Dinah
Sam H. Lewis Lyrics
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Gave me Dinah;
I'm the proudest one
Beneath the Dixie sun.
News is spreadin'
'Bout our weddin';
I hear church bells ringin',
Dinah,
Is there anyone finer
In the state of Carolina?
If there is and you know her,
Show her!
Dinah,
With her Dixie eyes blazin',
How I love to sit and gaze in
To the eyes of Dinah Lee!
Yet, every night,
My, how I shake with fright,
Because my Dinah might,
Change her mind about me!
But if Dinah,
Ever wandered to China,
I would hop an ocean liner,
Just to be with Dinah Lee!
Dinah,
Is there anyone finer
In the state of Carolina?
If there is and you know her,
Show her!
Dinah,
With her Dixie eyes blazin',
How I love to sit and gaze in
To the eyes of Dinah Lee!
Yet, every night,
My, how I shake with fright,
Because my Dinah might,
Change her mind about me!
But if Dinah,
Ever wandered to China,
I would hop an ocean!,
Just to be with Dinah Lee!
The song is about the singer's love for Dinah, a woman from Carolina whom he proudly considers to be his fiancee. The news of their impending wedding has spread across the town, and the singer cannot help but express his joy and awe at the woman's beauty. He praises Dinah, stating that she is the finest woman in Carolina with her Dixie eyes blazing. Though he loves gazing into her eyes, he is also fearful of her changing her mind about him, causing him to shake with fright every night.
However, his love is so strong that he claims he would go as far as hopping on an ocean liner to follow Dinah if she ever wandered to China. The song is simple yet sweet in its message of adoration for Dinah and is a testament to the timeless appeal of love songs.
Overall, the lyrics evoke a sense of pride and joy in romantic love. The singer's admiration for Dinah is evident, and he cannot help but express it. The song shows that love can make people do daring things, even traveling across oceans to be with the one they love.
Line by Line Meaning
Carolina
The state where the singer met his love interest, Dinah.
Gave me Dinah;
Dinah is the name of the singer's love interest, who he met in Carolina.
I'm the proudest one
The singer is very proud to be with Dinah and considers her a point of pride.
Beneath the Dixie sun.
The artist is proud to be in the South, where Dixie sun, referencing the Confederacy, shows the deeper political context for this text.
News is spreadin'
Rumor is spreading about the artist and Dinah's engagement.
'Bout our weddin';
People are talking about the singer and Dinah's upcoming wedding.
I hear church bells ringin',
The singer hears the sound of church bells, signaling the start of a new, happy chapter in his life with Dinah.
Here's the song my heart keeps singin':
The artist sings following line with joy and happiness to show his love for Dinah.
Dinah,
The artist addressing his love interest, expressing his deep feelings of love and admiration for her.
Is there anyone finer
The artist feels that Dinah is the most beautiful and magnificent woman in the entire state.
In the state of Carolina?
The singer is asking if there is any woman as fine as Dinah in the state of Carolina.
If there is and you know her,
The artist is asking people to introduce him to any woman they think is better than Dinah.
Show her!
The singer wants to meet the woman who is better than Dinah.
With her Dixie eyes blazin',
Dinah's eyes are dazzling, and they remind the singer of the South.
How I love to sit and gaze in
The singer loves to look into Dinah’s eyes and gets lost in their beauty.
To the eyes of Dinah Lee!
The artist refers to Dinah Lee by her full name, indicating his deep love and respect for her.
Yet, every night,
The artist becomes anxious and scared every night.
My, how I shake with fright,
The singer is afraid that Dinah will leave him.
Because my Dinah might,
The singer is scared that Dinah might break up with him.
Change her mind about me!
The artist is afraid that Dinah will stop loving him.
But if Dinah,
The artist is thinking about the circumstances where Dinah would break up with him.
Ever wandered to China,
An unlikely, even absurd circumstance where Dinah would travel halfway around the world to China.
I would hop an ocean liner,
The singer would do anything to be with Dinah and would even hop on a boat and cross the ocean.
Just to be with Dinah Lee!
The artist would travel just to be with Dinah Lee because he loves her so much.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Akst, Samuel M. Lewis, Joseph Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind