Changing her name to Deanna Durbin at the commencement of her career, Durbin signed a contract with MGM in 1935 and made her first film appearance in a short subject Every Sunday with another contractee, Judy Garland.
Durbin was released from her contract shortly thereafter as studio executive Louis B. Mayer felt he did not need two young female singers under contract. Hollywood legend has recorded that he instructed his staff to "drop the fat one" and that they had dismissed Durbin, misunderstanding that Mayer had in fact intended to terminate the contract of Garland.
Durbin was quickly signed to a contract with Universal Studios and made her first feature-length film Three Smart Girls in 1936. The huge success of her films were reported to have saved the studio from bankruptcy. In 1938 she received a special Academy Juvenile Award, along with Mickey Rooney. Such was Durbin's international fame and popularity that she was mentioned in Anne Frank's diary as a personal favorite.
She married an actor, Vaughn Paul, in 1941 and they were divorced in 1943. Her second marriage, to producer Felix Jackson in 1945, produced a daughter, Jessica Louise Jackson, and ended in divorce in 1949. She also had an affair with Joseph Cotten, sixteen years her senior, which was publicized by Hedda Hopper, whose chair an understandably peeved Cotten kicked out from underneath her just as she was about to sit down at a Hollywood affair, to the applause of spectators.
By the mid 1940s Durbin had tried to assume a more sophisticated film persona in such films as the film noir Christmas Holiday (1944) and the whodunnit Lady on a Train (1945), but the public preferred her as the sweet and wholesome adolescent she had come to represent.
She retired from public life in 1950, after her marriage to Charles David, who had directed her in Lady On A Train. The couple moved to Paris, France, with Durbin vowing that she would never return to show business, and raised Durbin's second child, Peter David. Since then she has resisted all offers to perform and has refused to be interviewed, steadfastly asserting her right to privacy.
Her husband, Charles David, died in Paris on March 1, 1999.
Deanna Durbin has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1722 Vine Street.
[From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]
Home Sweet Home
Deanna Durbin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Far, far away
That's where my heart is turning ever
That's where the old folks stay
All up and down the whole creation,
Sadly I roam
Still longing for the old plantation
And for the old folks at home
[Chorus]
All the world is sad and dreary everywhere I roam
Oh Lordy, how my heart grows weary
Far from the old folks at home
All 'round the little farm I wandered,
When I was young
Then many happy days I squandered,
Many the songs I sung
When I was playing with my brother,
Happy was I
Oh, take me to my kind old mother,
There let me live and die
[Chorus]
One little hut among the bushes,
One that I love
Still sadly to my mem'ry rushes,
No matter where I rove
When shall I see the bees a humming,
All 'round the comb
When shall I hear the banjo strumming,
Down by my good old home
[Chorus]
The lyrics to Deanna Durbin's "Swanee River" are a nostalgic remembrance of a long-lost home, symbolized by the banks of the river. Durbin sings of her heart turning ever towards the place, where the old folks stay. She laments about her wandering, roaming through creation, without finding joy or contentment, and still longing for the place of her roots. The lyrics draw a picture of a young child wandering around the little farm in her childhood, spending her days playing with her brother and singing songs. She asks to be taken back to her kind old mother, where she can live and die in peace, surrounded by the familiar things she knows and loves.
Throughout the lyrics, the mood is one of sadness and weariness, as Durbin laments being far from the old folks and the happy memories of her youth. She asks when she will see and hear the familiar sounds of home again, like the bees humming and the banjo strumming. The chorus expresses Durbin's overarching feeling of sadness, as she feels like the whole world is sad and dreary compared to her lost home.
Overall, the lyrics of "Swanee River" evoke a sense of homesickness and longing for a familiar place, as the singer reflects on memories of the past and a longing to return home.
Line by Line Meaning
Way down upon the Swanee River,
The Swanee River is a distant place that the singer yearns for.
Far, far away
It's a long way from where the singer is now.
That's where my heart is turning ever
The Swanee River holds a special place in the singer's heart.
That's where the old folks stay
The singer's loved ones are still living on the Swanee River.
All up and down the whole creation,
Everywhere the singer travels, they feel lonely and homesick.
Sadly I roam
The singer is wandering aimlessly, feeling sad and lost without their home.
Still longing for the old plantation
The singer desperately misses their home and old way of life.
And for the old folks at home
The singer misses their family and friends who still live on the Swanee River.
All the world is sad and dreary everywhere I roam
No matter where the singer goes, everything seems dull and sad without their home.
Oh Lordy, how my heart grows weary
The singer is exhausted from the constant feeling of homesickness and longing for their home.
All 'round the little farm I wandered,
The singer fondly remembers their childhood on the farm.
When I was young
The singer is reminiscing about their youth.
Then many happy days I squandered,
The singer wishes they had appreciated and savored the happy moments more.
Many the songs I sung
The singer has many happy memories of singing and enjoying music.
When I was playing with my brother,
The singer misses the companionship and fun they shared with their sibling.
Happy was I
The singer was content and joyful in those moments.
Oh, take me to my kind old mother,
The singer misses their mother and wants to be reunited.
There let me live and die
The singer desires to spend the rest of their life living with their mother.
One little hut among the bushes,
The singer remembers their humble home and feels a strong emotional connection to it.
One that I love
The singer is deeply attached to their home and the memories they have there.
Still sadly to my mem'ry rushes,
The singer is constantly reminded of their home and the experiences they had there.
No matter where I rove
The singer still feels homesick, regardless of where they go.
When shall I see the bees a humming,
The singer misses the everyday sights and sounds of their home.
All 'round the comb
The singer misses the activity and vibrancy of their home.
When shall I hear the banjo strumming,
The singer longs to listen to the music they enjoyed and grew up with.
Down by my good old home
The singer wants to be close to their home and the people they love.
Lyrics © GUT STRING MUSIC , Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BAGDASARIAN, TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Susan
Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home
A charm from the skies seems to hallow us there
Which seek thro' the world, is ne'er met elsewhere
Home! Home!
Sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home
There's no place like home!
An exile from home splendor dazzles in vain
Oh give me my lowly thatched cottage again
The birds singing gaily that came at my call
And gave me the peace of mind dearer than all
Home, home, sweet, sweet home
There's no place like home, there's no place like home!
Masumi KUZUHARA
Mid pleasures and palaces,
Tho' we may roam;
Be it ever so humble,
There's no place like home;
A charm from the skies
Seems to hallow us there,
Which, seek through the world
Is ne'er met with elsewhere.
Home! Home! Sweet home!
There's no place like home!
Oh! there is no place like home!
ShintyShinto
Hard to believe such beautiful music was sang whilst the rest of the world layed at war… Of all the chaos and despair, one shining voice mends the soul but cannot stop war.
J. Bruce Fox
Sean Stanton Amen, great sentiments!
Khoa Vo
Once we're at it, it can't stop unemployment either.
Andrea Ronkin
Wow! Sentimental journey for me...recalling my mother playing the piano and my father singing along...tears streaming down my face. I'd heard Diana Durbin referred to as a movie star from before WWII - didn't know she could sing! Thank you!
Татьяна Алексеевна
Светлый ангел с голосом переливающимся как грани чистейшего бриллианта))
Tomoko Tomokkko
Алма глюк исполняет в 1911
Minseok Shin
I grew up in South Korea, and some primary/middle schools teach this song in music class. This song brings me memories from my younger self and my small hometown. Now I ended up in the other side of the planet(UK) but with this song, I feel a thin but strong connection from where I came from.
Trúc Nguyễn
Uk is the best of the world.
Mike Kelly
Deanna Durbin sings with God. Pure talent - nothing like among todays amatures.
garfieldandnaudia
Thank you so much for the complete song. I don't know of anyone who can sing Home Sweet Home any better than Deanna Durbin. Thanks again, Holly