Uska Dara
Eartha Kitt Lyrics


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Üsküdar'a gider iken aldi da bir yagmur 2x
Kâtibimin setresi uzun, etegi çamur 2x
Kâtip uykudan uyanmis, gözleri mahmur 2x
Kâtip benim, ben kâtibin, ele karisir?
Kâtibime siter eter faltu ne güzel yarasir

Uskadara is a little town in Turkey
And in the old days, many women had male secretaries
Oh, well, that's Turkey!

Üsküdar'a gider iken bir mendil buldum 2x
Mendilimin içine lokum doldurdum 2x

They take a trip from Uskudara in the rain
And on the way they fall in love
He's wearing a stiff collar
In a full dress suit
She looks at him longingly through her veil
And casually feeds him candy
Oh, those Turks !

Kâtibimi arar iken yanimda buldum 2x
Kâtip benim, ben kâtibin, el ne karisir?
Kâtibime kolali da gömlek ne güzel yarasir

Kâtibimi arar iken yanimda buldum 2x




Kâtip benim, ben kâtibin, el ne karisir?
Kâtibime kolali da gömlek ne güzel yarasir 2x

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Eartha Kitt's song "Uska Dara" revolve around a narrator's trip to Uskudar, a small town in Turkey, and their relationship with their secretary, or "kâtib." The singer describes a rainy day where they confront their secretary, who had fallen asleep on the journey, and question the appropriateness of their relationship. However, the tone of the lyrics shifts to focus on their attraction towards each other, as the singer feeds the kâtib candy and adorns them with a "kolali da gömlek" (a collared shirt). Throughout the song, the singer refers to the Turkish traditions and customs, such as the idea of taking a trip to Uskudar, the presence of male secretaries for women, and the clothing customs.


The lyrics of "Uska Dara" hold a sense of cultural commentary, shedding light on the traditional customs of Turkey. The song showcases the Turkish tradition of taking a trip to Uskudar and the complexities of interoffice relationships in a culture where male secretaries were commonplace. Through the lyrics, we can observe that the cultural norms and customs of Turkey often clashed with Western views of relationships and gender roles. Additionally, the lyrics symbolized a moment in time where East and West culture collides, amplifying notions of tradition, customs, and tension between different worldviews.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: STELLA LEE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@quran-kuran7965

@@tolgahk84 You are wrong man.
Kitt perorms the song in the orginal speaking in 1900's.
She got loyalty the old style of the song.

Such as karuşur, not karışır.
See the orginal song:

Note: the fasıla of the osng is mainly "u" or "yu" sounds .

Üsküdar'a gider iken aldu da bir yağmur
Üsküdar'a gider iken aldu da bir yağmur
Kâtibimin setresi uzun, eteği çamur.
Kâtibimin setresi uzun, eteği çamur.

Katip uykudan uyanmuş gözleri mahmur,
Katip uykudan uyanmuş gözleri mahmur,
Kâtip benim ben kâtibin el ne karuşur
Kâtibime setrede pantol ne güzel yaraşur

Kâtip benim ben kâtibin el ne karışır,
Kâtibime kolalı da gömlek ne güzel yaraşur.

Üsküdar'a gider iken bir mendil buldum,
Üsküdar'a gider iken bir mendil buldum,
Mendilin içine lokum doldurdum.
Mendilin içine lokum doldurdum.

Kâtibimi arar iken yanımda buldum.
Kâtibimi arar iken yanımda buldum.
Kâtip benim ben kâtibin el ne karışur,
Kâtibime kokulu da gömlek ne güzel yaraşur.
Kâtip benim ben kâtibin el ne karuşur,
Kâtibime kokulu da gömlek ne güzel yaraşur



All comments from YouTube:

@QtvNOW

This is a level of professionalism and creativity that you just don't see anymore.

@juanlicera

This lady was unique.

@cletuswombat2694

Exactly ..

@aai3661

This is before the money side of entertainment took COMPLETE control.

@tafimutekwe2855

Not any more!

@danielblatt2266

And one has the sense that she is enjoying herself when she is entertaining us!

14 More Replies...

@kimclayton2860

She self taught herself 8 languages.  No real family to turn to and she was a true survivor.  I wished Oprah Winfrey would have honored her but she never did.  Sad.  ;(

@marquesbell4178

She was never on Oprah's show?

@donnavaughn9409

yes, she was really unique, grew up so abused, survived and then became part of the theater

@donnavaughn9409

a real talent and so unique, lacking in proper family relationships early on. When it comes to Oprah, I have no use for her she's part of that phony hollywood machine

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