life making love to you
Day and night?

Night and day, question mark
Night and day

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Allan Sherman's song Night And Day are a playful spin on the classic song by Cole Porter. The verses are filled with onomatopoeic descriptions of different sounds, invoking the feeling of rhythm and the passing of time. The lines "Like the beat, beat, beat of the tom-tom, when the jungle shadows fall" and "Like the tick, tick, tock of the stately clock, as it stands against the wall" set a rhythmic tone that carries throughout the song. The chorus, which is repeated several times, proclaims the singer's love for someone, day and night, near or far. The use of punctuation in the lyrics adds to the whimsical nature of the song, with the repetition of "you, you, you!" followed by "exclamation point, close quotation, period, dash."

The overall tone of the song is fun and lighthearted, with the use of lively percussion and playful lyrics. The song was released in 1964 and became a minor hit for Allan Sherman, who was known for his comedic music. Though the song is not particularly well-known today, it is still remembered for its catchy rhythm and playful lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

Like the beat comma beat comma beat of the tom hyphen tom,
Similar to the rhythm of the drums in the jungle,

When the jungle shadows fall
When the sun sets over the jungle,

Like the tick hyphen tick hyphen tock of the stately clock,
Similar to the sound of a grand clock ticking,

As it stands against the wall
Standing proudly and unwavering,

Like the drip comma drip comma drip of the raindrops,
Similar to the sound of raindrops falling,

When the summer shower is through
When the rain has stopped falling,

Some voice within me keeps repeating
A voice inside my head keeps saying,

Colon, quotation mark
A pause, followed by a quote,

You comma you comma you, exclamation point
I love you, so much!

Close quotation, period, dash
End quote, pause, and emphasis on the statement.

Night and day, comma
Throughout every moment,

You are the one, dash
You are the one for me.

Only to you comma beneath the moon comma and under the sun
Only to you, during both the day and night.

Semicolon
Pause and transition to a related thought.

Whether near to me or far, dot dot dot,
Regardless of the distance between us,

It's no matter comma darling comma where you are, dash
It doesn't matter, my love, where you are,

I think of you, comma
I always think of you,

Night and day, period new paragraph
Throughout every moment,

Night and day, exclamation point
All throughout day and night!

Under the height of me dash
Within the depths of my being,

There's an oh such a hungry yearning comma
A strong, intense desire,

Burning parenthesis inside of me
Burning deep within me,

Closed parenthesis, period
The thought is complete,

Until you let me spend my life making love to you asterisk!
Until I can devote my life to loving you!

('Cause there's a footnote at the bottom that tells who's making love to who)
(A humorous aside clarifying the intended meaning)

Spend my life making love to you
Devoting my life to loving you,

Day and night?
Can I love you all day and night?

Night and day
All throughout day and night!

Lyrics © Roba Music Verlag GMBH, Red Brick Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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