The pair wrote nine musicals together and collaborated on a musical film, State Fair. As producers, they also brought Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun to the stage, leaving an indelible mark on American musical theater and a legacy of successes that has never been equaled.
Our greatest living Broadway composer, Steven Sondheim, spent summers with Oscar Hammerstein during his formative adoplescent years. The legacy lives on.
So Long Farewell
Rodgers And Hammerstein Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a sad sort of clanking
From the clock in the hall
And the bells in the steeple too.
And up in the nursery an absurd little bird
Is popping up to say cukoo!
Cukoo! Cukoo!
Regretfully they tell us
But firmly they compel us
To say goodbye to you.
So long
Farewell
Aufwiedersehn
Goodnight
I hate to go and leave this pretty sight
So long
Farewell
Aufwiedersehn
Adeiu
Adeiu Adeiu
To yieu and yieu and yieu
So long
Farewell
Au 'voire
Aufwiedersehn
I'd like to stay and taste my first champagne
So long
Farewell
Aufwiedersehn
Goodbye
I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye
Goodbye!
I'm glad to go I cannot tell a lie
I flit I float
I fleetly flee I fly
The sun has gone to bed and so must I
So long Farewell
Aufwiedersehn
Goodbye--
Goodbye...
Goodbye...
Goodbye...
Goodbye
The song "So Long, Farewell" was first introduced in the 1959 musical "The Sound of Music" by Rodgers and Hammerstein. The song itself is a lighthearted farewell to the children at the Von Trapp household, as they are saying their goodbyes to the new governess, Maria.
The opening lyrics of the song reveal that the children are hearing the clock and bells, and the absurd little bird, who pops up to say "cuckoo." Despite their sadness at saying goodbye to Maria, the children feel compelled to do so with firmness. The rest of the song takes the form of a playful and humorous farewell, with each child bidding goodbye and expressing their regret at leaving behind the beautiful sights and experiences they shared with Maria.
Overall, the song captures the bittersweet feeling of parting ways, where the children are sad to see Maria go but also excited for what the future holds.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a sad sort of clanking
The sound of the clock and bells gives a depressing feeling to our departure.
And up in the nursery an absurd little bird is popping up to say cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo!
Even the little bird is trying to keep us from leaving because it does not want us to go.
Regretfully they tell us but firmly they compel us to say goodbye to you.
We are being asked to leave even though it makes us sad.
So long Farewell Aufwiedersehn Goodnight I hate to go and leave this pretty sight
We do not want to leave this wonderful sight, but we have no other choice but to say goodbye.
Adeiu Adeiu To yieu and yieu and yieu
We must say farewell to all of you, with a heavy heart.
I'd like to stay and taste my first champagne
We wish we could stay longer and enjoy this momentous occasion, like tasting our first champagne.
Goodbye! I'm glad to go I cannot tell a lie
It's hard to leave, but we are happy that we had the chance to be here and will cherish the memories we made.
I flit I float I fleetly flee I fly
As we leave, it feels like we are floating away as if in a dream.
The sun has gone to bed and so must I
We must leave now since even the sun has set.
Goodbye... Goodbye... Goodbye... Goodbye
We bid farewell and say goodbye, knowing that it might be some time before we meet again.
Contributed by Jeremiah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.