Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr. in Harlem, NYC, on 1 Ma… Read Full Bio ↴Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr. in Harlem, NYC, on 1 March 1927; died 25 April 2023) was an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Caribbean-American pop star, he popularized Jamaican mento folk songs which was marketed as Trinbagonian Calypso musical style with an international audience in the 1950s. His breakthrough album Calypso, released in 1956, was the first million-selling LP by a single artist.

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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Did You Know
Harry Belafonte Lyrics

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Did you know
All my reserve was just pretend?
Did you know
I was only posin? as your friend?
Did you know?

Did my eyes play on your face too long?
Did they say how much I needed you?

Did the words I try to say in jest
Seem to come out soundin? much too true?

Did you know
Could you see through my disguise?
Did you know
Or does my love come as a surprise?
Did you know?

I can't believe you haven't guessed
They was much too much coincidence
All those times we met by chance
All where my un-purpose accidents

Did you know?
Doesn't matter anyway
Did you know
Someone else has said the things?
I want to say

So I?ll go, I never should have waited 'round
In hopes that you would finally see
But in case I get a second chance

Now you know just what you mean to me
Did you know?

Overall Meaning

The song "Did You Know," by Harry Belafonte, is a candid love letter in the form of a ballad. The song's narrator admits to his deception and disingenuousness in the past, asking if his beloved understood that he was "just pretending," "posing," and "disguised." He confesses that all of the coincidences, accidental meetings, and double-talk were done out of love, but he hopes it's not too late to undo the damage he has caused. The last verse represents a brave and hopeful new beginning.

Belafonte's lyrics speak to the conflicting emotions many people experience when navigating new romantic relationships. On the one hand, it's natural to want to present the best version of oneself, but on the other, it is often challenging to keep up the façade. The song is a touching expression of how necessary it is to be true to oneself, and also how crucial it is to take the risk of telling someone how you feel.

Line by Line Meaning

Did you know
Harry Belafonte is asking someone if they knew something about him.

All my reserve was just pretend?
Harry is admitting that he has been pretending to be reserved.

I was only posin as your friend?
He only pretended to be their friend.

Did my eyes play on your face too long?
He is wondering if he gazed at this person for too long.

Did they say how much I needed you?
He is questioning if his eyes revealed the depth of his need for this person.

Did the words I try to say in jest Seem to come out soundin much too true?
He is wondering if his attempts to hide his feelings were unsuccessful and if his true feelings were revealed.

Could you see through my disguise?
He is asking if this person could see through his act.

Or does my love come as a surprise?
He is asking if this person is surprised by the extent of his feelings.

I can't believe you haven't guessed They was much too much coincidence All those times we met by chance All where my un-purpose accidents
He is admitting that he tried to orchestrate chance meetings with this person and is surprised they didn't catch on.

Doesn't matter anyway
He is saying it doesn't matter if they knew or not.

Someone else has said the things?I want to say
He is admitting that someone else has already said what he feels.

So I'll go, I never should have waited 'round In hopes that you would finally see
He has decided to move on instead of waiting for them to see his true feelings.

But in case I get a second chance Now you know just what you mean to me Did you know?
He is letting this person know what they meant to him in case he gets another chance with them.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS

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