Swiss Maid
Shannon Del Lyrics
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On a mountain in Switzerland,
Yo lo lo lo,
There lived a fair young maiden,
Lovely but lonely,
Oh oh oh oh.
Day after day,
Yo lo lo lady ya,
But no love came her way.
Some day papa said,
Some day we'll go,
Down to the village in the valley,
Then you'll meet a nice young man,
Ask for your hand,
Then you'll be happy
Every day she grew unhappier,
On a mountain in Switzerland,
Yo lo lo lo,
Every day a little bit lonelier,
Which way to turn and which way to go
Day after day,
She'd pine her heart away,
Yo lo lo lady ya,
But no love came her way.
Some say the maidens dream,
Never came true,
She never got to go to the valley,
If she did or not,
I really don't know, Oh oh oh oh.
Did she die unhappy?
I'd rather think she found her love,
Wouldn't she be better if she did find love?
Somewhere,
Some way.
Yo lo lo lady ya
Yo lo lo lady ya
The song Swiss Maid by Shannon Del is a heart-wrenching ballad about a fair young maiden living on a mountain in Switzerland. The story revolves around the maiden's loneliness and unrequited love. The opening lines set the scene of the mountainous region and the introduction of the lonely maiden who yearns for love. The repetitive refrain of "Yo lo lo lo" only adds to the melancholic atmosphere of the song.
The song then delves deeper into the maiden's life, where she daydreams about meeting a nice young man who would ask for her hand in marriage. Her father promises her that one day they will go down to the village in the valley, and she will meet the man of her dreams. However, days turn into weeks, and weeks turn into months, and still, no love comes her way, leaving her even unhappier and lonelier each day.
Line by Line Meaning
One time a long time ago,
Once upon a time, long ago
On a mountain in Switzerland,
In Switzerland, on top of a mountain
Yo lo lo lo,
N/A
There lived a fair young maiden,
A beautiful, young woman lived there
Lovely but lonely,
She was lovely to see, but felt lonely in her heart
Oh oh oh oh.
N/A
Day after day,
Every single day
She'd pine her heart away,
She would long for love
Yo lo lo lady ya,
N/A
But no love came her way.
But she never found love
Some day papa said,
Her father said one day
Some day we'll go,
They would go down the mountain sometime
Down to the village in the valley,
To the village located in a valley
Then you'll meet a nice young man,
She would meet a good man
Ask for your hand,
Who would ask for her hand in marriage
Then you'll be happy
And then she would be happy
Every day she grew unhappier,
With each passing day, she became more unhappy
On a mountain in Switzerland,
On a Swiss mountain
Yo lo lo lo,
N/A
Every day a little bit lonelier,
Feeling more and more lonely each day
Which way to turn and which way to go
Not knowing which path to take in life
Some say the maidens dream,
Some believe that her dream
Never came true,
Did not come to fruition
She never got to go to the valley,
She may not have gone to the valley
If she did or not,
It's uncertain whether she ever went to the valley
I really don't know, Oh oh oh oh.
It's unclear if she achieved happiness or not.
Did she die unhappy?
Is it possible that she died unhappy?
I'd rather think she found her love,
It's preferred to think she eventually found love
Wouldn't she be better if she did find love?
Wouldn't her life be better if she did find love?
Somewhere,
In some place
Some way.
In some way
Yo lo lo lady ya
N/A
Yo lo lo lady ya
N/A
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
sauquoit13456
On this day in 1962 {November 25th} "The Swiss Maid"* by Del Shannon peaked at #2 {for 1 week} on United Kingdom's Official Top 50 Singles chart, for the week it was at #2, the #1 record for that week was "Lovesick Blues" by Frank Ifield...
And the month before "The Swiss Maid" peaked at #1 {for 3 weeks} on October 20th, 2020 on the Australian Kent Music Report chart...
Between 1961 and 1965 the Grand Rapids, Michigan native had fourteen records on the UK Singles chart, eight made the Top 10 with one reaching #1, "Runaway", for three weeks in June of 1961....
Del Shannon, born Charles Weedon Westover, passed away at the young age of 55 on February 8th, 1990...
May he R.I.P.
* "The Swiss maid" was Del Shannon's second of two of his records to reached #2 on the UK singles chart, his other #2 record was "Hey! Little Girl" earlier in 1962...
And from the 'For What It's Worth' department, the remainder of the UK Singles' Top 10 on November 25th, 1962:
At #3. "Bobby's Girl" by Susan Maughan
#4. "Let's Dance" by Chris Montez
#5. "Devil Woman" by Marty Robbins
#6. "(Dance With The) Guitar Man" by Duane Eddy & The Rebelettes
#7. "Venus In Blue Jeans" by Mark Wynter
#8. "Sun Arise" by Rolf Harris
#9. "Telstar" by the Tornados
#10. "The Loco-Motion" by Little Eva
Geoff M
A superb record by the incomparable Del Shannon. He had many big hits. His music will never die! The pop music of today with rap and other dire forms of music will be buried and forgotten.
Piratenhits Yerdian
Nothing beats music from the 60's!
Wayne Fontanz
Del Shannon's unique singing style to my knowledge has not been replicated by anyone. He was a very special very talented musician. I grew up with all his hit songs and love them all. R. I. P. Del. Gone but never forgotten.
JEFFREY OKEEFE
Like all us adults he at that moment in time what we liked to keep our perspective of who we were when he hammered those great early songs, I never heard any songster who could rattle a studio recording to be as was.
Everyone sounds great now the electronics cover the clichés.
There was only one recording artist who sounded as on disc and live and that was Sammy Davis Jr, but that is another page in music.
Del was the top of his profession and stayed there.
Mike Hudson
The sound on this track has always been haunting to me right from a little boy. I loved it. An absolutely wonderful recording, everything about it is perfect. A genius of its time, and the best version.
Karl with a K
I agree...it is a song written for little boys.
purplepelican69 thomas
This is my favourite DS song,although he never recorded any I didn't like. When I first heard Runaway in my early teens it switched me on to rock n'roll and has given me half a century of pleasure. His unique voice always reminds me of fairgrounds. I like the way Del always provided a quality B side on all his singles,not just a mediocre filler to scoop royalties,like most artists of the time. What a pity Elvis Presley never had Del's charisma and talent - he could have been famous. DS was great
David Joy
Del, what a great artist,. Brilliant songs. This proves what a great vocal range he had. Sad not with us any longer. Brought me many hours of pleasure.
Geoff M
Another great record from Del Shannon. He had a fantastic voice. He’ll never be forgotten!
Joseph Kane
One of his better singles of 1963 as it got to No 2 on the UK singles chart in 1963