Nina
Noël Coward Lyrics
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Though her relatives and friends were perfect dancers
She swore she'd never dance a step until she died
She said, ""I've seen too many movies, and all they prove is too idiotic.
They all insist that South America's exotic
Whereas it couldn't be more boring if it tried.""
The sound of soft guitars beside a still lagoon
She also positively stated
That she could not abide a Southern moon
She refused to Begin The Beguine when they requested it
And she made an embarrassing scene if anyone suggested it
For she detested it.
Though no-one ever could be keener than little Nina
On quite a number of very eligible men who did the rhumba
When they proposed to her she simply left them flat.
She said that love should be impulsive, but not convulsive
And syncopation had a discouraging effect on procreation
And that she'd rather read a book and that was that.
Señorita Nina, from Argentina, despised the Tango
Although she never was a girl to let a man go
She wouldn't sacrifice her principles for sex.
She looked with scorn on the gyrations
Of her relations who danced the conga
And swore that if she had to stand it any longer
She'd lose all dignity and wring their silly necks.
She said that frankly she was blinded
To all the over advertised romantic charms
And then she got more bloody minded
And told them where to put their tropic palms.
She said ""I hate to be pedantic but I'm driven nearly frantic
When I see that unromantic, sycophantic lot of sluts
Forever wriggling their guts.
It drives me absolutely nuts.""
She declined to Begin The Beguine when they besought her to
And with language profane and obscene she cursed the man who taught her to
She cursed Cole Porter too.
From this it's fairly clear that Nina, in her demeanour
Was so offensive that when the hatred of her friends grew too intensive
She thought she'd better beat it while she had the chance
After some trial and tribulation, she reached the station
And met a sailor, who had acquired a wooden leg in Venezuela
And so she married him, because he couldn't dance.
There surely never could've been a
More irritating girl than Nina
They never speak in Argentina
Of this degenerate bambina
Who had the luck to find romance
But resolutely wouldn't dance.
Noël Coward's song "Nina" explores the story of a woman named Nina from Argentina who declares that she will never dance even though everyone around her is a good dancer. Nina insists that she has seen too many movies that portray South America as exotic, but she knows it's not true. Nina particularly hates the sound of soft guitars and Southern moons which are generally associated with romance and passion. She refuses to dance even when requested, and she detests the iconic Latin American dances like the Tango and Conga. She only wants to read books and not get involved with any man that does the rhumba or any other syncopated dance. Eventually, Nina marries a sailor who cannot dance, ensuring that she would never again be asked to dance.
The song appeared in Coward's 1955 musical comedy "Sail Away," where Patricia Hodge originated the role of Nina. Coward, who has written over 300 songs, was a multi-talented artist who contributed to acting, playwriting, composing, and directing. The lyrics of the song wittily satirize the traditional Latin American culture, which Coward saw as being put on a pedestal in the entertainment scene at the time. The overplayed image of exotism portrayed in the media regarding South America is the subject of ridicule in the song, where Coward contrasts it with the mundane reality of the area.
Line by Line Meaning
Señorita Nina, from Argentina, knew all the answers
Nina was confident in her opinions and beliefs.
Though her relatives and friends were perfect dancers
Despite her family and friends being great dancers,
She swore she'd never dance a step until she died
Nina refused to dance for the rest of her life.
She said, ""I've seen too many movies, and all they prove is too idiotic.
She believed that movies were foolish and misleading.
They all insist that South America's exotic
She thought that movies portrayed South America as exotic.
Whereas it couldn't be more boring if it tried.""
She found South America to be uninteresting.
She added firmly that she hated
Nina expressed her distaste for certain things.
The sound of soft guitars beside a still lagoon
She disliked the sound of guitars near water.
She also positively stated
She made another declaration.
That she could not abide a Southern moon
She could not tolerate a Southern moon.
She refused to Begin The Beguine when they requested it
She declined to dance the Beguine when asked.
And she made an embarrassing scene if anyone suggested it
If someone brought up the Beguine, she caused a scene.
For she detested it.
She hated the Beguine.
Though no-one ever could be keener than little Nina
Despite this, no one was more enthusiastic about Nina.
On quite a number of very eligible men who did the rhumba
Nina was interested in many eligible men who danced the rhumba.
When they proposed to her she simply left them flat.
When they proposed to her, she rejected them without a second thought.
She said that love should be impulsive, but not convulsive
She believed love should be spontaneous, but not overpowering.
And syncopation had a discouraging effect on procreation
She thought syncopation negatively affected procreation.
And that she'd rather read a book and that was that.
She preferred reading over dancing or having sex.
Señorita Nina, from Argentina, despised the Tango
Nina also disliked the Tango.
Although she never was a girl to let a man go
She did not let men go easily.
She wouldn't sacrifice her principles for sex.
She refused to compromise her values for sex.
She looked with scorn on the gyrations
She scorned the movements.
Of her relations who danced the conga
She disapproved of her relatives who danced the conga.
And swore that if she had to stand it any longer
She made a vow that if she had to endure it any longer.
She'd lose all dignity and wring their silly necks.
She would lose her composure and harm them.
She said that frankly she was blinded
Nina was blinded by something she disagreed with.
To all the over advertised romantic charms
She did not believe in overhyped romanticism.
And then she got more bloody minded
She became more stubborn and obstinate.
And told them where to put their tropic palms.
She gave them a piece of her mind and told them off.
She said ""I hate to be pedantic but I'm driven nearly frantic
Nina reluctantly and unhappily expended her small amount of patience.
When I see that unromantic, sycophantic lot of sluts
She complained about the unromantic and subservient group.
Forever wriggling their guts.
She disapproved of their constant dancing.
It drives me absolutely nuts.""
This drove her crazy.
She declined to Begin The Beguine when they besought her to
Again, she refused to dance the Beguine.
And with language profane and obscene she cursed the man who taught her to
When someone mentioned the Beguine, she used profanity to insult the man who taught her.
She cursed Cole Porter too.
She cursed the famous composer Cole Porter as well.
From this it's fairly clear that Nina, in her demeanour
Based on all of this, it was clear that Nina had a certain attitude.
Was so offensive that when the hatred of her friends grew too intensive
Her friends eventually grew to hate her due to her offensive behavior.
She thought she'd better beat it while she had the chance
She decided it was best to leave while she could.
After some trial and tribulation, she reached the station
She faced some challenges on her way to the station.
And met a sailor, who had acquired a wooden leg in Venezuela
At the station, she met a sailor with a wooden leg from Venezuela.
And so she married him, because he couldn't dance.
She married him because he couldn't dance.
There surely never could've been a
It was impossible to find someone who was more irritating.
More irritating girl than Nina
Nina was extremely irritating.
They never speak in Argentina
Even in Argentina, nobody talks about Nina.
Of this degenerate bambina
The people of Argentina would describe Nina as degenerate.
Who had the luck to find romance
Despite her irritating nature, she still found love.
But resolutely wouldn't dance.
She remained resolute in her decision not to dance.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: NOEL COWARD, NOEL PIERCE COWARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JohnSpawn1
Señorita Nina, from Argentina, knew all the answers
Though her relatives and friends were perfect dancers
She swore she'd never dance a step until she died
She said, ""I've seen too many movies, and all they prove is too idiotic.
They all insist that South America's exotic
Whereas it couldn't be more boring if it tried.""
She added firmly that she hated
The sound of soft guitars beside a still lagoon
She also positively stated
That she could not abide a Southern moon
She refused to Begin The Beguine when they requested it
And she made an embarrassing scene if anyone suggested it
For she detested it.
Though no-one ever could be keener than little Nina
On quite a number of very eligible men who did the rhumba
When they proposed to her she simply left them flat.
She said that love should be impulsive, but not convulsive
And syncopation had a discouraging effect on procreation
And that she'd rather read a book and that was that.
Señorita Nina, from Argentina, despised the Tango
Although she never was a girl to let a man go
She wouldn't sacrifice her principles for sex.
She looked with scorn on the gyrations
Of her relations who danced the conga
And swore that if she had to stand it any longer
She'd lose all dignity and wring their silly necks.
She said that frankly she was blinded
To all the over advertised romantic charms
And then she got more bloody minded
And told them where to put their tropic palms.
She said ""I hate to be pedantic but I'm driven nearly frantic
When I see that unromantic, sycophantic lot of sluts
Forever wriggling their guts.
It drives me absolutely nuts.""
She declined to Begin The Beguine when they besought her to
And with language profane and obscene she cursed the man who taught her to
She cursed Cole Porter too.
From this it's fairly clear that Nina, in her demeanour
Was so offensive that when the hatred of her friends grew too intensive
She thought she'd better beat it while she had the chance
After some trial and tribulation, she reached the station
And met a sailor, who had acquired a wooden leg in Venezuela
And so she married him, because he couldn't dance.
There surely never could've been a
More irritating girl than Nina
They never speak in Argentina
Of this degenerate bambina
Who had the luck to find romance
But resolutely wouldn't dance.
@Eboreg
Each gesture communicates something. Every little twitch of an eye muscle, every miniscule wiggling of a finger, is significant. This is a master at work, and it's a true joy to behold. And then I haven't even mentioned the lyrics!
@julianbaldwin9834
Just watched this vid, a master at what he did, and impeccable timing through out his performance aswell as flawless delivery of complicated lengthy lyrics, almost a precursor to modern rap music when so much lyrical content is sqeezed into such a short space of time! remarkable
@lindseyholloway7610
@julianbaldwin9834 Excellent observations and comments. Sir Noël was actually referred to as "The Master", so if you didn't already know this, your instincts to call him that were absolutely right dead on! 🙂🎶👌
@spadebraithwaite1762
Fifty years ago my father's car got broken into and all his tapes got stolen. So, at twelve years old, my father bought two dozen blank cassettes and paid me, over the Summer holiday, to record all his favourite music from vinyl. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I discovered Noel Coward, Louis Armstrong, Elizabeth Welch, Cab Calloway, Gilbert and Sullivan, so much fantastic music. My buddies were listening to Fun-Boy-Three and I was listening to the ink Spots.
@Warpedsmac
Based on the artists you've mentioned...our dads had the same music tastes. I was listening to the Ink Spots and Satchmo etc while everyone my age in Australia heard ACDC and Midnight Oil.... Cheers from the Hunter Wine Country NSW.
@classicalbanksy4908
Frank Sinatra considered him the greatest of all Cabaretiers. Flew in a 747 to Las Vegas, after Coward's sell-out Cabaret at the Savoy in 1953, was bought and he took up one of the first Vegas Residences the following year. His Diaries are WELL worth a read - hilarious, insightful, witty, scandalous!
@PeterBrownPianist
The Master - as fresh sounding as when I first heard him sing this song - 50 years ago!
@alanscott6836
An Artist at Work. This is simply great.
@simonf8902
The master’s voice !
@garrettbays6942
When I first saw this performance of this song, I felt that I had committed a horrible crime. I performed this song as part of my voice recital, which I was required to do (the recital, not the song) in order to graduate from college. I chose the song from a book of Noel Coward songs I owned, hoping to add some fun to my program of songs to sing. Unfortunately, I had very little help from my instructor, as well as my accompanist (who I had to pay a fucking $200 for, and she frankly sucked, and couldn't have been less interested in performing for me; and she was one of the main educators in the department!). I don't think my instructor knew much about Coward's songs, or the way he sang them, and all I had to go on (I had only seen two films that barely featured him at the time) was a very genius performance from his godson, Daniel Massey, in the film Star! (1968) In some way, that should have given me some help, but I listened more to my instructor. He had me do it in a way too operatic sound (it seemed like the college's music department only wanted opera singers), even slowing down the speed, and I was none the wiser. While the recital was good enough for me to graduate, I never realized how wrongly I performed the song. I was so angry when I saw how it should have been done. I would have had so much fun with this number.