Angela Strehli (born in Lubbock, TX, on 22 November 1945) is an American bl… Read Full Bio ↴Angela Strehli (born in Lubbock, TX, on 22 November 1945) is an American blues singer and songwriter. During her career , Strehli has been major name in the Austin, TX, blues scene that has included Marcia Ball, Lou Ann Barton, Sue Foley and Stevie Ray Vaughan. She featured in Marcia Ball, Angela Strehli & Lou Ann Barton and has also recorded as Angela Strehli Band.

Strehli sang with Austin-based bands including Fabulous Rockets, Angela & Lewis And The Sunnyland Special, and James Polk & the Brothers starting in 1966. In 1970, she teamed up with bluesman W.C. Clark in the Southern Feeling blues band. From 1971 until she left Austin, Strehli worked at Clifford Antone's blues club as a singer, stage manager, and booker, introducing new acts including Stevie Ray Vaughn. Vaughn returned the favor in 1985, bringing Strehli on stage to sing with him during his Carnegie Hall concert.

In 1987, Strehli released her first album, Soul Shake, with blues standards from Elmore James, J.B. Hutto and Eddie Taylor and Strehli's own compositions. In spite of a guest appearance on Austin City Limits and a tour with Doug Sahm, the album was not a big seller.

Strehli's best-know album is probably 1990's Dreams Come True, a collaboration with Austin contemporaries Marcia Ball and Lou Ann Barton as Marcia Ball, Angela Strehli & Lou Ann Barton.

Strehli left Austin in 1993, moving to California. Over the next five years, she released two more albums, Soul Shake (as Angela Strehli Band) and Deja Blue. She also made guest appearances on albums with Maria Muldaur and Pinetop Perkins.

In 2005, Strehli released Blue Highway, which featured guest appearances from Marcia Ball, Maria Muldaur and Paul Thon.

Strehli now devotes most of her time to running her Marin County restaurant, Rancho Nicasio, where she occasionally performs.

Um Um Um Um Um Um
Angela Strehli Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Walking through the park, it wasn't quite dark
There was a man sitting on a bench
Out of the crowd as his head lowly bowed
He just moaned and he made no sense
He'd just go
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um

Um, um, um, um, um, um
I just couldn't help myself
Yes, I was born with a curious mind
I asked this man just what did he mean
When he moaned if he'd be so kind
And he'd just go
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Now that I've grown up
And the woman I love she has gone
Now that I'm a man, I think I understand
Sometimes everyone must sing this song
Listen to me sing
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Can't you hear me, now
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Everybody now
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Can't you hear me, now
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um

Um, um, um, um, um, um
One more time, now

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Angela Strehli's song "Um Um Um Um Um Um" describe a encounter with a mysterious man who is sitting alone on a bench in the park. The man is moaning and repeating the words "um um um um um um" over and over again. The singer, having a curious mind, approaches the man and asks him what he means by his moaning. However, the man just continues to repeat the same phrase. As the singer grows older and experiences loss and heartbreak, she begins to understand the meaning behind the man's mysterious and repetitive song. She realizes that sometimes, everyone must sing the same song of pain and suffering.

The song's lyrics convey a sense of universal human experience in the face of hardship and loss. The repetition of the phrase "um um um um um um" is reminiscent of the way that people sometimes cope with pain by repeating a simple phrase or word over and over again. The meaning of the song is open to interpretation but it could be seen as a message about the power of music to help people connect and find solace in shared experience.

Line by Line Meaning

Walking through the park, it wasn't quite dark
I was strolling leisurely in the park, where the sun was almost down but there was still a hint of light.

There was a man sitting on a bench
I saw a person sitting on a bench.

Out of the crowd as his head lowly bowed
He was apart from the rest of the people, and his head was hanging downward.

He just moaned and he made no sense
He only made a low-pitched noise, which didn't convey any coherent meaning.

He'd just go Um, um, um, um, um, um
His vocalization was just a repetition of 'um' sounds.

I just couldn't help myself
I couldn't resist the urge to ask him what he meant by his moans.

Yes, I was born with a curious mind
I have always been a naturally inquisitive person.

I asked this man just what did he mean
I inquired the man about the significance of his noise.

When he moaned if he'd be so kind
I asked him politely when he made the sound.

Now that I've grown up
As I have matured.

And the woman I love she has gone
The woman I cherished and cared for is no longer with me.

Now that I'm a man, I think I understand
As an adult, I believe I comprehend.

Sometimes everyone must sing this song
At times, everyone expresses themselves in a simple or nonsensical way.