Anita Jane Bryant (born March 25, 1940, in Barnsdall, Oklahoma) is an Ameri… Read Full Bio ↴Anita Jane Bryant (born March 25, 1940, in Barnsdall, Oklahoma) is an American singer who made a series of television commercials for Florida orange juice. A member of the Southern Baptist Convention, she is best remembered today for campaigning in the mid-1970s to repeal a local ordinance in Miami, Florida, that prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Do Re Mi
Anita Bryant Lyrics

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Do (do) re (re) mi (mi) fa (fa)
So (so) la (la) ti (ti) do
Do re mi fa so la ti do
Ti la so fa mi re do

Doe (doe) a deer, a female deer
Re (re) a drop of golden sun
Mi (mi) a name I call myself

Fa (fa) a long, long way to run

So (so) a needle pulling thread
La (la) a note to follow so
Ti (ti) a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to do
Ho, ho, ho

A deer, a female deer (doe)
A drop of golden sun (re)
A name I call myself (mi)
A long, long way to run (fa)

So (a needle pulling thread)
Very good, la
(A note to follow so)
That's fine, ti
(A drink with jam and bread)
That will bring us back to

Doe, a deer, a female deer
Re, a drop of golden sun
Mi, a name I call myself
Fa, a long, long way to run

So, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow so
Ti, a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to do

(Do re mi fa so la ti do)
(Do re mi fa so la ti do)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Anita Bryant's song "Do Re Mi" are derived from the solfège system of musical notation, commonly used to teach pitch and sight-reading in music education. The first stanza introduces each note and its corresponding syllable, and the following stanzas assign familiar words and phrases to each note. The overall theme of the lyrics seems to revolve around the idea of learning, growing, and persevering through challenges to ultimately find one's way back home.

The lyrics are quite simple but the way they are arranged is clever. The melody is catchy, making it easy to remember the order of the solfège notes, making it a popular teaching tool. The inclusion of everyday phrases such as "a needle pulling thread" and "a drink with jam and bread" adds a relatable and familiar touch to the song. Interestingly, the song ends with a joyful "ho ho ho" that seems to represent a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in mastering the solfège system.

Line by Line Meaning

Do (do) re (re) mi (mi) fa (fa)
Singing the major scale (do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do)

So (so) la (la) ti (ti) do
Continuing the major scale (so-la-ti-do)

Do re mi fa so la ti do
Repeating the major scale

Ti la so fa mi re do
Reversing the major scale

Doe (doe) a deer, a female deer
A female deer, specifically a doe

Re (re) a drop of golden sun
A ray of sunshine, or evoking the feeling of happiness associated with sunshine

Mi (mi) a name I call myself
The sound 'mi', or referring to a personal name for oneself

Fa (fa) a long, long way to run
A distant and difficult journey

So (so) a needle pulling thread
The sound 'so', or the act of pulling a needle through fabric

La (la) a note to follow so
The sound 'la', or the musical note following 'so'

Ti (ti) a drink with jam and bread
The sound 'ti', or a specific type of food and drink (jam and bread)