These Are the Times
Harry Belafonte Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

When tides at ease on the evening breeze
And the scarlet moon starts its gentle rise
The drowsy whale spouts a misty trail
And the stars gather slowly in the skies

These are the times when I know
How alone one can be
And I yearn to go once again
Back to my girl down in Port of Spain

On some distant shore as I walk the sand
And watch the lovers meet
They stand in the moonlight hand in hand
With the surf breaking over their feet

These are the times when I know
How alone one can be
And I yearn to go once again
Back to my girl down in Port of Spain

In Mandalay at a gay cafe
In the wee little hours of morn
When guitars and violins end their play
With a hymn to the goddess of dawn

These are the times when I know
How alone one can be




And I yearn to go once again
Back to my girl down in Port of Spain

Overall Meaning

The song These Are the Times by Harry Belafonte is a musing on the loneliness that can come to people even in the midst of stunning natural beauty or while relishing scenes of romantic love between others. The singer describes various idyllic scenes that are happening around him, such as the misty trail left by a whale spouting water, the gathering of stars in the sky, and the surf breaking over the feet of lovers standing in the moonlight. Despite all of this beauty, however, the singer is filled with the sense of being alone, and states that it makes him yearn to go back to his girl down in Port of Spain.


Line by Line Meaning

When tides at ease on the evening breeze
When the ocean waves are calm and the air is still in the evening


And the scarlet moon starts its gentle rise
When the red moon begins to slowly appear in the sky


The drowsy whale spouts a misty trail
The tired whale exhales a misty spray as it swims


And the stars gather slowly in the skies
The stars begin to appear one by one in the night sky


These are the times when I know
During these moments, I understand


How alone one can be
I realize how lonely a person can feel


And I yearn to go once again
I desire to return once more


Back to my girl down in Port of Spain
To be with my significant other in the town of Port of Spain


On some distant shore as I walk the sand
On a faraway beach as I stroll along the sand


And watch the lovers meet
Observing couples meet and fall in love


They stand in the moonlight hand in hand
The couples hold hands in the moonlight


With the surf breaking over their feet
The waves wash over their feet as they stand by the shore


In Mandalay at a gay cafe
In a cheerful coffee shop in Mandalay


In the wee little hours of morn
In the early hours of the morning


When guitars and violins end their play
When the music of guitars and violins comes to an end


With a hymn to the goddess of dawn
With a song dedicated to the goddess of the morning




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: IRVING BURGIE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

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 !

More Versions