Belafonte is perhaps best known for singing the "Banana Boat Song", with its signature lyric "Day-O". Throughout his career, he was an advocate for civil rights and humanitarian causes.
Belafonte won three Grammy Awards (including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award), an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. In 1989, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994. In 2014, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy's 6th Annual Governors Awards and in 2022 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category and was the oldest living person to have received the honor.
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Back Of The Bus
Harry Belafonte Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can't find me nowhere
Oh come on over to the front of the bus
Because I'll be riding up there
I'll be riding up there, I'll be riding up there
Come on over to the front of the bus
Because I'll be riding up there
You can't find me nowhere
Come on over to the city jail
Because I'll be rooming over there
I'll be rooming over there
I'll be rooming over there oh
Come on over to the city jail
Because I'll be rooming over there
If you miss me at the Mississippi river
You can't find me nowhere
Come on over to the swimming pool
Because I'll be swimming over there
I'll be swimming over there, over there
I'll be swimming right there
Come on over to the swimming pool
Because I'll be swimming over there
If you miss me in the cotton fields
You can't find me nowhere
Come on over to the boating booth
Because I'll be a boating right there
I'll be boating right there, right there
I'll be boating right there
Well come on over to the boating booth
Because I'll be boating right there
The lyrics of Harry Belafonte's "Back of the Bus" speaks to the racial segregation and discrimination prevalent in the United States during the 1950s and early 60s. The song offers a defiant message to those who would try to keep people of color in the back of the bus, out of the swimming pool, or away from the voting booth. By declaring that he will be at the front of the bus, in the city jail, at the swimming pool or boating booth, Belafonte is challenging the oppressive system that sought to ostracize Black people and a reminder that they are just as entitled to these spaces as anyone else. The song is not only about physical spaces, but also about the struggle for civil rights and equality that people of color were fighting for during this era.
The chorus, "If you miss me at the back of the bus, you can't find me nowhere, come on over to the front of the bus because I'll be riding up there," is a powerful statement of resistance and defiance that speaks to the struggle for racial equality. Belafonte is essentially saying that he will not be relegated to the back of the bus and that he will not be silenced in his fight for equal rights. Similarly, the other verses speak to the same sentiment, including the lines "If you miss me on the picket line, you can't find me nowhere, come on over to the city jail because I'll be rooming over there." This lyric acknowledges the arrests of Civil Rights leaders who were fighting for equal rights.
Overall, "Back of the Bus" is a powerful anthem of resistance and a reminder of the struggle for civil rights and equality that Black people had to undergo in the United States during the 1950s and 60s. The songs strong melody and lyrics were used as an anthem in the fight for Civil Rights in the United States.
Line by Line Meaning
If you miss me at the back of the bus
If you can't see me sitting in the back of the bus
You can't find me nowhere
You won't be able to locate me anywhere in that part of the bus
Oh come on over to the front of the bus
Please join me in the front of the bus
Because I'll be riding up there
Where I'll be sitting, and I invite you to come with me.
I'll be riding up there, I'll be riding up there
You can ride along with me in the front of the bus
Come on over to the front of the bus
Please, come on over to the front of the bus
If you miss me on the picket line
If you lose sight of me while we are demonstrating in support of a cause
Come on over to the city jail
Please come to visit me in jail in the city
Because I'll be rooming over there
Because that's where I'll be staying for a while
I'll be rooming over there, I'll be rooming over there oh
That's where you can find me, and I'll be there for some time
If you miss me at the Mississippi river
If we get separated as we travel down the river
You can't find me nowhere
You'll have trouble finding me anywhere along the river bank
Come on over to the swimming pool
Instead, you can find me over at the pool
Because I'll be swimming over there
I'll be taking a dip in the pool, feel free to join me
I'll be swimming over there, over there
I'll be in the pool, and you can join me if you'd like
I'll be swimming right there
I'll be swimming in that specific spot
Come on over to the swimming pool
You're more than welcome to join me at the pool
If you miss me in the cotton fields
If you can't find me working in the cotton fields
You can't find me nowhere
You won't have any success trying to locate me in the cotton fields
Come on over to the boating booth
Please come to the boating booth and say hello
Because I'll be a boating right there
That's where you'll find me, enjoying myself in the boat
I'll be boating right there, right there
I'll be in the boat, enjoying myself in that specific spot
Well come on over to the boating booth
Please come say hi when you have the chance
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: TRADITIONAL, CARVER NEBLETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Frederique Roberge
on Angelina
What a joy to discover this site ..and relive that show , something so needed to end the day with a smile !