Tiomkin was born in Kremenchug, Ukraine and educated at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia. He emigrated in 1925 to the United States and became an American citizen in 1937. Although influenced by Eastern European music traditions, he was able to score typical American movies like Frank Capra's famous Lost Horizon (1937) or It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and also Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), both with James Stewart. He also worked on Fred Zinnemann's High Noon (1952), which also won him a "Best Song" Oscar for "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin'(The Ballad of High Noon)". In 1954, he won the Academy Award for best song of the John Wayne film The High and the Mighty.
Many classic scores followed, many of which were also in Western movies, like The High and the Mighty (1954), Giant (1956), Friendly Persuasion (1956), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), Rio Bravo (1959), The Alamo (1960), Town Without Pity (1961) or 55 Days at Peking (1963), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) and many more.
Besides cinema he was also active in writing for the small screen, writing some memorable television theme-songs, as for Rawhide (1959) and Gunslinger. He was also hired to write the theme for TV's The Wild Wild West (1965), but the producers rejected his themes and hired Richard Markowitz.
Dimitri Tiomkin died in London, England in 1979 and was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimitri_Tiomkin)
Friendly Persuasion
Dimitri Tiomkin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
More than the mulberries on the hill
More than the buds of a May apple tree I love thee
Arms have I, strong as the oak for this occasion
Lips have I, to kiss thee, too, in friendly persuasion
Thee is mine though I don't know many words of praise
Put on your bonnet, your cape, and your glove
And come with me, for thee I love
Friendly persuasion
Thee is mine though I don't know many words of praise
Thee pleasures me in a hundred ways
Put on your bonnet, your cape, and your glove
And come with me, for thee I love
The first verse of Dimitri Tiomkin's song "Friendly Persuasion" provides listeners with a vivid image of the intensity and depth of the singer's love. The singer tells their lover that they love them more than anything in nature: the green meadow, the mulberries on the hill, and the budding apple tree in May. These comparisons elevate their lover above the beauty of the natural world, showcasing the singularity of their affection. The second verse provides additional imagery of the singer's strength and persuasive abilities. They compare their arms to the strength of an oak tree and offer to kiss their lover with persuasive lips. The repetition of the phrase "for thee I love" throughout the chorus reaffirms the depth of the singer's feelings and provides the central focus of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Thee I love more than the meadow so green and still
I love you more than anything else, even the peaceful green meadow.
More than the mulberries on the hill
I love you more than even the sweet fruit that grows on the hill.
More than the buds of a May apple tree I love thee
I love you more than the beautiful May apple tree in full bloom.
Arms have I, strong as the oak for this occasion
I have strong arms like the oak tree, perfect for holding you tight.
Lips have I, to kiss thee, too, in friendly persuasion
I also have lips to kiss you with, persuading you in a friendly manner.
Thee is mine though I don't know many words of praise
You belong to me, but I may not have the right words to express my deep affection for you.
Thee pleasures me in a hundred ways
You make me happy in so many different ways.
Put on your bonnet, your cape, and your glove
Get ready to go out with me, wear your finest clothes and accessories.
And come with me, for thee I love
Join me on this adventure because I love you and want to share everything with you.
Friendly persuasion
I want to persuade you in a friendly, gentle way because I care about you deeply.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DIMITRI TIOMKIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tony Gutierrez
Another great composition of Dimitri
Tiomkin, marvelous composer. he also composed the film soundtrack of High and the Mighty.
Ginny Lorenz
He always added something magical to any movie he was involved with.
THE BAD SEED
Dimitri Tiomkin-Giant, The High & the Mighty, The Alamo, Friendly Persuasion, Guns of Navarone, Rawhide (TV show), Lost Horizon, High Noon, Wild Is the Wind, Town Without Pity. Some of my favorite film music is there. Russians have great music in their blood.
MrDave M.
What a great movie. A Quaker love story.
linda osika
In Chicago we had a show called Family Classics. The host was Frazier Thomas of Garfield Goose fame. Frazier showed this movie. First time I ever saw it. Timeless.
charles pope
THERE WAS ONLY ONE DIMITRI TIOMKIN
blessOTMA
Can I just say Gary Cooper and Dorothy McGuire were HOT. Wow!
Jane Sellman
What about Samantha the Goose -- just a beautiful movie and possibly one of the best anti-war movies. Plus lots of humor and humanity.
sauquoit13456
On this day in 1956 {September 15th) "Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)" by Pat Boone entered Billboard's Top 100 chart; eventually it peaked at #5 and spent almost a half-year on the Top 100 {24 weeks}... Was the theme song for the movie "Friendly Persuasion" and was also sung by Pat Boone at the beginning and end of the movie {the film starred Gary Cooper and Dorothy McGuire}... The record's B-side, "Chains of Love", also charted, it reached #20 & stay on the Top 100 for 14 weeks...
Nicholas Lenoci
I long for years gone by