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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Noah
Harry Belafonte Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah
Sisters?
Yeah
Says here in Genesis, one chapter one
In the beginning God made the earth
And also says here in Genesis, six chapter six
That the children of Israel were sinning, a sinning
That's exactly what I said
And when God saw them sinning
It hurt Him to his heart, it hurt Him so bad
It made Him mad, it made Him so mad he was angry
And when God got angry the sky turned dark
And it was than that he told Noah to build the ark
Who built the ark, Noah
Who built the ark, Noah
Who built the ark, Noah, Noah
Noah built that ark
Children stop to steel, listen to me
God walked down by the Briny sea
Beheld evil of the sinful men
Declared that he would destroy the land
Spoke to Noah Brother Noah stopped.
He said look a here Noah build me an ark
Won't you build it big and strong
Build it 300 cubic long, 30 high, about 50 wide
I want it to stand my rain and tide
On this day I make my mark
In a 100 years I want that ark
Knocking thru with this evil land
Not a living thing is gonna stand
Except the things that I tell to you
That I gonna need , when the world is new
I've been east and I've been west
I decided to put this world at rest
I've been up and I've been down
Nothing but evil all around
I've seen brother turn against brother
Up this high and it'll go no further
Women weep and children mourn
Sorry the day that men was born
Sinful people one by one
Sorry the day my wrath begun
Sorry the day my wrath begun
Sorry the day my wrath begun
Sorry the day my wrath begun
'Cause it's gonna rain
'Cause it's gonna rain
'Cause it's gonna rain
'Cause it's gonna rain
And all this land is my land
Not a living thing is gonna stand
'Cause it's gonna rain
'Cause it's gonna rain
'Cause it's gonna rain
'Cause it's gonna rain
Who built the ark? Noah. Yeah
Who built the ark? Noah. Yeah
Who built the ark? Noah Noah
Noah built the ark
When after God told him what to do
Then the work began cut and hew
Ringing o' the hammer was "judgment"
Ringing o' the saw "God said repent"
100 years he hammered and sawed
Building the ark by the grace of God
After the foundation was laid
Hewed down the timber and the ark was made
Called in the animals two by two
There was the Ox, the Camel and the Kangaroo
Hallowed in the monkey and the crocodile
He even made the animals they couldn't smile
Packed them in the ark so tight
The Owl couldn't get no sleep at night
Called in Japheth and Shem and Ham
God began to flood the land
Raised his hand to heaven on high
And knocked that sun and the moon from the sky
Shook the mountains and disturbed the sea
Hitched his reins to his Chariot Wheel
Stepped on land and stood out on shore
Declared this time couldn't be no more
'Cause it's gonna rain
'Cause it's gonna rain
'Cause it's gonna rain
'Cause it's gonna rain
The song "Noah" by Harry Belafonte tells the story of Noah and the Flood from the book of Genesis in the Bible. The song begins by outlining that God created the Earth, but the children of Israel, God's chosen people, were sinning a lot, which angered God. In response, God asked Noah to build an ark, a large boat, to save himself, his family, and a pair of every animal from a flood that would come to destroy the Earth.
The lyrics go on to describe Noah's task of building the ark, which he worked on for 100 years on God's instructions. After the ark was built, Noah gathered the animals, and God flooded the Earth, destroying everything except the creatures that were saved in the ark. The song ends with the declaration that it rained, and not a living thing on the Earth didn't stand.
The lyrics of "Noah" teach an important lesson about obeying God, and the consequences of disobedience. When people sin, they hurt God, and God's wrath can come in the form of punishment, as was the case with the flood. However, those who obey God like Noah did are rewarded with survival and the opportunity to start anew.
Line by Line Meaning
In the beginning God made the earth
The first chapter of Genesis says that God created the earth
That the children of Israel were sinning, a sinning
The sixth chapter of Genesis describes how the children of Israel had fallen into sin
And when God saw them sinning
It hurt Him to his heart, it hurt Him so bad
It made Him mad, it made Him so mad he was angry
And when God got angry the sky turned dark
And it was than that he told Noah to build the ark
God was deeply saddened and angered by the sinning of the children of Israel, so he had Noah build an ark in anticipation of a great flood
Who built the ark, Noah
Who built the ark, Noah
Who built the ark, Noah, Noah
Noah built that ark
Noah was the one who built the ark as commanded by God
Declared that he would destroy the land
God decided that he would destroy the land because of the great sin that had occurred
Build it 300 cubic long, 30 high, about 50 wide
I want it to stand my rain and tide
God gave Noah specific instructions on how to build the ark to withstand the coming flood
I've seen brother turn against brother
Up this high and it'll go no further
Women weep and children mourn
Sorry the day that men was born
Sinful people one by one
Sorry the day my wrath begun
Sorry the day my wrath begun
Sorry the day my wrath begun
'Cause it's gonna rain
'Cause it's gonna rain
'Cause it's gonna rain
'Cause it's gonna rain
God was saddened by the evil ways of humankind and decided to flood the earth to start anew
Called in the animals two by two
There was the Ox, the Camel and the Kangaroo
Hallowed in the monkey and the crocodile
He even made the animals they couldn't smile
Noah gathered different animals and put them in the ark to save them from the flood
Called in Japheth and Shem and Ham
God began to flood the land
Raised his hand to heaven on high
And knocked that sun and the moon from the sky
Shook the mountains and disturbed the sea
Hitched his reins to his Chariot Wheel
Stepped on land and stood out on shore
Declared this time couldn't be no more
'Cause it's gonna rain
'Cause it's gonna rain
'Cause it's gonna rain
'Cause it's gonna rain
God flooded the earth and caused great destruction to cleanse the world of the sins of humankind
Ringing o' the hammer was "judgment"
Ringing o' the saw "God said repent"
100 years he hammered and sawed
Building the ark by the grace of God
Noah spent a hundred years building the ark as commanded by God, using it as an opportunity to repent for past sins
Lyrics © NEXT DECADE ENTERTAINMENT,INC.
Written by: HARRY BELAFONTE, WILLIAM ATTAWAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Julia Lenhard
It's such a thrill to hear this again after so many years! Thank you!
Riva G
used to listen to this when I was a kid. My parents loved him, and so blessed am I to have been exposed to such a talent. Thanks for sharing this.
lrh1966
You are very welcome. Thanks Riva for checking it out.
A lesser Gracie
i've listened to this a thousand times since I was a little kid sneaking my mom's LP..I have a whole act where God tells Noah what to do and you know, cause it's goin rain...this is pure gospel, soul..everything good in music....love Belefonte, then, now. forever!
postatility
"...and when God got angry,the sky turned dark......." This is perhaps the most powerful five-minute sermon ever!God bless Belafonte,a national treasure!!
A lesser Gracie
who built the ark? x 3,(damn right) Noah built that ark! I too listened to this as a child.. I still have this album. One of my precious possessions. My mom liked him and played this album all the time.But the album cover was just as important to me. He was the first sexy man I ever saw
-as a young girl of 8 or 9...loved that open shirt, and his beautiful face. ...I love Noah, Sllyvie (the only thing she didn't bring were the jailhouse keys) Waterboy..Scalrlett Ribbons, Troubles, every single songoin here is fantastic, I know them all by heart. Yes I agree with you postability, a powerful sermon. I love re-enacting Noah...it's so dramatic... Saw him in concert much later at Chautauqua. He would bring on a lot of excellent, unknown singers-think it was getting to be too much for him , he was on stage for only about 15 minutes for a 1 hour concert. Sing one song, then leave for about 10 minutes, come back sing another... throughout the whole concert...still loved hearing him. Out of all his songs, I enjoy Banana Boat the least. I've heard him do similar songs that he rendered with a much more serious, bluesy tone..oppressive working conditions .fit more with his activist work...have you heard him sing with Odetta? .Thank you for this post.lrh1966
Thanks for giving this Harry B. track a listen and have a great day from Lloyd.
Max Hennessy
Great stuff thanks for sharing
lrh1966
You are welcome. Thanks for checking it out.
Michael Gibson
Watched the movie Glory last night and had to hear the full song from their camp fire prayer.