Theme
Toejam And Earl Lyrics
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You'll remember yesterday
In its haunting strain
Vienna lives again
Free and bright and gay
In your mind a sudden gleam
Of a half forgotten dream
Seems to glimmer when you hear the third man theme
Once again there comes to mind
Someone that you left behind
Love that somehow didn't last
In that happy city of the past
Does she still recall the dream
That rapture so supreme
When first she heard the haunting third man theme?
Carnivals and carousels and Ferris wheels and parasols
The Danube nights, the dancing lights again will shine
The zither's sweet refrain
Keeps swirling in your brain
Like new may wine
Strauss waltzes, candle-glow
And the laughter of long ago
Fill the magic chords and make it seem like today
You never knew that you could be
Enchanted by a melody
The years will never drive it out
You don't know why
It's something you can't live without
You hear it in the twilight hush
And in the morning traffic rush
A song that's always new
In your heart a part of you
Oh, shines so brightly when you hear the third man theme
When a zither starts to play
You'll remember yesterday
In its haunting strain
Vienna lives again
Free and bright and gay
In your mind a sudden gleam
Of a well remembered dream
Seems to glimmer when you hear the third man theme
Once again there comes to mind
Someone that you left behind
Love that somehow didn't last
In that happy city of the past
Does she still recall the dream
That rapture so supreme
When first she heard the haunting third man theme?
Carnivals and carousels and Ferris wheels and parasols
The Danube nights, the dancing lights again will shine
The zither's sweet refrain
Keeps swirling in your brain
Like new may wine
Strauss waltzes, candle-glow
And the laughter of long ago
Fill the magic chords and make it seem like today
You never knew that you could be
Enchanted by a melody
The years will never drive it out
You don't know why
It's something you can't live without
You hear it in the twilight hush
And in the morning traffic rush
A song that's always new
In your heart a part of you
Oh, shines so brightly when you hear the third man theme
The theme song of the 1949 British film "The Third Man," "The Third Man Theme," was composed by Austrian musician and composer Anton Karas, who also played the distinctive melody on a zither in the movie. The song's lyrics, however, were written by American lyricist and songwriter, Bob Musel. Musel's lyrics reflect on the nostalgic memories of Vienna and the longing to be reunited with a past love. The zither's sweet refrain keeps swirling in the listener's brain and makes them feel enchanted by the melody, as it evokes the magic chords and laughter of long ago, and makes it seem like today.
As a religious Viennese musician who was thrust into fame because of the success of "The Third Man," Karas was not particularly happy with his newfound celebrity status. However, the song's popularity soared, making it one of the most recognizable and iconic movie themes of all time. The Third Man Theme became so popular that it sold millions of copies, and that too before rock-and-roll became a worldwide sensation. The song was so popular during its time that it stayed on top of the American charts for 11 weeks, and later became the first instrumental single to reach the top of the British charts.
Line by Line Meaning
When a zither starts to play
As soon as the zither music starts to play
You'll remember yesterday
You'll be reminded of the past
In its haunting strain
The music has a sad and lingering tone
Vienna lives again
The music transports you to Vienna
Free and bright and gay
Vienna is full of joy and happiness
In your mind a sudden gleam
Memories start to come back
Of a half forgotten dream
A dream that was almost forgotten
Seems to glimmer when you hear the third man theme
The music brings the dream back to life
Once again there comes to mind
You start to remember once more
Someone that you left behind
Someone you loved but had to part ways with
Love that somehow didn't last
The love you felt didn't endure over time
In that happy city of the past
In the joyful city of Vienna, where the memories were made
Does she still recall the dream
Do they remember the same dream
That rapture so supreme
That ultimate feeling of happiness
When first she heard the haunting third man theme?
When they first heard this memorable song
Carnivals and carousels and Ferris wheels and parasols
Fun and playful memories
The Danube nights, the dancing lights again will shine
The beautiful sights of Vienna will come back to life
The zither's sweet refrain
The lovely tune of the zither
Keeps swirling in your brain
The melody stays in your mind
Like new may wine
Like the freshness of May wine
Strauss waltzes, candle-glow
More happy memories, like dancing to waltzes and seeing the glow of candles
And the laughter of long ago
The laughter that you shared in the past
Fill the magic chords and make it seem like today
The memories become real and it feels like you're experiencing it all over again
You never knew that you could be
You didn't realize that you could feel this way
Enchanted by a melody
Captivated by a song
The years will never drive it out
The song will always be a part of you, no matter how much time goes by
You don't know why
You don't understand why this song has such an impact on you
It's something you can't live without
The song is too important to let go of
You hear it in the twilight hush
The song is heard in the silence of the evening
And in the morning traffic rush
Even in the chaos of rush hour traffic, you can still hear the song
A song that's always new
The song never gets old, it's always fresh and vibrant
In your heart a part of you
The song has become a part of you and your memories
Oh, shines so brightly when you hear the third man theme
The song brings back so many wonderful memories and emotions
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Anton Karas
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BizarroStormy
my mom had this as her ringtone for a few years. best mom i've ever had.
@theboig6229
so then how many have you had?😏
@theboig6229
@silvergbasp13 Im a mormon
@danyoh6175
@silvergbasp13 LMAO!!!
@googleedood9721
😆
@Nathan-rb3qp
My drama teacher at High School had this as his ringtone.
@ILoooooveCamels
In the Library of Congress, on the shelf marked "1990s," there lies a single sheet of music: Toejam Jammin'.
@theboig6229
my bass teacher picked out this song for us to practice 😂
@fweedom2330
Lol. DAMN thats so cool!
@OMalacarn
smart teacher