Oley Speaks set to music a portion of Kipling's poem Mandalay, 1890, from Barrack-Room Ballads, and Other Verses, published in 1892 and 1896. The song comprises three verses of Kipling's poem: the first, second, and sixth. The text of the song is a first-person description by a British soldier in 19th-century Burma, who has returned to Britain. He describes his romance with a "Burma girl" and speaks of the emotional pull he experiences to return to Mandalay.
"On the Road to Mandalay" was published as a piano/vocal song in 1907 by the John Church Company and dedicated to Frank Croxton. The tempo is marked alla marcia and the music is set in common time. The song changes tonality as each of the three verses reaches the chorus, shifting dramatically from minor to major. Originally published in the key of C and marked Low Voice, the style is described as Romantic. Composition features marked use of fermate and wide dynamic range, from pianissimo to fortissimo. Occasionally, the second verse is cut, but the complete song averages four minutes. Published originally for voice and piano, orchestral arrangements exist.
"On the Road to Mandalay" was well poised historically to become a frequently recorded song. In 1907, sheet music was hugely popular and sold more than a million copies. An early recording was made by Frank Croxton, to whom the song was dedicated, in 1913. Famous baritone singers have recorded the song, from operatic artists, such as Lawrence Tibbett, Leonard Warren, and Thomas Hampson, and concert artists, such as Peter Dawson, to more popular singers such as Nelson Eddy and Frankie Laine, and even Frank Sinatra, who sang a jazzy, controversial arrangement in which elements of the Kipling text were changed (notably Temple-bells becoming crazy bells), included in his album Come Fly with Me. Bing Crosby included the song in a medley on his album, Join Bing and Sing Along.
Rudyard Kipling's daughter, Elsie Bambridge, so disliked Sinatra's lyrical improvisations and jazzy arrangement of the song that she exercised her authority as executrix of Kipling's estate and because Kipling's poem was still copyrighted in the United Kingdom (copyright in the U. K. extended for 70 years after his death in 1936) to have the song banned for some years in the U.K.
When the album was released in the United Kingdom, "On the Road to Mandalay" was replaced by "It Happened in Monterey" on original mono releases and "French Foreign Legion" on stereo copies, while the song "Chicago" was used in other parts of the British Commonwealth. Sinatra sang the song in Australia during a concert tour in 1959 and relayed the story of the Kipling family's objection to the song, and explained how the Australian release of Come Fly with Me came to contain "Chicago". "Mandalay" was eventually restored on the 1984 UK re-pressing, and has been included in all subsequent releases.
Kipling’s daughter was not alone in being upset with Sinatra’s version. In a selection of comments on various topics, The New York Times said, "We applaud Mrs. Bambridge on her defense of good taste against the inroads of 'slanguage.' . . . It is a form of sacrilege to alter (great poetry) because it has been entrusted to us as part of our permanent heritage."
On the Road to Mandalay
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a Burma broad a settin and I know she thinks of me
For the wind is in those palm trees and the temple bells, they say
Come you back, you British soldier
Come you back to Mandalay
Come you back to Mandalay
Come you back to Mandalay where the old flotilla layCan't ya hear their paddles chunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?
On the road to Mandalay where the flyin' fishes play
And the dawn comes up like thunder out of China 'cross the bay
Ship me somewhere east of Suez where the best is like the worst
Where there ain't no Ten Commandments and a cat can raise a thirst
'Cause those crazy bells are callin' and it's there that I would be
By the old Moulmein Pagoda lookin' lazy at the sea
Lookin' lazy at the sea
Come you back to Mandalay where the old flotilla lay
Can't ya hear their paddles chunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?
On the road to Mandalay where the flyin' fishes play
And the dawn comes up like thunder
The song "On the Road to Mandalay" by Frank Sinatra is a nostalgic reflection on the experiences of soldiers during the time of British colonialism in Burma, now known as Myanmar. The opening verse paints a vivid picture of the scenery around the Moulmein Pagoda, where the singer envisions a woman thinking of him with inquisitive thoughts. In the next verse, he recalls the sounds of the flotilla moving as paddles chunked along the sea from Rangoon to Mandalay, as if he were still there.
However, the nostalgia cannot hide the reality that there were deep inequalities and prejudices during the times of British colonization, and this song is not immune from such implications. The lyrics are ultimately a reflection of a Western imperialist gaze that silences the voices of the colonized Burmese people who had their rights denied by British rule. As the singer expresses a desire to return to Mandalay, he is only drawn to the exotic imagery without giving consideration to the impact of colonialism on the Burmese people. Nonetheless, the song evokes a sense of longing and wistfulness, leaving listeners to ponder the complex layers of identity and history that lie beneath.
Line by Line Meaning
By the old Moulmein Pagoda lookin' eastward to the sea
Looking towards the sea from the Old Moulmein Pagoda, there's a girl from Burma who constantly thinks about the singer.
There's a Burma broad a settin and I know she thinks of me
The singer knows that a woman from Burma is waiting for him and he is always on her mind.
For the wind is in those palm trees and the temple bells, they say
The singer can hear the wind rustling through the palm trees and the sound of temple bells ringing in the distance.
Come you back, you British soldier
The artist hears the voice of the temple bells calling him back to Mandalay like a British soldier.
Come you back to Mandalay
The artist is being beckoned to return to Mandalay.
Come you back to Mandalay where the old flotilla lay
The singer is being urged to return to Mandalay where the old flotilla once stood.
Can't ya hear their paddles chunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?
The sound of paddles can be heard moving from Rangoon to Mandalay.
On the road to Mandalay where the flyin' fishes play
The artist is on the road to Mandalay where the flying fishes can be seen playing.
And the dawn comes up like thunder out of China 'cross the bay
The artist watches as the sun rises over the bay and the dawn comes up like thunder across China.
Ship me somewhere east of Suez where the best is like the worst
The artist wants to be sent somewhere east of Suez where the best is no different than the worst.
Where there ain't no Ten Commandments and a cat can raise a thirst
The place the singer wants to be in has no Ten Commandments and even a cat can get thirsty there.
'Cause those crazy bells are callin' and it's there that I would be
The insane sound of the temple bells are calling the artist and it's that place where he wants to be.
By the old Moulmein Pagoda lookin' lazy at the sea
The singer wants to be by the Old Moulmein Pagoda, gazing lazily at the sea.
Come you back to Mandalay where the old flotilla lay
The singer is still being urged to return to Mandalay where the old flotilla once stood.
Can't ya hear their paddles chunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?
The sound of the paddles can again be heard moving from Rangoon to Mandalay.
On the road to Mandalay where the flyin' fishes play
The artist is still on the road to Mandalay where the flying fishes can be seen playing.
And the dawn comes up like thunder
The dawn comes up suddenly and loudly, like thunder.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: OLEY SPEAKS, RUDYARD KIPLING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mike
on The Lady Is A Champ
She gets too hungry for dinner at eight
She can't eat late and stay up all night, because unlike society types, she has to get up in the morning.
She likes the theatre and never comes late
She cares more about seeing the play than being seen making an entrance.
She never bothers with people she'd hate
Her friends are friends, not social trophies.
Doesn't like crap games with barons or earls
While barrns and earls probably don't play craps, she associates with friends, not people to be seen with.
Won't go to Harlem in ermine and pearls
She doesn't "slum", the practice of the rich in the 30's, when the song was written, of touring poor neighborhoods dressed in rich clothes to "tut, tut" about the deplorable conditions, and congratulate each other for "caring about the poor"
Won't dish the dirt with the rest of the girls
Doesn't trade gossip for acceptance among an in-crowd
She likes the free, fresh wind in her hair
She cares more about how her hair feels than conforming with current hair fashions
Hates California, it's cold and it's damp
Since most of California is noticeably warmer and / or drier than New York, where the play the song was written for is set, this is probably a facetious excuse to like what she likes.
And she won't go to Harlem in Lincoln's or Ford's
Another reference to slumming, but facetious, since Lincolns and Fords were middle-class, not luxury brands when the lyric was written
Anonymous
on Try a Little Tenderness
Here are the correct lyrics
Try A Little Tenderness - Frank Sinatra - Lyrics
Oh she may be weary
Women do get wearied
Wearing that same old shabby dress
And when she’s weary
You try a little tenderness
You know she’s waiting
Just anticipating things she’ll may never possess
While she is without them
Try just a little bit of tenderness
It’s not just sentimental
She has her grieve and her care
And the words that soft and gentle
Makes it easier to bear
You wont regret it
Women don't forget it
Love is their whole happiness
And it’s all so easy
Try a little tenderness
Musical Interlude
And, it’s all so easy
Try a little tenderness
Daniel
on The Way You Look Tonight
I met Frank Jr. in Las Vegas, a real gentleman. RIP you both.
Giorgi Khutashvili
on Theme from New York, New York
)))