In 1952 she married juggler Erik van Aro (Gerd Eric Horst Scholz). He recognized her talent and accompanied her in her initial years of worldwide success, although they later divorced. In 1953, she made her first recordings with Kurt Edelhagen. Soon afterwards she achieved great success with songs like "Malagueña", "The Breeze and I", and "Dreh dich nicht um" with the Werner Müller orchestra. In 1955 she was featured on the "Colgate Comedy Hour" with Gordon MacRae. Between 1966 and 1972 she was a frequent guest on the Dean Martin Show. In 1972, she married the British pianist Roy Budd; they had a son, Alexander, but they divorced in 1979.
In Germany she was a major performer of Schlager music. There she recorded Cole Porter's "I love Paris" i.e. "Ganz Paris träumt von der Liebe", which sold more than 500,000 copies in (1954.) Like in other countries where she was popular, some in Germany mistakenly consider her a German singer.
Over the years, she has recorded or performed with many international stars, including Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Woody Herman, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Buddy Rich, Sy Oliver, Claus Ogerman, and Chet Baker.
In 2001, she released a new album Girltalk with harpist Catherine Michel. She is also the mother of singer Eric van Aro, Jr.
Ol' Man River
Caterina Valente Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dat's de ol' man dat I'd like to be
What does he care if de world's got troubles
What does he care if de land ain't free
Ol' man river, dat ol' man river
He mus' know sumpin', but don't say nuthin'
He jes' keeps rollin'
He don' plant taters, he don't plant cotton
An' dem dat plants' em is soon forgotten
But ol'man river
He jes' keeps rollin' along
You an' me, we sweat an' strain
Body all achin' an' wracked wid pain,
Tote dat barge! Lif' dat bale!
Git a little drunk an' you lands in jail
Ah gits weary an' sick of tryin'
Ah'm tired of livin' an' skeered of dyin'
But ol' man river
He jes' keeps rolling' along
Niggers all work on de Mississippi**
Niggers all work while de white folks play**
Pullin' dose boats from de dawn to sunset
Gittin' no rest till de judgement day
(Don't look up an' don't look down)
(You don' dar'st make de white boss frown)
(Bend your knees an' bow your head)
(An' pull dat rope until you're dead)
Let me go 'way from the Mississippi
Let me go 'way from de white man boss
Show me dat stream called de river Jordan
Dat's de ol' stream dat I long to cross
(Ol' man river, dat ol' man river)
(He mus' know sumpin', but don't say nothin')
(He just keeps rollin')
(He keeps on rollin' along)
Long, low river
Forever keeps rollin'
(Don' plant taters, he don' plant cotton)
(And dem dat plants' em is soon forgotten)
(But ol' man river
(He jes' keeps rollin' along)
Long low river
Keeps singin' dis song
You an' me, we sweat an' strain
Body all achin' and wracked wid pain
Tote dat barge! Lift dat bale!
Git a little drunk and ya lands in jail
Ah gits weary an' sick o' tryin'
Ah'm tired o livin' an' skeered o' dyin'
But ol' man river
He jes' keeps rollin' along!
The lyrics to "Ol' Man River" speak to the plight of African American workers in the early 20th century working on the Mississippi River, enduring a life of hardship and discrimination. The song imagines the river itself as an observer of the world's troubles, watching and rolling endlessly along without a care. Valente's rendition of the song is mournful and melancholy, fitting for such a tragic history.
The song touches on themes of human suffering and endurance, as the singer compares the struggles of the workers to the perpetually rolling river. The line "What does he care if the land ain't free" is particularly poignant, as it speaks to the sense of apathy and hopelessness that must have been felt by generations of African Americans who worked on the river under near-slavery conditions. The song's final lines, which imagine the singer longing to escape to the "river Jordan", suggest a desire for spiritual redemption and freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
Dere's an ol' man called de Mississippi
There's an old river called the Mississippi
Dat's de ol' man dat I'd like to be
That's the old river that I'd like to be
What does he care if de world's got troubles
What does the river care if the world has troubles?
What does he care if de land ain't free
What does the river care if the land isn't free?
Ol' man river, dat ol' man river
Old man river, that old man river
He mus' know sumpin', but don't say nuthin'
He must know something, but doesn't say anything
He jes' keeps rollin'
He just keeps rolling
He keeps on rollin' along
He just keeps rolling along
He don' plant taters, he don't plant cotton
He doesn't plant potatoes or cotton
An' dem dat plants' em is soon forgotten
And those who plant them are soon forgotten
But ol'man river
But old man river
He jes' keeps rollin' along
He just keeps on rolling along
You an' me, we sweat an' strain
You and me, we work hard
Body all achin' an' wracked wid pain
Our bodies ache and pain us
Tote dat barge! Lif' dat bale!
Carry that barge and lift that bale!
Git a little drunk an' you lands in jail
If you get a little drunk, you'll land in jail
Ah gits weary an' sick of tryin'
I get tired and sick of trying
Ah'm tired of livin' an' skeered of dyin'
I'm tired of living and scared of dying
Niggers all work on de Mississippi**
Black people all work on the Mississippi river
Niggers all work while de white folks play**
Black people work while white people play
Pullin' dose boats from de dawn to sunset
Pulling those boats from dawn to sunset
Gittin' no rest till de judgement day
Getting no rest until the judgment day
(Don't look up an' don't look down)
(Don't look up and don't look down)
(You don' dar'st make de white boss frown)
(You dare not make the white boss frown)
(Bend your knees an' bow your head)
(Bend your knees and bow your head)
(An' pull dat rope until you're dead)
(And pull that rope until you're dead)
Let me go 'way from the Mississippi
Let me go away from the Mississippi
Let me go 'way from de white man boss
Let me go away from the white man boss
Show me dat stream called de river Jordan
Show me that stream called the river Jordan
Dat's de ol' stream dat I long to cross
That's the old stream that I long to cross
(Ol' man river, dat ol' man river)
(Old man river, that old man river)
(He mus' know sumpin', but don't say nothin')
(He must know something, but doesn't say anything)
(He just keeps rollin')
(He just keeps rolling)
(He keeps on rollin' along)
(He just keeps rolling along)
Long, low river
The long, low river
Forever keeps rollin'
Forever keeps rolling
Long low river
The long, low river
Keeps singin' dis song
Keeps singing this song
You an' me, we sweat an' strain
You and me, we work hard
Body all achin' and wracked wid pain
Our bodies ache and pain us
Tote dat barge! Lift dat bale!
Carry that barge and lift that bale!
Git a little drunk and ya lands in jail
If you get a little drunk, you'll land in jail
Ah gits weary an' sick o' tryin'
I get tired and sick of trying
Ah'm tired o livin' an' skeered o' dyin'
I'm tired of living and scared of dying
But ol' man river
But old man river
He jes' keeps rollin' along!
He just keeps on rolling along!
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Jerome Kern, Oscar Ii Hammerstein
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
JDizzlePowah
This song has no business going that hard on the intro 😂👏
Elvis Sorna
Is this really a recording from 1968? What a genius piece of music and so incredibly well produced for its time. I'm beyond hooked.
Catval09
Unique et fantastique !
crazycutz
Nice and sample worthy - shadow did it right - but there is way more to like on this track then the first 5 seconds. thank heavens.
Yahir Vargas
Witch is the song of DJ Shadow?
Funkstantinople
@Yahir Vargas "Nobody Speak"
Yahir Vargas
@Funkstantinople thank you!
Samual Colgan
How is this not more popular
Xero Punt
This is digestable music.
Londale Carter
That bridge tho!!! DJ Shadow is a sound researcher!!!