Dory Previn (born Dorothy Veronica Langan on October 22, 1925; died Februar… Read Full Bio ↴Dory Previn (born Dorothy Veronica Langan on October 22, 1925; died February 14, 2012), was an American lyricist, singer-songwriter and poet. As a lyricist for motion picture theme songs during the 1960s and early 1970s, she worked on the soundtrack to the Valley of the Dolls. She and her first husband, André Previn, received several Academy Award nominations for their joint efforts in motion picture songwriting. She released six albums of original songs, and one live album, between 1970 and 1976. Her career continued into the 1980s, touring in Europe for the first time in the late 1970s, and again the 1980s, after overcoming her life-long fear of flying.

Recordings:
* Leprechauns Are Upon Me (1959 as Dory Langdon)
* On My Way to Where (1970) - United Artists
* Reflections in a Mud Puddle/Taps Tremors and Time Steps (1971) - United Artists
* Mythical Kings and Iguanas (1971) - United Artists
* Mary C. Brown and the Hollywood Sign (1972) - United Artists
* Dory Previn (1974) - Warner Bros
* We're Children of Coincidence and Harpo Marx (1976) - Warner Bros
* "Dory & Andre Previn (1983)
* "Planet Blue" - (2002)

King Kong
Dory Previn Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Once i roamed a handsome thing
In my natural place
Here i am repulsive
'cause i'm diff'rent from your race
Who decides who's ugly?
Who decides who's right?
I tell you
In my jungle

You would be a sorry sight
But we have never caged you

King kong came to our town
Tore our town apart
King kong put the fear of jesus
Into every heart

Wait says king
Wait i said i said
Even though i am dead i'm dead
Wait says king
Though i died i died
Hear hear hear hear hear
The other side
The other side

King kong came to our town
That's when we employed
Decent weapons of defense
And king kong was destroyed

Wait says king
You take someone
And put him in a cage
Then you shoot him down 'cause he
Retaliates with rage
With rage

King kong had no feelings
Had no christian thought
For the feelings of the folks
He captured and he caught

I captured those
Who captured me
I didn't want to die
You say i got no feelings
But you know
You know you lie
You know you lie

Once i roamed a handsome thing
In my natural place
Here i am repulsive
'cause i'm diff'rent from your race
Who decides who's ugly?
Who decides who's right?
I tell you
In my jungle
You would be a sorry sight
But we have never caged you
Nor have we put you on display
And when you kill me
With your rifle
Don't you know
Who it is you slay?

King kong came to our town
Tore our town apart
King king put the fear of jesus
Into every heart

Fear of god
Ain't what you hear
Pounding in your ear
Christ is dead
I am too
The one you fear fear fear
You fear is...

King kong came to our town
Tore our town apart
King kong pur the fear of jesus
Into every heart

The one you fear is....

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Dory Previn's song King Kong touches on themes of otherness, race, and discrimination. The singer begins by reflecting on their past life when they roamed freely in their natural habitat, while now, they are perceived as repulsive and different from the rest of society. The singer challenges the notion of who gets to decide what is considered ugly or right, asserting that the same society that is judging them would appear as a sorry sight in their jungle. The references to the jungle and the singer's comparison to society suggest a metaphor for the marginalization of individuals who are viewed as outsiders.

The second half of the song takes a turn when it introduces King Kong, who represents the singer, a misunderstood and mistreated creature. King Kong's story is a familiar one: he arrives in society and is viewed as a threat, causing destruction and chaos. However, unlike the original story, King Kong did not originate as a threat but faced antagonism for just being who he is. The line "fear of god ain't what you hear pounding in your ear" reveals that the singer believes there is a misplaced fear of people who are different instead of a genuine fear of divine presence.

King Kong's last words, "the one you fear is," leave the song open-ended, allowing the listener to fill in the blank with whomever or whatever they fear the most. This message implies that society's fear comes from a place of ignorance and sometimes leads to the destruction of what we do not understand. The song's ending forces us to question our own fears and biases and the judgments we impose on others.

Line by Line Meaning

Once I roamed a handsome thing
I used to be respected and admired for my natural qualities

In my natural place
In the environment where I belong

Here I am repulsive
People consider me unattractive or unpleasant

'cause I'm different from your race
Because I don't belong to the same group as you do

Who decides who's ugly?
Who has the authority to determine what is beautiful or not?

Who decides who's right?
Who determines what is correct or true?

I tell you
Believe me when I say that

In my jungle
In the place where I am from and belong to

You would be a sorry sight
You would look pitiful or incompetent

But we have never caged you
Even though we are different, we have not tried to control or limit your freedom

King Kong came to our town
A powerful and misunderstood entity arrived in our community

Tore our town apart
Caused destruction and chaos

King Kong put the fear of Jesus into every heart
Filled everyone with fear and panic

Wait says King
King Kong objects and demands to be heard

Wait I said I said / Even though I am dead I'm dead
Listen to me even though I'm no longer here, my message is still important

Hear hear hear hear hear / The other side
Pay attention to what I have to say, about the perspective or experience you may not know

You take someone / And put him in a cage
When you try to control or limit someone's freedom

Then you shoot him down 'cause he / Retaliates with rage
And then use aggression to justify your actions

King Kong had no feelings / Had no Christian thought / For the feelings of the folks / He captured and he caught
People saw King Kong as a mindless beast with no moral or emotional values, and ignored his own pain and suffering

I captured those / Who captured me
King Kong turned the tables and took revenge on those who imprisoned and hurt him

I didn't want to die / You say I got no feelings / But you know / You know you lie
I do care about my own life and I am not just an emotionless monster, even though you refuse to acknowledge it

Nor have we put you on display
Just like how humans should not be treated like exhibits or trophies

And when you kill me / With your rifle / Don't you know / Who it is you slay?
When humans use deadly force to control those who are different, they are also destroying a unique and valuable life form

Fear of god / Ain't what you hear / Pounding in your ear
The primal fear that grips people when they face the unknown or unfamiliar

Christ is dead / I am too / The one you fear fear fear / You fear is...
The powerful being that people are afraid of is actually not god, but their own racial or emotional biases

Contributed by Layla I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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