Dinah
Joe Venuti And Eddie Lang Lyrics
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Gave me Dinah;
I'm the proudest one
Beneath the Dixie sun.
News is spreadin'
'Bout our weddin';
I hear church bells ringin',
Dinah,
Is there anyone finer
In the state of Carolina?
If there is and you know her,
Show her!
Dinah,
With her Dixie eyes blazin',
How I love to sit and gaze in
To the eyes of Dinah Lee!
Yet, every night,
My, how I shake with fright,
Because my Dinah might,
Change her mind about me!
But if Dinah,
Ever wandered to China,
I would hop an ocean liner,
Just to be with Dinah Lee!
Dinah,
Is there anyone finer
In the state of Carolina?
If there is and you know her,
Show her!
Dinah,
With her Dixie eyes blazin',
How I love to sit and gaze in
To the eyes of Dinah Lee!
Yet, every night,
My, how I shake with fright,
Because my Dinah might,
Change her mind about me!
But if Dinah,
Ever wandered to China,
I would hop an ocean!,
Just to be with Dinah Lee!
The song "Dinah" by Joe Venuti is a classic tune about the love and pride that he feels for his girl Dinah who he got from Carolina. Venuti describes himself as the proudest man in all of Dixie, with news of their upcoming wedding making the rounds. He sings about the joy he feels being with Dinah and the admiration he has for her Dixie eyes. However, along with this joy comes a sense of insecurity and fear of losing her. He is constantly worried that she might change her mind about him, and the thought of her leaving him makes him shake with fright. Despite his fears, he promises to go as far as China to be with her if she ever decides to leave him.
The lyrics of the song are simple yet powerful, as they capture the depth of emotion that comes with being in love. The repetition of the line "Dinah, is there anyone finer in the state of Carolina?" emphasizes the strong admiration he has for her beauty and character. The reference to Carolina adds a sense of regional pride to the song, which was likely meant to appeal to a Southern American audience.
Line by Line Meaning
Carolina
The place where Joe Venuti met his love, Dinah
Gave me Dinah;
Dinah is the name of Joe's girlfriend whom he loves and cherishes
I'm the proudest one
Joe is very proud to have Dinah as his girlfriend
Beneath the Dixie sun.
Joe feels lucky to have a girlfriend like Dinah in Dixie, a place he loves
News is spreadin'
The news about Joe and Dinah getting married is spreading around
'Bout our weddin';
People are excited and talking about the upcoming wedding of Joe and Dinah
I hear church bells ringin',
Joe can hear the church bells ringing, indicating that the wedding is near
Here's the song my heart keeps singin':
Joe's heart is so full of love for Dinah that he can't stop singing a song about her
Dinah,
Joe is addressing Dinah, expressing his love for her
Is there anyone finer
Joe thinks Dinah is the best, and he can't imagine anyone better than her
In the state of Carolina?
Joe is specifically asking if there is anyone better than Dinah in Carolina
If there is and you know her,
Joe is challenging people to show him someone better than Dinah if they think they exist
Show her!
Joe wants people to prove that there is someone better than Dinah if they think there is
With her Dixie eyes blazin',
Joe is admiring Dinah's beautiful eyes
How I love to sit and gaze in
Joe enjoys spending time looking at and admiring Dinah's eyes
To the eyes of Dinah Lee!
Joe is telling Dinah how much he loves her and how beautiful he thinks she is
Yet, every night,
Joe is worried about losing Dinah
My, how I shake with fright,
Joe is scared of losing Dinah and gets nervous every night
Because my Dinah might,
Joe is worried that Dinah will change her mind about him and leave him
Change her mind about me!
Joe is worried that Dinah will no longer want to be with him
But if Dinah,
Joe is imagining a scenario where Dinah leaves him
Ever wandered to China,
Joe is imagining that Dinah gets far away from him by going to China
I would hop an ocean liner,
Joe would travel the distance to get to Dinah to be with her
Just to be with Dinah Lee!
Joe loves Dinah so much that he would travel far just to be with her
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALFRED CLEVELAND, ALFRED W CLEVELAND, SMOKEY ROBINSON, WILLIAM ROBINSON JR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Folk Friend- Celtic Guitar Tutorials
Can't believe I've never heard this before- brilliant and unique musicianship!
Bob Taylor
Lang the first great jazz guitarist, Venuti, the first and still greatest jazz violinist.
Jim Nicholls
In the early 1950s, I was given some old records of Venuti and Lang, and loved them. I was about 12 then, and had no idea that Lang had been dead for 20 years, having passed away during a routine tonsil operation at only 30 years old. Venuti went on performing until in his 70s, but when I hear his name I always think of it with Lang, although that was just a small part of his career.
M JL
And I thought only Stephan Grapelli could swing a violin as good... wow. Venuti. Lang's rhythm sounds like an orchestra. Man.
fotojazzeando
Two of greatest jazz players of all times. Thanks for share.
kiracore84
Thanks for sharing! Apart from their immeasurable artistic value, these recordings are technically among the best of their time, or perhaps any. The natural presence and clarity leave no doubt that we are hearing what the artists played. Subject only to playback speed!
Franco Funicella
Chi dei due é più bravo? Sono due mostri di stile perfezione tecnica e passione. Due italiani made on USA con una sensibilità da paura. Suoneranno per sempre tra il cielo e la terra per deliziare l 'anima dell'ascoltatore. Grazie Eddie .Grazie Joe. Un abbraccio Turi e Pino. Franco 52 Roma
Juraj Bartos
Pure, full of joy and ease... Thank you for sharing.
vibratingstring
This one goes in my lists twice: fiddle, and jazz guitar.
Venuti was sublime.
He was also a Philadelphian. :-)
Timothy O'Dell
Both were from South Phila.; they met when they were each 10.