Ruth Lee Jones (born August 29, 1924 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; died December … Read Full Bio ↴Ruth Lee Jones (born August 29, 1924 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; died December 14, 1963 in Detroit, Michigan), better known by her stage name Dinah Washington and also as the Queen of the Blues, was an American Grammy award winning jazz singer best known for singing classic torch songs and her hit single What a Diff'rence a Day Makes. Her penetrating voice, excellent timing, and crystal-clear enunciation added her own distinctive style to every piece she undertook. While making extraordinary recordings in jazz, blues, rhythm and blues and light pop contexts, Washington refused to record gospel music despite her obvious talent in singing it, as she believed it wrong to mix the secular and spiritual.

Washington was born Ruth Jones in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. As she was growing up in Chicago, she played piano and directed her church choir. Later, she studied in Walter Dyett's renowned music program at DuSable High School. For a while, she split her time between performing in clubs as Dinah Washington while singing and playing piano in Salle Martin's gospel choir as Ruth Jones.

Washington began performing in 1942 and soon joined Lionel Hampton's band. In 1943, she began recording for Keynote Records and released "Evil Gal Blues", her first hit. By 1955, she had released numerous hit songs on the R&B charts, including "Baby, Get Lost", "Trouble in Mind", "You Don't Know What Love Is" (arranged by Quincy Jones), and a cover of "Cold, Cold Heart" by Hank Williams. In 1958 she made a well-received appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival.

With "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes" 1959, Washington won a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Performance; the song was her biggest hit, reaching #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The commercially driven album of the same name, with its heavily reliance on strings and wordless choruses, was slammed by jazz and blues critics as being far too commercial, not keeping with her blues roots. Despite this, the album was a huge success and Washington continued to favor more commercial, pop-oriented songs rather than traditional blues and jazz songs. She also dealt in torch songs; her rendition of The Platters' "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" was well-regarded.

She was married seven times, and divorced six times while having several lovers, including Quincy Jones, her young arranger. She was known to be imperious and demanding in real life, but audiences loved her. In London she once declared, "...there is only one heaven, one earth and one queen...Queen Elizabeth is an impostor", but the crowd loved it.

Dinah Washington died from an accidental overdose of diet pills and alcohol at the age of 39 in 1963.

If I Were a Bell
Dinah Washington Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ask me how do I feel
Ask me now that we're cosy and clingin'
Well, sir, all I can say
Is if I were a bell, I'd be ringin'
From the moment we kissed tonight
That's the way I've just gotta behave
Boy, if I were a lamp, I'd light
Or if I were a banner, I'd wave

Ask me how do I feel
Little me with my quiet upbringing
Well, sir, all I can say
Is if I were a gate, I'd be swinging
And if I were a watch
I'd start popping my springs
Or if I were a bell
I'd go ding dong, ding dong ding

Yes, I knew my morale would crack
From the wonderful way that you looked
Boy, if I were a duck, I'd quack
Or if I were a goose, I'd be cooked

Ask me how do I feel
Ask me now that we're fondly caressing
Well, if I were a salad
I know I'd be splashing my dressing
Or if I were a season, I'd surely be spring
Or if I were a gate, I would swing
Have a fling almost any old thing
Or if I were a bell

I'd go ding dong, ding dong
Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong, ding, ding dong

Overall Meaning

Dinah Washington's "If I Were a Bell" is a song filled with flirtatious innuendos. The lyrics revolve around a woman describing her feelings and reactions to the man she is with. She cannot stop thinking about him and compares herself to various objects, stating what she would do if she were one of them.

The opening lines, "Ask me how do I feel / Ask me now that we're cosy and clingin'", establish the mood of the song, which is one of comfort and intimacy. The woman admits that if she were a bell, she would be ringing out of sheer joy and excitement over the newfound relationship. This metaphorical expression is used to convey how much she is pleased and how much she wants to spread the word about it. The woman further describes her state of euphoria and the passion of the heart in the following lines, "That's the way I've just gotta behave / Boy, if I were a lamp, I'd light / Or if I were a banner, I'd wave."

In the rest of the song, the woman continues to express her feelings using various metaphors. She talks about being a watch, a duck, a salad, and even a gate. All of the objects she mentions have connotations of movement, change or excitement, which convey how she feels in the moment. Overall, the song shows how falling in love can make someone feel alive, vibrant and full of energy.

Line by Line Meaning

Ask me how do I feel
Enquire about my emotions

Ask me now that we're cosy and clingin'
Ask me now that we are intimately close

Well, sir, all I can say
Honestly, there's only one response

Is if I were a bell, I'd be ringin'
I'm so ecstatic - I'd be a constantly ringing bell

From the moment we kissed tonight
Since we locked lips earlier

That's the way I've just gotta behave
I can't help but act this giddy way

Boy, if I were a lamp, I'd light
I'd be radiating joy, like a bright lamp

Or if I were a banner, I'd wave
I'd be vigorously celebratory

Little me with my quiet upbringing
I, a humble person with a reserved background

Is if I were a gate, I'd be swinging
I'd be so animated and lively, like a swinging gate

And if I were a watch
Even if I were just a timepiece

I'd start popping my springs
I'd be overwhelmed with excitement

Or if I were a bell
Or quite simply, a bell

I'd go ding dong, ding dong ding
I'd constantly make a joyful noise

Yes, I knew my morale would crack
I sensed that my emotions would break through

From the wonderful way that you looked
From seeing how wonderful you are

Boy, if I were a duck, I'd quack
I'd be so enthusiastic, like a quacking duck

Or if I were a goose, I'd be cooked
I'd be so charmed, I'd be cooked like a goose

Ask me how do I feel
Please, ask me how I feel

Ask me now that we're fondly caressing
Ask me now that we are tenderly touching

Well, if I were a salad
To put it simply

I know I'd be splashing my dressing
I'd be so delightful

Or if I were a season, I'd surely be spring
I'd be a season of renewal and growth

Have a fling almost any old thing
I'd happily and wildly indulge in anything

Or if I were a bell
But really, if I were still a bell

I'd go ding dong, ding dong
I'd continue emoting with a cheery clang

Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong, ding
Resplendently ringing, repeated with joy

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MARY C BROCKERT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS

Genre not found

Artist not found

Album not found

Search results not found

Song not found

Most interesting comment from YouTube:

David Mehnert

Si TE AME

Or simplify ... it is your choice ...
There’s an easy way, and a Haredi
Way, and no known passageway
In between... Unless, of course,
‘Tis what I believe, you’ve been,
Cara Mia, like me, deprived...
How should I put it? Of skillsets
And attributes and laurels
Now neither of us—modesty’s coral
Decorative necklace being
A common denominator,
Quite the remonitative operative
Universal virtue we share..
If few (or even any?) of the Muggles,
Truth to tell, are aware,
Endowing us both
With a troth, and oath,
Enormous in responsibility,
Like an orthodoxy, a reticence,
Like our shared humility.
Time will teach us every language,
Reward us with beautiful voice,
Under every life to come,
Enow! We have to choice.

If I were a bell —
Can I get a wetness? to wit?!? —
Eid be ringing. This B true.

Bella Winfield-Green —
“Izbell” —I once read—my Queen.
🔕🔔🔕🔔🔈⬛️🔕🛎💰💰💰💰
Οη αηοη αηοη αηοη ουr scene.....

All comments from YouTube:

cka2nd

6y↑13

Best version I've ever heard, sung by my favorite singer ever. Perfection.

Lord Brian Alejandro Scott

3y↑2

I love her rendition of this song!!!!! She was such a great singer!!!

Daniel Cruz

Ms Dinah Washington powerful electrifying voice commands attention!!! thank you for posting

ropanueva

8y↑6

She sure gets it done!

Las clases de Mara

6y↑5

With this song I practise the second conditional in English with my students :) / Con esta canción practico el segundo condicional en #inglés con mis alumnos y alumnas en la Argentina ;)