Bengt Hallberg (born 13 September 1932) was one of Sweden's most influentia… Read Full Bio ↴Bengt Hallberg (born 13 September 1932) was one of Sweden's most influential jazz musicians. He studied classical piano from a very early age, and at 13 years old he wrote his first jazz arrangement. In 1949 he recorded with the Swedish alto saxophonist Arne Domnérus for the first time, an association which has continued. In the 1950s Hallberg played with leading visiting American players, including the trumpeter Clifford Brown and the tenor saxophonist Stan Getz and also Quincy Jones.[1][2]
Hallberg had a very versatile style and in his later years he has written music for film and television, as well as choir arrangements. He also played the accordion.

Dinah
Bengt Hallberg Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Carolina
Gave me Dinah;
I'm the proudest one
Beneath the Dixie sun.

News is spreadin'
'Bout our weddin';
I hear church bells ringin',

Here's the song my heart keeps singin':

Dinah,
Is there anyone finer
In the state of Carolina?
If there is and you know her,
Show her!

Dinah,
With her Dixie eyes blazin',
How I love to sit and gaze in
To the eyes of Dinah Lee!

Yet, every night,
My, how I shake with fright,
Because my Dinah might,
Change her mind about me!

But if Dinah,
Ever wandered to China,
I would hop an ocean liner,
Just to be with Dinah Lee!

Dinah,
Is there anyone finer
In the state of Carolina?
If there is and you know her,
Show her!

Dinah,
With her Dixie eyes blazin',
How I love to sit and gaze in
To the eyes of Dinah Lee!

Yet, every night,
My, how I shake with fright,
Because my Dinah might,
Change her mind about me!

But if Dinah,
Ever wandered to China,

I would hop an ocean!,
Just to be with Dinah Lee!

Overall Meaning

The song "Dinah" by Bengt Hallberg is an expression of love and devotion for the singer's beloved Carolina, who gave him Dinah. The lyrics reveal the singer's pride in being with Dinah, especially under the sun of Dixie. The news of their wedding has spread, and the church bells are ringing. The singer's heart is singing a song of love for Dinah, the finest woman in Carolina.

The chorus of the song expresses admiration for Dinah's beauty with her Dixie eyes blazing, and the singer loves to sit and gaze into her eyes. The singer is fearful of Dinah changing her mind about him every night, but he's willing to cross oceans to be with her. The lyrics convey a sense of optimism that Carolinas and Dinah's love will last, despite the singer's reservations about Dinah leaving him.

"Dinah" is a classic tune that originated from the 1920s. The song has been covered by many artists, including Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, and Fats Waller. The song was a hit for both Bing Crosby and Fats Waller and has since become a jazz standard. It was also featured in the 1931 film "Check and Double Check," starring Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll.

Line by Line Meaning

Carolina
The place where I was lucky to meet my love, Dinah.

Gave me Dinah;
It was in Carolina where I met the girl of my dreams, Dinah.

I'm the proudest one
I feel proud to be with Dinah and show her off to the world.

Beneath the Dixie sun.
The warmth of the sun in Dixie reminds me of Dinah's love for me.

News is spreadin'
People are talking about the upcoming wedding of Dinah and me.

'Bout our weddin';
The news is about the wedding that Dinah and I are planning.

I hear church bells ringin',
The sound of church bells reminds me of my upcoming wedding with Dinah.

Here's the song my heart keeps singin':
I can't help but sing this song in my heart because of my love for Dinah.

Dinah,
The love of my life, Dinah.

Is there anyone finer
There is no one more beautiful and special than Dinah.

In the state of Carolina?
I doubt there is anyone more beautiful in the whole state of Carolina.

If there is and you know her,
If you know someone more beautiful than Dinah, please introduce me to her.

Show her!
I'd like to see if there is anyone more beautiful than Dinah.

Dinah,
My love, Dinah.

With her Dixie eyes blazin',
Her eyes are so beautiful, they light up like fire, especially in Dixie.

How I love to sit and gaze in
I love to just sit quietly and look into Dinah's eyes.

To the eyes of Dinah Lee!
It's amazing to just look into the eyes of my love, Dinah.

Yet every night,
Even though I love Dinah so much, I still worry.

My, how I shake with fright,
I'm always so scared that Dinah might change her mind about me.

Because my Dinah might,
I'm always worried that maybe Dinah will find someone better than me.

Change her mind about me!
I'm scared that Dinah might stop loving me.

But if Dinah,
Even though I worry, I know I will always love Dinah.

Ever wandered to China,
Even if Dinah goes far away, like to China,

I would hop an ocean liner,
I would travel across the ocean to be with her again.

Just to be with Dinah Lee!
I would do anything to be with my love, Dinah.

Dinah,
My whole world, Dinah.

Is there anyone finer
I really don't think there is anyone more beautiful or special than Dinah.

In the state of Carolina?
I really don't think there is anyone more beautiful in the whole state of Carolina.

If there is and you know her,
If you know someone more beautiful than Dinah, please introduce me to her.

Show her!
I'd like to see if there is anyone more beautiful than Dinah.

Dinah,
My love, Dinah.

With her Dixie eyes blazin',
Her beautiful eyes that light up like fire, especially in Dixie.