Tomboy
Perry Como Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

When we were small,
I used to call you Tomboy
The years have flown
Since you were known as Tomboy

No made-up face, no fancy lace
Pigtails in your hair
It seems like only yesterday
You tagged behind me everywhere

I never thought
That I'd get caught by Tomboy
But pink chiffon
Worked magic on my Tomboy

And now I find I've been blind
You were always on my mind




Before I'm through, you'll say I do
And Tomboy will be mine.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Perry Como's song, "Tomboy," are a nostalgic reflection on the passage of time and how people change over it. The song is about the relationship between two childhood friends, one of whom was a tomboy. The lyrics call to mind memories of simple, carefree times when the two were young and the tomboy was a constant companion. Throughout the song, the singer reflects on how the tomboy has changed over the years, transitioning into womanhood and becoming more girly.


The lyrics are filled with vivid imagery, such as "no made-up face, no fancy lace, pigtails in your hair," which creates a picture of a young girl who isn't concerned with looking pretty, but is content to be herself. The turn of the song comes when the singer realizes that he has feelings for the tomboy that are more than platonic. The mention of "pink chiffon" represents the womanly change in the tomboy that the singer finds attractive. In the final stanza of the song, the singer declares that he will make the tomboy his wife, indicating that she has grown into a woman that he wants to spend the rest of his life with.


Line by Line Meaning

When we were small, I used to call you Tomboy
As a child, I used to call you a tomboy because you dressed and acted like a boy.


The years have flown, Since you were known as Tomboy
It's been years since people referred to you as a tomboy.


No made-up face, no fancy lace, Pigtails in your hair
You never wore makeup or fancy clothes but had pigtails in your hair.


It seems like only yesterday, You tagged behind me everywhere
It feels like it was just yesterday when you would always follow behind me.


I never thought, That I'd get caught by Tomboy
I never thought that I would fall for someone I used to call a tomboy.


But pink chiffon, Worked magic on my Tomboy
But when you wore pink chiffon, it made you look irresistible to me.


And now I find I've been blind, You were always on my mind
Now I realize that I was blind to not see that you were always on my mind.


Before I'm through, you'll say I do, And Tomboy will be mine.
I am going to ask you to marry me, and you will say yes, and I will have succeeded in winning over the girl I used to call a tomboy.




Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: JEAN BAPTISTE MARIE DE LAUBIER, JEROME ARTHUR ECHENOZ

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
Comments from YouTube:

@MARKMANIATT

One of the great man’s finest recordings and songs.Terrific arrangement and production.From the time when you popular music received care and attention.

@garybrophy4777

Nice

@davevassell8241

Great value tomboy very.verbal

@fromthesidelines

Recorded on January 29, 1959.

@Bishbud

Similar to Sam's song in the early 50s but because that's not a Marvin Gaye song no one is suing!

More Versions