Tall Paul
Annette Funicello and the Afterbeats Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Chalk on the sidewalk
Writin' on the wall
Everybody knows it
I love Paul

Tall Paul, tall Paul
Tall Paul, he's-a my all

Chalk on the sidewalk (chalk on the sidewalk)
'nitials on a tree ('nitials on a tree)
Ev'rybody knows it (ev'rybody knows it)
Paul loves me

(Tall Paul) With the king-size arms
(Tall Paul) With the king-size charms
(Tall Paul) With the king-size kiss
(He's my all) He's my all!!

(Tall Paul is my love, tall Paul is my dream)
(He's the captain of the high school football team)

He's my mountain
He's my tree
We go steady
Paul and me

Tall Paul (with the great big smile)
Tall Paul (with the great big eyes)
Tall Paul, (with the great big kiss)
He's my all

Tall Paul, tall Paul
Tall Paul, he's my all

Overall Meaning

The song "Tall Paul" by Annette Funicello and the Afterbeats is a cheerful, upbeat love song about the singer's admiration and love for a boy named Paul. The lyrics describe the various ways that the singer and Paul express their love for each other, such as writing their initials on a tree and chalk on a sidewalk. The song talks about how everyone knows they are in love and how much she adores him.

The singer constantly repeats that Paul is her all and describes his charming attributes, such as his king-size arms, king-size charms, and king-size kiss. She seems to be deeply in love with Paul and mentions how they go steady and he is the captain of the high school football team. She compares Paul to a mountain and a tree, conveying the strength and stability he brings to her life. The song is a fun and innocent portrayal of teenage love.

Line by Line Meaning

Chalk on the sidewalk
Drawing on the pavement

Writin' on the wall
Inscriptions made on the wall

Everybody knows it
People are aware of it

I love Paul
I am fond of Paul

Tall Paul, tall Paul
Paul is very tall

Tall Paul, he's-a my all
Paul is everything to me

Chalk on the sidewalk (chalk on the sidewalk)
Drawing on the pavement (repeated)

'nitials on a tree ('nitials on a tree)
Carvings on a tree (repeated)

Ev'rybody knows it (ev'rybody knows it)
People are aware of it (repeated)

Paul loves me
Paul has affection for me

(Tall Paul) With the king-size arms
Paul has large arms that can embrace me tightly

(Tall Paul) With the king-size charms
Paul has an irresistible personality

(Tall Paul) With the king-size kiss
Paul's kisses are intense and passionate

(He's my all) He's my all!!
Paul is everything to me (repeated)

(Tall Paul is my love, tall Paul is my dream)
Paul is the man I love and dream about

(He's the captain of the high school football team)
Paul is the captain of the football team at school

He's my mountain
Paul is my strong and reliable support

He's my tree
Paul is my pillar of strength

We go steady
We are dating exclusively

Paul and me
Paul and I

Tall Paul (with the great big smile)
Paul is always cheerful with a big smile

Tall Paul (with the great big eyes)
Paul has large, attractive eyes

Tall Paul, (with the great big kiss)
Paul's kisses are intense and passionate

He's my all
Paul is everything to me

Tall Paul, tall Paul
Paul is very tall (repeated)

Tall Paul, he's my all
Paul is everything to me (repeated)

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ROBERTS BOB, RICHARD M. SHERMAN, ROBERT B. SHERMAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

@kirstym6880

3y↑157

who's here from the bro show

@Hyucklings

3y↑8

Me lol

@kieraa63

3y↑9

wassup yall😭

@leah2104

3y↑9

omg hey bros

@WhereThingsComeBack

3y↑6

Miley wishes

@galybermudez1958

3y↑4

LOLL fr

16 More Replies...

@georgiakwiatkowski8563

3y↑40

Here from the bro show 🤙

@pringleberg6826

What is the bro show? Can you send the link to where they mentioned this video?

@J-50s60smusic

5y↑63

I love seeing this rare clip of ANNETTE singing Tall Paul. She was so talented and so very beautiful.

@lancelot1953

5y↑47

I grew up with Mickey Mouse Club... It did not take long for Annette to become the favorite of all the boys in my class. She was the "girl next door" with the principles and values (Disney's) which reflected what life was then back in the fifties and early sixties... We dressed to invite our "Sweetheart" out, we opened doors, met her parents, dealt (respectfully) with her older brothers, brought flowers, and a marriage was for the better or the worse but no matter what, it was forever... until death would do us apart... I lost my first love after 30 years of marriage... to cancer... I never recovered. Thank you Annette for the principles and values that may have been "naive" on our part but that were valuable in the "Golden Age" of America.
May Peace be with you all, Ciao, L

@jettcarlburg356

4y↑4

"It did not take long for Annette to become the favorite of all the boys in my class"
............................

(and a few girls)

@Aloysius10

35w

Annette was the hottest in the Mickey Mouse Club of her day.

@lancelot1953

35w

@@Aloysius10 Hi Aloysius10, it was not that Annette was the "hot/hottest" girl of the MMC of her days, it was that she represented what a "good girl" was to be back in those days. She was the epitome of what a teenager wanted to eventually have for and/or as for a wife back then. Just like Shelley Fabares, Sally Field, etc... These were the girls that teenagers modeled themselves over, just like girls did with Frankie Avalon, Fabian, James Dean, Presley, and others... These people provided us with role models of what a "good" girl/boy was/were supposed to be.
It worked, in my case, it sure did until cancer took us apart. Ciao, L...

@Daniel-ts3uy

27w↑2

Annette was both beautiful on the outside and the inside , a very rare quality these days.

@SuperC888

1y↑6

Those were the good old days 😊

@surveyordave

5y↑27

she was cute as a bug in those days!!

@MichaelDaily1

5y↑20

I was 13 and totally in love, and she could sing too, what more could a kid want?

@SeaofMadness-lz6ig

46w↑3

Annette your the best!!! Love this song! Rest in peace 🙏 🌼 🌸 🌻 🌹 🏵 🌼

@adcjj

2y↑5

A great tune from the Sherman Brothers!!

@yankee2666

30w

Fk the Sherman Brothers. This is about Annette.

@rhettjanes1056

46w↑7

I actually sing the song to myself when I'm working out the timing and it is just great I think for jogging.

@yankee2666

30w

A minute and a half of jogging? Wow, you're a real trooper.

@rhettjanes1056

30w

@@yankee2666 obviously I jog longer than that buddy no need to be rude

@ryderrepairs

26w

@@yankee2666 why ya being rude to em, he was just saying the rhythm matches his running speed, no need to be so rude pal

@shelleyganz9095

26w↑1

Soo Cute There...R. I. P....Annette

@Diana-qv5rn

1y↑4

She was so adorable, & a good actress & singer.

@jettcarlburg356

3y↑14

She was America's Girl Next Door!!!!

@USCG.Brennan

What an ANGEL she was.....we all loved her!!!

@alg190

4y↑8

There was a disc jockey in Bham, Al back in the 60's - 70's called Tall Paul who opened his morning show with this jingle

@mikeprice3162

3y↑8

always loved her singing

@KendrickHarrisKenfinity

2y↑3

The "king-sized" memories are truly unlike anything else.💗🎵🎶☀️ Stay safe everyone!

@twilightblue8566

1y↑2

Annette's hands sweat when she got nervous, so her mother gave her the white gloves to wear. Too cute Paul Anka being in the video but he was short Paul. Cute video.

@SeaofMadness-lz6ig

46w↑1

I remember as a child in the 60s alot of ladies wore gloves when they went out to dinner and the like. Even parties at friends houses too. My mom always wore them with the prettiest clothes 👡👠🥿👗

@Hyucklings

3y↑9

Tall Paul look 20 yrs older than u ma’am😂

@georgephinn822

1y↑3

This is one of the “cutest” song of 1959. And I think was ment for Paul Anka - I am not sure - but Annette was a “Star on the Mickey Mouse Club” So “ Tall Paul “ was a HIT and she followed it up with - O De O Me O. - On the - “Disney” Label. She made Movies with - Frankie Avalon - and became a Movie Star. Every teenage girl wanted to be Annette. She was a Star - and she is Still A Star - Thanks Annette For giving us such wonderful memories

@georgephinn822

46w

Thank You - Whom Ever You Are - For Liking my Comment on Annette song “Tall Paul”. The late 50’S & the Entire 60’S Rock & Roll was in FULL Blast - I Mean “Everyone” was on the Charts - And “AM” Radio Ruled the air-waves. There was NO “FM” Radio then - But the Music was. “Rock & Roll” and we LOVED it - we grew up in “ Years” that will live on Forever

@rosemariekury9186

23w↑1

@@georgephinn822She was dating Paul Anka at the time but she says the song really wasn’t about him. I think for a long time Paul really loved her but in a book he wrote he stated her parents broke it up .

@HotVoodooWitch

17w

@@rosemariekury9186 his first wife was gorgeous. I was sorry when they broke up after so many years.

@SuperC888

1y↑3

That’s Dick Clark as the puppeteer 😮

@jettcarlburg356

4y↑6

Talk about CLASSY!!!!!

@Jeng4280

30w

She was an exceptional actress and a great singer as well. Of course she came around way before I was ever born but I liked her music.

@wildchameleon7622

11w↑1

I heard this song one time and had A friend everyone called "little geoff" in High School early 2000s.

This got stuck in my head and I started calling him Tall Paul 😂 it's still his nickname to this day everyone calls him Tall Paul and nobody knows where It came from

@josephsielskisr3742

3y↑4

She was so cute

@billmadden49

52w↑2

I HAVE THE ORIGINAL TALL PAUL ON MY JUKE BOX, IT IS THE ONLY RECORDING SHE DID ON THE DISNEYLAND LABLE, PLAY IT ALL THE TIME, I WAS 13 WHEN SHE RECORDED THIS HIT SONG

@SeaofMadness-lz6ig

46w

A perfect 13 year Olds song! Didn't they call it "bubblegum" music? I grew up in the 60s and early 70s

@marcietorrence5361

2y↑3

"He's my mountain, he's my tree?" Weird lyrics.

@kryptonianpowers

4y↑8

One of the ORIGINAL Mouseketeers.

@michaelodonnell9756

3y↑2

The one and only America's Sweetheart. A real tough act to follow.

@paulstewart3

2y↑4

Finally found a song about me!!! This is amazing!!

@harperstacey9604

Tall Paul was originally recorded by another mouseketeer named Judy Harriet but it wasn't a hit until Annette funicello recorded it. From Ms. Harper Stacey.

@paulrichards2365

19w

NO! It was about ME!!

@soulman4692

2y↑2

Have heard it today on Rockabilly-Radio...!!!

@SeaofMadness-lz6ig

46w

I'll have to check that out! Tfs

@daveo3774

26w↑1

This was actually a trailblazer track in 1959 it was one of the first female rock n' roll recording artist single hits ever recorded.

@JayRaphaelJiaoInot

5y↑12

The word "steady" is not commonly used these days. I only knew that word when I watched an 80's family tele series when that word was said.

@cannibalisticrequiem

Idk if you'll read this, but I am curious. I'm familiar with the term "exclusive" when it comes to dating, but I've always wondered if it's just the same as "going steady", or if it means anything different. I know there's a girl wearing the boy's ring, for like high-school sweethearts-- I've also heard of "getting pinned" from Bye Bye Birdie, so is that all interchangeable? Or was there like different levels to it?

@JayRaphaelJiaoInot

@@cannibalisticrequiem Im not that certain on how to really professionally answer that but I am half Austrailian Asian,Let me just share to you my observations on the phrases we use when 2 individuals collide😁😍😍These days here, when people observe someone having a mutual understanding and we believe that they are building a relationship we call it char2x or "getting something" or we also call it "Are they serious about it?" but base on my observations, I havent hear much on going steady on this present time we're at especially in the internet and I have alot of American friends and they dont use the word "Going steady", I only hear that in old shows like this video,it would probably matter where your at,the gen. you belong, and the type of people your expose with. Jes,its all about a person/people exposing that word that will matter here for that word to be commonly use before the dictionary accepts it. Based on the lines you shared to me, "Exclusively" I havent heard of that. Maybe its just the people in your area who expresses that phrase?.... Whatever phrases and or words people uses the thought is exactly disame or related, "SERIOUS TO EACH OTHER"
Again,this is just based on my observations Im not a vocubulary teacher or something.

@jondoe8889

I remember it as a common term in the later 50's to mid 60's. My pre and teen dating years? (not that I dated much back then)

@SeaofMadness-lz6ig

46w

Now it's "friends with benefits" that's the stupidest term. Back in my day you either were "going out" or you weren't. I think the going steady term faded out in the late 60s imo

@sammonteleone4609

2y↑4

Annette had more talent than most female singers in the last 20 years combined. Life was good back then, fresh milk at your doorstep every morning, the paper, the family car, always three meals a day, Then you turned on the TV and wow, annette , elvis , ricky nelson, ozzie and harriet. We can never go back but listening to annette kinda puts us there for a while.

@SeaofMadness-lz6ig

46w↑1

I remember that all of it! 😊

@SeaofMadness-lz6ig

46w↑2

Family values have gone down the tube! Sunday dinner was the best! I wished I could bring it back but my children have to constantly work. So I have barbecues often instead! At least there's drive-in movies in my state!!!

@sg-yq8pm

27w

"more talent than most female singers in the last 20 years combined" - Complete utter nonsense. She was an extremely likeable person with a voice that was very pleasant, but she had no discernible singing ability that was worthy of praise.

@MsDisneylandlover

2y↑2

Love this song

@barbaramacdonald3128

26w

She is so cute.

@neilvansteemburg6808

3y↑3

Tall Paul might have been her all but she was mine and I think of her affectionately still with fond memories.

@marcietorrence5361

Were you her actual boyfriend?

@harperstacey9604

2y↑1

@@marcietorrence5361 singer Paul anka was her first boyfriend. From Ms. Harper Stacey.

@billbright1755

3y↑2

Kid at a BB gun tin can ally for background.

Annette 💞.

Only song I know off with chalk on the sidewalk.

Annette was on a mouse club show with Donna Loren. What beauty and talent.

@SuperBeachbum74

She’s so cute

@jsusna1972

7w↑1

I see things like this and wonder who the tall guy in the letterman's jacket is at the end.

@artguti1551

26w

Paul Anka and Annette Funicello actually loved each other. But Walt Disney didn't want them together.
Paul Anka wrote "Puppy Love" about Annette Funicello.

@jameslocklear8715

America's sweetheart ♥️

@paulrichards2365

19w

When I was 9, I wrote to Annette and asked her to marry me, but she never got back.

@RS3DArchive

3y↑4

I was in the Second Grade when this song came out, it was murder for any kid named Paul. There were two of us in our school. We hated it.

@PrincessWarsop

2y↑1

Paul Anka!!!!

@cynthiapickett7403

2y↑2

Annette wasn't blonde--one major key to her popularity at the time (in common with Natalie Wood, Elizabeth Taylor, and Ava Gardner.

@hebneh

15w↑1

It was funny to include photos of Annette with Paul Anka because he definitely was NOT "tall".

@kryptonianpowers

24w

I can't believe that this was the VERY first song the Sherman Brothers wrote.

@barbproctor6773

3y↑3

RIP

@theoneandonlymem432

3y↑1

She had multiple sclerosis and died at age 70 in 2013.

@SeaofMadness-lz6ig

46w

@TheOneAndOnlyMEM I remember reading that. Wow it's been that long! Her hubby was with her every step of the way while she was ailing! Rip Annette! 😢 🌼 🌸 🌻 🌹

@darthstarone3532

😭🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😭 the 50s

@VintageVinny

3y↑4

Funny, this song isn't about Paul Anka even though they were dating at the time.

@9284vr

2y↑1

Whatever happened to such innocent times?? Will we ever see them again?

@SeaofMadness-lz6ig

46w

We can "recreate" them like have a 50s party with friends! It's sad there's not many family values like the 50s anymore 😢

@SeaofMadness-lz6ig

46w

There are drive-in movies in New Hampshire and Massachusetts too!!! 😊

@barbaraproctor-nw4te

1y↑1

1968

@robertcruz6974

5y↑7

I was 12 years old back in the day. Going to bed and dreaming about Annette, I would wake up with a TENT in my bed one pole tent. R.I.P. Annette.

@jonn.6325

3y↑2

tmi

@upgradermunchkinBC

2y↑2

@@jonn.6325 fr lol

@freeguy77

1y↑1

"Don't Be Crude" [Elvis Presley #1 song, with a slight twist]

@SeaofMadness-lz6ig

46w↑1

My crush was John Travolta hahaha 😊❤

@barbaraproctor-nw4te

1y↑1

I'm Game Paul Burt❤🎉😢😮😅 0:36

@DrinkExchanger

2y↑1

I’ve been cursed to listen to this twice a day over the speakers at work. Life is cruel

@murlthesquir

Haha! Sorry bout your luck :)

@PinkyJujubean

2y↑4

I love you Annette but that puppet thing is super creepy

@SeaofMadness-lz6ig

46w

Lol

@lawrencerasmus

How funny🤪😁

@steveanddaves6530

27w

They show Paul Anka photos in the video, but at 5'6" he definitely WASN'T "tall" Paul.

@merulasnyde8038

3y↑2

Hypergamie was even in the 50s

@jondoe8889

1y↑1

Singers of that era had no control of the songs they sang. Especially women. So maybe she was dating Paul Anka, and maybe the name the song was written about him? But I think that would have been mostly coincidence.
♫ Please don't talk to the lifeguard... As a kid, the guy behind our house was tall, with a swimmer's body. And he was a lifeguard. The rumor was that he was dating Andrea Carroll, who had a nice career going. When I found her email, maybe 10 years ago, I wrote and asked her about my neighbor and this song. She wrote back, saying she didn't know anyone with his distinctive name - and she never had the power to choose her songs. They gave her the lyrics and she dutifully sang them. Oh well - it was a nice story. I don't know if that song was a national hit, or just a regional hit?
And she was smart - she took the money from her career and went to college, becoming a child psychiatrist or psychologist? She understood the shelf life of a teen singer.

@SeaofMadness-lz6ig

46w

Tfs such a good story! You should share it with Annettes family! She passed from multiple sclerosis I think 2 years ago. Her hubby is a good man he was right there with her every step of the way 🌼 🌸 🌻 🌹 rip Annette!

@MsDisneylandlover

He was tall #DisneyDiva

@DannyCoombs709

3y↑2

I really wish the video wasn't stretched.

@user-bs2pq1qn8h

25w↑1

i have a cousin Annette

@susanwaites2482

Tall Bill

@abriana3121

Ricky Smiley 🤣

@jamesvasel8941

5y↑1

I'm a younger guy and recently ran across a beach movie of hers. What a natural beauty although I read she had a nose job she grew into a beautiful woman.

@MatchaCUB

4y↑1

See I always thought she got one, but my folks always refuted it. Glad I'm not alone on this. I don't know why she had it changed, she was cute as a button.

@shadowgirl8038

26w

So sad what Disney did to her and Paul Anka. Wasn't right.

@marcietorrence5361

Paul Anka ? I think they did this video with no rehearsal and one take!

@gertiegert7550

3y↑2

Was she dating Anka at this time?

@twilightblue8566

They were going steady. I do not know why they parted ways.

@harperstacey9604

52w

@@twilightblue8566 they parted ways because their careers took much of their time. From Ms. Harper Stacey.

@jamesvasel8941

5y↑9

I find the puppet footage somewhat disturbing.

@timothyball4906

4y↑2

Yeah me too, Annette is with a Dick, not with a Paul.

@princessdianasexplosivepet1524

What else is king sized?

@anthonyangrisano1639

3y↑1

Was Paul Anka Tall ?Think it be called short Paul

@Chris-tf2fx

@barbaraproctor-nw4te

1y↑1

Eow

@xoxb2

46w↑1

Surreal and horrifying song.

@metalmacabre9991

2y↑3

I was born in 78' all i can say is thanks Motown, and especially thanks to the British invasion. If music had stayed on this trajectory, with Annette, and Frankie Avalon, i dont know what rock N roll would have done.

@salianni16

It would have been better!

@SeaofMadness-lz6ig

46w

Can't get any better than the music groups of the 50s and 60s! The roots of rock n roll 🥁 🎶 🎵

@metalmacabre9991

42w

@@salianni16 hell no. Watered down bullshit is what this corny shit was.

@metalmacabre9991

42w↑1

@@SeaofMadness-lz6ig yes but not every one of them were good. This was corny watered down crap. The Beatles and the British invasion brought Rock n roll back to it's roots. This crap was like Britney spears of today created for teenagers, and money, nothing more.

@cremefrais

he looks like her dad

@cremefrais

pretty sure that's her dad wearing a letterman jacket

@bikhk7595

Lol

@alanwilson8407

3y↑1

@@bikhk7595 dude looked like a 50's perv, and make no mistake peeps, there were just as many out there then as now!

@bucksdiaryfan

4y↑2

Did girls really wear skirts that were that huge? Or did she raid the set of "Gone with the Wind"? Everyone my mom's age adores Annette, but even her biggest fans have to admit this is a horrible song. But RIP to the lead Mousketeer