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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Venezuela
Harry Belafonte Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She'll find the note I left hangin' on her door
Oh, she'll laugh when she reads the part that says I'm leavin'
'Cause I've left that girl so many times before
By the time I make Albuquerque, she'll be working
She'll probably stop at lunch and give me a call
But she'll just hear that phone keep on ringin'
By the time I make Oklahoma, she'll be sleepin'
She'll turn softly and call my name out loud
And she'll cry, just to think I'd really leave her
Though time and time, I tried to tell her so
She just didn't know I would really go
The lyrics describe a man who is leaving his lover, leaving her a note before departing. He expects her reaction to be one of laughter, as she has seen him leave before. As he travels through various cities, he imagines what his lover is doing. In Albuquerque, she will be at work and might call him during her lunch break, but he knows that the phone will simply continue ringing. In Oklahoma, she will be sleeping and may even cry out for him, not realizing that he has actually left for good.
The song captures the sadness and loneliness of a man who is leaving behind someone he loves, possibly for good. He knows that his lover may be hurt by his departure but sees no other option. The repetition of the lyrics "By the time I/get to [city], she'll be [doing something]" underscores the sense of inevitability and finality of his leaving.
Line by Line Meaning
By the time I get to Phoenix, she'll be rising
When I finally get to Phoenix, it will be early morning and she'll be waking up to find the note I left on her door.
She'll find the note I left hangin' on her door
The note I left on her door is my way of telling her that I'm leaving her for good.
Oh, she'll laugh when she reads the part that says I'm leavin'
She'll probably find my note funny because she knows I've left her many times before and always come back.
'Cause I've left that girl so many times before
I've left her many times before, but this time it's for real and I won't be coming back.
By the time I make Albuquerque, she'll be working
When I get to Albuquerque, she'll be at work and won't be able to answer my call.
She'll probably stop at lunch and give me a call
If she's able to, she'll call me during her lunch break.
But she'll just hear that phone keep on ringin'
If she tries to call me, she'll just hear the phone ringing because I won't be answering.
Off the wall, that's all
There's nothing she can do about it, and it's just the way things are.
By the time I make Oklahoma, she'll be sleepin'
When I get to Oklahoma, she'll be asleep and I'll be gone before she wakes up.
She'll turn softly and call my name out loud
In her sleep, she'll call out my name, hoping that I'm still there with her.
And she'll cry, just to think I'd really leave her
When she wakes up and realizes I'm really gone, she'll cry because she didn't believe I would actually leave her.
Though time and time, I tried to tell her so
Even though I've told her many times that I was leaving, she didn't take me seriously.
She just didn't know I would really go
Despite all the warning signs, she still didn't believe that I would actually leave her for good.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SAMMY CAHN, ALDEMARO ROMERO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jose nectalis mendoza ramirez
La conocí en Venezuela
Con una canasta en la cabeza
Y si amaba a los demás, no dijo
Pero sabía que ella sí, para pasar el tiempo en Venezuela
Pasa el tiempo en Venezuela
Le di un fajín de azul
Una hermosa banda de azul
Como sabía que podía hacer todos los trucos, sabía que ella sabía
Para pasar el tiempo en Venezuela
Y cuando el viento soplaba hacia el mar, el viento soplaba hacia el mar
Y ella se estaba despidiendo de mí
Dije que allá arriba siempre habrá
Marineros en tierra de licencia en Venezuela
Su retraso se modificó pero la idea de su hermosa sonrisa
La idea de su hermosa sonrisa
Me perseguirán y me burlarán por muchos kilómetros
Ella era mi chica y ella hizo el wale
Para pasar un tiempo en Venezuela
Jussi Kuokkanen
Unbelievable song! Not many artists ever reach this level!
Ahmed Bolbol
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمْ وَاخْشَوْا يَوْماً لَّا يَجْزِي وَالِدٌ عَن وَلَدِهِ وَلَا مَوْلُودٌ هُوَ جَازٍ عَن وَالِدِهِ شَيْئاً إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا وَلَا يَغُرَّنَّكُم بِاللَّهِ الْغَرُورُ
O mankind! do your duty to your Lord, and fear (the coming of) a Day when no father can avail aught for his son, nor a son avail aught for his father. Verily, the promise of Allah is true: let not then this present life deceive you, nor let the chief Deceiver deceive you about Allah.
Islam . Quran
Φωτεινή Παπαδοπούλου
The only song I ever danced with my late dad. Thank you. My love from Greece.
Henk Stel
One of the most beautiful songs I know. With the pain of being happy together for a short while and at the same time constantly being aware that it can not last forever.
별과달
너무 오래전에 들어서 누가 불렀는지도 잊었던 곡. 가끔씩 듣고 싶었던 곡. 드디어 찾아 듣는군요.
Ahmed Bolbol
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمْ وَاخْشَوْا يَوْماً لَّا يَجْزِي وَالِدٌ عَن وَلَدِهِ وَلَا مَوْلُودٌ هُوَ جَازٍ عَن وَالِدِهِ شَيْئاً إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا وَلَا يَغُرَّنَّكُم بِاللَّهِ الْغَرُورُ
O mankind! do your duty to your Lord, and fear (the coming of) a Day when no father can avail aught for his son, nor a son avail aught for his father. Verily, the promise of Allah is true: let not then this present life deceive you, nor let the chief Deceiver deceive you about Allah.
Islam . Quran
MaryCarmen Mora
GOD Bless my beautiful country...
Sarfo Emmanuel
And luckily I've found a girl in Venezuela, that's why I love this song so much
Peter Gossett
I've always known the version from "Harry Belafonte Sings Five Early Songs." A version from the late 1950s I believe.
Tellervo Ranta
Marvellous