John Herndon "Johnny" Mercer (18 November 1909 – 25 June 1976) is regarded … Read Full Bio ↴John Herndon "Johnny" Mercer (18 November 1909 – 25 June 1976) is regarded as one of America's greatest songwriters. He is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others. From the mid-1930s through the mid-1950s, many of the songs Mercer wrote and performed were among the most popular hits of the time. He wrote the lyrics to more than fifteen hundred songs, including compositions for movies and Broadway shows. He received nineteen Academy Award nominations, and won four. Mercer was also a co-founder of Capitol Records.

Hit the Road to Dreamland
Johnny Mercer Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Both:
Bye bye baby
Time to hit the road to dreamland
You're my baby

Shirley:
Dig you in the land of nod

Both:
Hold tight baby
We'll be swinging up in dreamland
All night baby

Jack:
Where the little cherubs trot

Shirley:
Look at that knocked out moon
Been a-blowing his top in the blue

Jack:
Never saw the likes of you

Both:
Bye bye baby
Time to hit the road to dreamland
Don't cry baby
It was divine but the rooster has finally crowed

Jack:
Time to hit the road

Shirley:
Bye bye baby

(Bells)

Jack:
Bye bye baby

Both:
Well it was divine but the cuckoo has finally crowed

Time to hit the road Time to hit the road
Time to hit the road.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Johnny Mercer's "Hit the Road to Dreamland" convey a sense of playfulness and whimsy, as the singers bid each other farewell and prepare to enter the land of dreams. The repeated refrain of "Bye bye baby / Time to hit the road to dreamland / You're my baby" emphasizes the lighthearted, childlike nature of the song. Shirley's observation that she's going to "dig you in the land of nod" underscores the cozy, comforting feeling of settling in for the night. Meanwhile, Jack highlights the joy and excitement of dreamland, with its little cherubs and other magical beings. The imagery here suggests a world of infinite possibility and infinite fun, where the moon blows his top and anything can happen.

Ultimately, though, the song acknowledges that all good things must come to an end. As the rooster crows and the bells chime, it's time to bid farewell to the dream world and return to reality. The singers console each other with the knowledge that what they've shared has been divine, even if it was just a fleeting moment in time. With that, they bid each other a final goodbye and set off on their separate ways.

Line by Line Meaning

Bye bye baby
We're saying goodbye now

Time to hit the road to dreamland
It's time for us to go to sleep

You're my baby
I care about you

Dig you in the land of nod
I hope you fall asleep soon

Hold tight baby
Get comfortable

We'll be swinging up in dreamland
We'll have fun in our dreams

All night baby
We'll be asleep for a while

Where the little cherubs trot
In the place where angel children live

Look at that knocked out moon
The moon looks tired

Been a-blowing his top in the blue
It's been full and bright lately

Never saw the likes of you
I've never met someone like you before