William Edward "Billy" Cotton (6 May 1899 – 25 March 1969) was an English b… Read Full Bio ↴William Edward "Billy" Cotton (6 May 1899 – 25 March 1969) was an English band leader and entertainer, one of the few whose orchestras survived the British dance band era. Cotton is now mainly remembered as a 1950s and 1960s radio and television personality, but his musical career had begun in the 1920s. In his younger years Billy Cotton was also an amateur footballer (soccer player) for Brentford F.C. (and later, for the then Athenian league club Wimbledon F.C.), an accomplished racing driver and the owner of a Gipsy Moth, which he piloted himself. His autobiography, I Did It My Way, was published in 1970, a year after his death.

Dinah
Billy Cotton Lyrics

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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 begins with the singer expressing how proud he is to have Dinah in his life. He credits Carolina for bringing her into his life and being the happiest man beneath the Dixie sun. He talks about how news of their wedding is spreading and how he can hear the church bells ringing. Despite the happy news, the singer is still worried about losing Dinah. He talks about how he shakes with fright every night at the thought of Dinah changing her mind about him. He then professes his love for Dinah and how he loves to sit and gaze into her eyes.

The chorus repeats itself twice and showcases the singer's admiration for Dinah. He asks if there is anyone finer than her in the state of Carolina and encourages anyone who knows someone better to show him. He then praises her Dixie eyes and how he loves to gaze into them. The song ends with the singer vowing to hop an ocean liner just to be with Dinah if she ever wandered to China.

Line by Line Meaning

Carolina
The state where Billy met Dinah.

Gave me Dinah;
Billy met Dinah while he was in Carolina and fell in love with her.

I'm the proudest one Beneath the Dixie sun.
Billy feels proud to have Dinah in his life and considers himself lucky to have found her in Dixie.

News is spreadin' 'Bout our weddin'; I hear church bells ringin', Here's the song my heart keeps singin':
The news about their wedding is spreading and Billy hears church bells ringing which makes him happy and excited to express his love for Dinah through his song.

Dinah, Is there anyone finer In the state of Carolina? If there is and you know her, Show her!
Billy considers Dinah to be the finest woman in the state and invites anyone who knows someone better than her to introduce him to her.

Dinah, With her Dixie eyes blazin', How I love to sit and gaze in To the eyes of Dinah Lee!
Billy is mesmerized by Dinah's beautiful eyes and could sit and gaze at them forever.

Yet, every night, My, how I shake with fright, Because my Dinah might, Change her mind about me!
Despite loving Dinah deeply, Billy fears that she might change her mind about their relationship and leave him, causing him to shake with fright every night.

But if Dinah, Ever wandered to China, I would hop an ocean liner, Just to be with Dinah Lee!
Billy loves Dinah so much that he would travel to the ends of the earth, even to China, just to be with her.

Dinah, Is there anyone finer In the state of Carolina? If there is and you know her, Show her!
Billy repeats his admiration for Dinah and invites anyone who knows someone better to introduce him to her.

Dinah, With her Dixie eyes blazin', How I love to sit and gaze in To the eyes of Dinah Lee!
Billy repeats his love for Dinah's eyes and how he could sit and gaze at them forever.

Yet, every night, My, how I shake with fright, Because my Dinah might, Change her mind about me!
Billy repeats his fear of losing Dinah every night and how it shakes him with fright.

But if Dinah, Ever wandered to China, I would hop an ocean!, Just to be with Dinah Lee!
Billy ends his song with a repetition of his love for Dinah, vowing to travel to the ends of the earth just to be with her if necessary.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Cloud9, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Akst, Samuel M. Lewis, Joseph Young

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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