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.
Wishing Well
Dinah Washington Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Underneath the sycamore tree
Cupid by the hour sends valentines
To my sweet lover and me
Slowly but surely
Your appetite is more than I knew
Sweetly, softly
Wish me love a wishing well to kiss and tell
A wishing well of butterfly tear
Wish me love a wishing well to kiss and tell
A wishing well of crocodile tears. SING!
Hugging like a monkey see, monkey do
Right beside a riverboat gambler
Erotic images float through my head
Say I wanna be your midnight rambler
Quickly but quickly
The blood races through my veins
Quickly, loudly
I wanna hear those sugar bells ring
Wish me love a wishing well to kiss and tell
A wishing well of butterfly tears
Wish me love a wishing well to kiss and tell
A wishing well of crocodile cheers
Wish me love a wishing well to kiss and tell
A wishing well of butterfly tears, come on
Wish me love a wishing well to kiss and tell
A wishing well of crocodile cheers
I feel like going on
I feel like going on
Come on, come on
Erotic images float through my head
Your midnight rambler, baby
Take it
For you anywhere
I don't know I don't care
But all those years
I wanna be your midnight rambler, baby
The song "Wishing Well" by Dinah Washington is a love song that paints a colorful picture of two lovers stealing kisses and enjoying each other's company under the shade of a sycamore tree. The song is about being in love and enjoying the moment and the thrill that comes with it. Dinah is singing about how her lover makes her feel, describing the intensity of their attraction, and how she wishes it could last forever.
The first stanza describes the scene of two lovers stealing kisses like bandits under the sycamore tree. Cupid by the hour sends them valentines, and they are in a world of their own, detached from the world around them. The second stanza describes how their loving has developed over time, with the passion increasing as they learn more about each other, and the sheer joy that comes with the experience.
The chorus emphasizes how much Dinah wishes to keep this love and how she hopes to always have it in her life. It speaks of the vulnerability of love and how it can bring both happiness and sadness. The stanza with "erotic images floating through my head" conveys Dinah's desire and longing for her lover. In essence, the entire song is about the intense feelings, emotions, and desires that come with being in love and how it can only be a moment in time.
Line by Line Meaning
Kissing like a bandit stealing time
We are embracing passionately, sneaking a moment of love, feeling as if we are stealing it.
Underneath the sycamore tree
Our stolen kiss is happening under the shelter of the leaves of a sycamore tree.
Cupid by the hour sends valentines
Love is in the air and the idea of Cupid working tirelessly sends valentines to everyone who is in love.
To my sweet lover and me
The valentines are also sent to the two of us who are deeply in love with each other.
Slowly but surely
Our bond is deepening gradually and steadily.
Your appetite is more than I knew
You are more interested in me than I thought you would be.
Sweetly, softly
Your actions are gentle and loving.
I'm falling in love with you
I am gradually becoming deeply attached to you.
Wish me love a wishing well to kiss and tell
I wish for love to be granted to me when I share and speak about my experiences and feelings.
A wishing well of butterfly tear
I wish for emotional experiences filled with sensitivity and emotional richness.
Wish me love a wishing well to kiss and tell
Again, I wish for love to be granted to me as I speak and share about my emotions.
A wishing well of crocodile tears. SING!
I also wish to be granted the ability to express fake emotions when needed.
Hugging like a monkey see, monkey do
We are hugging each other as if we are imitating the behavior of monkeys.
Right beside a riverboat gambler
We are embracing each other next to someone who is playing a game of chance on a riverboat.
Erotic images float through my head
My mind is filled with intimate, sensual, sexually suggestive images of us together.
Say I wanna be your midnight rambler
I want to be your companion, your lover, or your intimate partner at midnight and all other times.
Quickly but quickly
My heart races as my love for you increases.
The blood races through my veins
I feel a burst of energy and excitement fill me.
Quickly, loudly
My heart beats fast, and I want to hear the sound of the sugar bells ringing loud and clear.
Wish me love a wishing well to kiss and tell
Again, I wish for love to be granted to me when I share and speak about our relationship.
A wishing well of butterfly tears
I hope for our emotional experiences to be rich and filled with love and tenderness.
Wish me love a wishing well to kiss and tell
Once more, I wish for love to be granted to me when I express myself truthfully and candidly about our relationship.
A wishing well of crocodile cheers
In addition, I wish to be granted the ability to express fake love and support when needed.
I feel like going on
Despite the ups and downs of our relationship, I feel like continuing our journey together.
Come on, come on
Let's hold on to our love and not let go.
Your midnight rambler, baby
I want to be the lover who fulfills all of your intimate desires and fantasies, especially at midnight.
Take it for you anywhere
I am willing to go anywhere with you, emotionally and physically.
I don't know I don't care
I am not concerned about what happens to us or where we will end up; I trust you and our love.
But all those years
Despite the doubts and fears we have endured, I still have the hope and dreams I envisioned for our love when it began.
I wanna be your midnight rambler, baby
Again, I want to be the companion, the lover, the intimate partner who fulfills all of your sexual and emotional desires and yearnings, especially at midnight.
Writer(s): Leroy Kirkland, Mamie Thomas
Contributed by Adrian M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.