Born at Rouen, Normandy, Roger started composing for films in the 1930s, and was responsible for the famous pantomime sequences in Marcel Carné's Les Enfants du Paradis (1944). He also performed and composed music for several European radio stations, including Radio Luxembourg, Radio 37 and Europe 1.
After the Second World War, Roger became a composer of library music, i.e. music designed to evoke a particular mood in a film or television production. From the 1960s to the 1980s he often collaborated with Nino Nardini. Much of his output became available via Chappell Music, and Roger also went into partnership with Frank Chacksfield to work on several projects for the BBC.
He died in Paris in 1995. Since his death, renewed interest in light music has seen several CD albums released, both in dedicated albums and in compilations, notably of test card music, where some of Roger's music was used by the BBC in the 1970s.
dreamland
Roger Roger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's a long way from bow chains
Donkey venders slicing coconut
No parkas to their name
Black babies covered in baking flour
The cook's got a carnival song
Lay down someplace shady
With Dreamland coming on
Dreamland, dream on Dreamland
Walter Raleigh, Chris Columbus
Come a-marchin' out of the waves
And they claim the beach and concessions
In the name of the sun-tan slaves
I wrapped their flag around me
Like an Errol Flynn sarong
And I laid down thinking national
With Dreamland coming on
Goodtime Mary and the lady soldiers
Talking over a glass of rum
Burning on the inside
With a knowledge of things to come
There's gambling out on the terrace
Midnight rambling on the lawn
As they lean towards temptation
With Dreamland coming on
In a plane flying back to winter
With shoes full of tropic sand
There comes a lady in a foreign flag
On the arm of her Marlboro man
The hawk howls in New York City
Six-foot drifts on Myrtle's lawn
As they push the recline buttons down
With Dreamland coming on
African sand on the Trade Winds
On the sun on the Amazon
As they lean towards temptation
With Dreamland coming on
The song Dreamland is a musical journey into different experiences and places, both physical and emotional. The lyrics are filled with vivid and often contrasting images of far-off lands, from Canada and the Caribbean to the African and Amazonian landscapes. The first verse sets the stage with descriptions of donkey venders and black babies covered in baking flour, emphasizing a sense of exoticism and the foreignness of these places. The chorus, "Dreamland, dream on Dreamland," further reinforces this idea and encourages the listener to let go and get lost in the dreamy, surreal atmosphere of the song.
The middle verses focus on historical figures like Walter Raleigh and Christopher Columbus, who are depicted as colonizers claiming land and people in the name of their own interests. The lyrics suggest a critique of imperialism and its impact on the people and cultures that were marginalized or erased by it. In contrast to this heavy subject matter, the last verse brings us back to the present with an image of a plane flying back to winter with shoes full of tropic sand. The singer meets a "lady in a foreign flag on the arm of her Marlboro man" and the imagery shifts to the cold and snowy cityscape of New York. The final lines of "leaning towards temptation with Dreamland coming on" suggest a desire to escape the mundanity of everyday life and seek out adventure and excitement.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a long long way to Canada
Canada is very far away.
It's a long way from bow chains
The singer is far from being a slave.
Donkey venders slicing coconut
People are selling coconuts from a donkey cart and cutting them with a knife.
No parkas to their name
They don't have any clothing suitable for cold weather.
Black babies covered in baking flour
The babies are covered in white flour.
The cook's got a carnival song
The cook is singing a lively song.
Lay down someplace shady
The singer wants to relax in a cool, shaded place.
With Dreamland coming on
The artist is excited about something called Dreamland.
Walter Raleigh, Chris Columbus
Historical figures Raleigh and Columbus appear in the song.
Come a-marchin' out of the waves
They arrive from the sea.
And they claim the beach and concessions
They take over the beach and all the available resources.
In the name of the sun-tan slaves
They pretend to own the beach because they are getting a tan.
I wrapped their flag around me
The singer puts on a flag from a foreign country.
Like an Errol Flynn sarong
He wears the flag like a type of clothing.
And I laid down thinking national
The singer thinks about his own nation.
Goodtime Mary and the lady soldiers
Women named Mary and other women who are soldiers appear in the song.
Talking over a glass of rum
They are drinking and having a conversation.
Burning on the inside
They are passionate and motivated about something.
With a knowledge of things to come
They have an understanding of the future.
There's gambling out on the terrace
People are gambling outside on a patio.
Midnight rambling on the lawn
People are walking around on the lawn late at night.
As they lean towards temptation
They are tempted by something.
In a plane flying back to winter
Someone is on a plane returning to a cold climate.
With shoes full of tropic sand
Their shoes are filled with sand from a tropical place.
There comes a lady in a foreign flag
A woman wearing clothing from a foreign country appears.
On the arm of her Marlboro man
She is with a man who smokes Marlboro cigarettes.
The hawk howls in New York City
A bird makes a loud noise in New York City.
Six-foot drifts on Myrtle's lawn
There is a lot of snow on Myrtle's lawn.
As they push the recline buttons down
They lean back in their seats on the plane.
With Dreamland coming on
The singer is still excited about something called Dreamland.
African sand on the Trade Winds
Sand from Africa is carried by the Trade Winds.
On the sun on the Amazon
The sun is shining down on the Amazon.
As they lean towards temptation
They are still tempted by something.
Lyrics © Crazy Crow Music / Siquomb Music Publishing, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Joni Mitchell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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