Do Re Mi
Roger Dann Lyrics

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Let's start at the very beginning
A very good place to start
When you read, you begin with--
[LITTLE GIRL] A, be, see!
[MARIA] When you sing, you begin with Do, Re, Mi
[CHILDREN] Do, Re, Mi
[MARIA] Do, Re, Mi
The first three notes just happen to be

Do, Re, Mi
[CHILDREN] Do, Re, Mi
[MARIA] Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti
[SPOKEN] Come, I'll make it easy for you. Listen:

[SUNG] Doe, a deer, a female deer
Ray, a drop of golden sun
Me, a name, I call myself
Far, a long, long way to run
Sew, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow So
Tea, a drink with jam and bread
That will lead us back to Do, oh, oh, oh
[WITH CHILDREN] Doe, a deer, a female deer
Ray, a drop of golden sun
Me, a name, I call myself
Far, a long, long way to run
Sew, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow So
Tea, a drink with jam and bread
That will lead us back to Do
Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do-- So-- Do

[SPOKEN] Now, children, once you have these notes in your head, you can sing a
million tunes by mixing them up--like this:
[SUNG] So, Do, La, Fa, Mi, Do, Re... [SPOKEN] Now you do it.
[CHILDREN] So, Do, La, Fa, Mi, Do, Re
[MARIA] So, Do, La, Ti, Do, Re, Do
[CHILDREN] So, Do, La, Ti, Do, Re, Do
[MARIA, SPOKEN] Now let's put it all together:
[SUNG BY ALL] So, Do, La, Fa, Mi, Do, Re
So, Do, La, Ti, Do, Re, Do
[LITTLE GIRL] But it doesn't mean anything!
[MARIA] So we put in words--one word for every note:
[SUNG] When you know the notes to sing
You can sing most an--why--thing. [SPOKEN] Together!
[SUNG BY ALL] When you know the notes to sing
You can sing most an--why--thing
Doe, a deer, a female deer
Ray, a drop of golden sun
Me, a name, I call myself
Far, a long, long way to run
Sew, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow So
Tea, a drink with jam and bread

That will lead us back to Do
Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do-- So-- Do

Overall Meaning

These lyrics are from the song "Do-Re-Mi" in the musical "The Sound of Music." In this song, Maria, a young governess, teaches the von Trapp children how to sing and introduces them to the solfège system. The solfège system is a vocal exercise method that uses syllables to represent musical notes. The song begins with Maria explaining how reading starts with the alphabet, while singing starts with "Do-Re-Mi." She teaches the children the solfège notes, starting with "Do-Re-Mi" and continuing to "Fa-So-La-Ti."

As the song progresses, Maria and the children sing the solfège notes using words that correspond to each syllable. They use examples like "Doe, a deer, a female deer," "Ray, a drop of golden sun," and "Me, a name, I call myself." The purpose is to make learning the solfège system more enjoyable and memorable for the children.

Throughout the song, Maria emphasizes that once the children understand the solfège notes, they can sing a multitude of melodies by mixing and rearranging the notes. She encourages them to experiment with different sequences, demonstrating this with the lyrics "So, Do, La, Fa, Mi, Do, Re." She further explains that by putting words to the solfège notes, they can sing anything they want, making it more meaningful.

Overall, "Do-Re-Mi" is a playful and educational song that teaches the solfège system through catchy lyrics and memorable melodies. It showcases the joy of learning music and encourages creativity and exploration in the realm of singing.

Line by Line Meaning

Let's start at the very beginning
We should begin from the very start

A very good place to start
It's a great point to begin

When you read, you begin with--
When you read, the starting point is

[LITTLE GIRL] A, be, see!
[LITTLE GIRL] The basics of reading: starting with the letters A, B, C

[MARIA] When you sing, you begin with Do, Re, Mi
[MARIA] When you sing, you start with the musical notes Do, Re, Mi

[CHILDREN] Do, Re, Mi
[CHILDREN] Do, Re, Mi

[MARIA] The first three notes just happen to be
[MARIA] The initial three notes coincidentally are

Do, Re, Mi
Do, Re, Mi

[CHILDREN] Do, Re, Mi
[CHILDREN] Do, Re, Mi

[MARIA] Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti
[MARIA] Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti

[SPOKEN] Come, I'll make it easy for you. Listen:
[SPOKEN] Come, I will simplify it for you. Pay attention:

[SUNG] Doe, a deer, a female deer
[SUNG] The sound a deer makes, a female deer

Ray, a drop of golden sun
Ray, a sunbeam that shines like gold

Me, a name, I call myself
Me, my own name that I use to identify

Far, a long, long way to run
Far, a great distance to travel

Sew, a needle pulling thread
Sew, the action of a needle pulling a thread

La, a note to follow So
La, a musical note that comes after So

Tea, a drink with jam and bread
Tea, a beverage enjoyed with jam and bread

That will lead us back to Do, oh, oh, oh
That will guide us back to the initial note, oh, oh, oh

[WITH CHILDREN] Doe, a deer, a female deer
[WITH CHILDREN] The sound a deer makes, a female deer

Ray, a drop of golden sun
Ray, a sunbeam that shines like gold

Me, a name, I call myself
Me, my own name that I use to identify

Far, a long, long way to run
Far, a great distance to travel

Sew, a needle pulling thread
Sew, the action of a needle pulling a thread

La, a note to follow So
La, a musical note that comes after So

Tea, a drink with jam and bread
Tea, a beverage enjoyed with jam and bread

That will lead us back to Do
That will guide us back to the initial note

Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do-- So-- Do
Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do-- So-- Do

[SPOKEN] Now, children, once you have these notes in your head, you can sing a million tunes by mixing them up--like this:
[SPOKEN] Now, children, once you memorize these notes, you can create countless melodies by rearranging them—just like this:

[SUNG] So, Do, La, Fa, Mi, Do, Re... [SPOKEN] Now you do it.
[SUNG] So, Do, La, Fa, Mi, Do, Re... [SPOKEN] Now you try it.

[CHILDREN] So, Do, La, Fa, Mi, Do, Re
[CHILDREN] So, Do, La, Fa, Mi, Do, Re

[MARIA] So, Do, La, Ti, Do, Re, Do
[MARIA] So, Do, La, Ti, Do, Re, Do

[CHILDREN] So, Do, La, Ti, Do, Re, Do
[CHILDREN] So, Do, La, Ti, Do, Re, Do

[MARIA, SPOKEN] Now let's put it all together:
[MARIA, SPOKEN] Now, let's combine everything:

[SUNG BY ALL] So, Do, La, Fa, Mi, Do, Re
[SUNG BY ALL] So, Do, La, Fa, Mi, Do, Re

So, Do, La, Ti, Do, Re, Do
So, Do, La, Ti, Do, Re, Do

[LITTLE GIRL] But it doesn't mean anything!
[LITTLE GIRL] But it doesn't have any significance!

[MARIA] So we put in words--one word for every note:
[MARIA] So we assign a word to each note:

[SUNG] When you know the notes to sing
[SUNG] When you are familiar with the musical notes to sing

You can sing most an--why--thing. [SPOKEN] Together!
You can sing almost anything. [SPOKEN] Let's do it together!

[SUNG BY ALL] When you know the notes to sing
[SUNG BY ALL] When you are familiar with the musical notes to sing

You can sing most an--why--thing
You can sing almost anything

Doe, a deer, a female deer
Doe, a female deer