Do Re Mi
Sound of the Music Lyrics

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Do (do) re (re) mi (mi)
Fa (fa) so (so) la (la) ti (ti) do (do)

Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do!

(Do!) doe, a deer, a female deer
(Re!) ray, a drop of golden sun
(Mi!) me, a name I call myself

(Fa!) far, a long, long way to run
(So!) sew, a needle pulling thread
(La!) la, a note to follow so
(Ti!) tea, a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to do oh oh oh

Do! (a deer, a female deer)
Re! (a drop of golden sun)
Mi! (a name I call myself)
Fa! (a long, long way to run)
So! (a needle pulling thread)
La! (a note to follow so)
Ti!(a drink with jam and bread)
That will bring us back to do

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 bring us back to do

Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do!
Do, ti, la, so, fa, mi, re, do!
Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do!

So, do!

Overall Meaning

In "Do-Re-Mi," the opening number from The Sound of Music, the character Maria teaches the notes of the major musical scale to the Von Trapp children. This song is not just about learning the notes, but also the joy that music can bring. The opening lyrics of "Do-Re-Mi" are essentially a mnemonic device to teach the eight notes of the major scale in solfège. Each note is assigned a word and an action, with "Do" being the home note or tonic. "Doe" is used to represent "Do," while "Ray" and "Me" are both words. "Far," "Sew," "La," "Tea," are used in place of "Fa," "So," "La" and "Ti" respectively.

The song uses clever wordplay to make learning fun for the children, adding actions to the words to make them easier to remember. The phrase "doe, a deer, a female deer" not only begins with the note "Do," but also introduces children to the concept of a female deer. The metaphor of music as a tool for joy is encapsulated in the lines "when you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything." The song culminates with a final "Do" and "So" note, echoing the beginning of the scale, bringing the song to a satisfying, full-circle conclusion.

Line by Line Meaning

(Do!) doe, a deer, a female deer
Doe, a female deer.

(Re!) ray, a drop of golden sun
Ray of sunlight that is golden in color.

(Mi!) me, a name I call myself
The name I give to myself is 'me'.

(Fa!) far, a long, long way to run
A great distance to cover while running.

(So!) sew, a needle pulling thread
While sewing, the needle pulls the thread.

(La!) la, a note to follow so
The sound 'la' follows 'so' in the melody.

(Ti!) tea, a drink with jam and bread
A beverage that is served with bread and jam.

That will bring us back to do oh oh oh
By the end of the song, we will return to the note 'do'.

A deer, a female deer
A female deer.

Ray, a drop of golden sun
A golden ray of sunlight.

Me, a name I call myself
'Me' is the name I call myself.