Begin The Beguine

Album: Paris (1935)
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  • When they begin the beguine
    It brings back the sound of music so tender,
    It brings back a night of tropical splendor,
    It brings back a memory ever green.

    I'm with you once more under the stars,
    And down by the shore an orchestra's playing
    And even the palms seem to be swaying
    When they begin the beguine.

    To live it again is past all endeavor,
    Except when that tune clutches my heart,
    And there we are, swearing to love forever,
    And promising never, never to part.

    What moments divine, what rapture serene,
    Till clouds came along to disperse the joys we had tasted,
    And now when I hear people curse the chance that was wasted,
    I know but too well what they mean;

    So don't let them begin the beguine
    Let the love that was once a fire remain an ember;
    Let it sleep like the dead desire I only remember
    When they begin the beguine.

    Oh yes, let them begin the beguine, make them play
    Till the stars that were there before return above you,
    Till you whisper to me once more,
    "Darling, I love you!"
    And we suddenly know, what heaven we're in,
    When they begin the beguine Writer/s: Cole Porter
    Publisher: Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 6

  • Ms Hughes from FloridaThe best rendition of Begin the Begine was sung by Carlos Ramirez.
  • Jaime from El Paso, TexasJulio Iglesias sings a version of this song. It’s track #2 on his album De niña a mujer. Julio’s song is called Volver a Empezar and it starts when the line “when they begin, the beguine.”
  • Ellen from SpainThere's a Spanish film called 'Begin the beguine that won an Oscar in 1983 and has this song in its soundtrack.
  • Donna from Ft. Lauderdale, FlDe-Lovely was only a so-so movie, and that's too bad. But Sheryl Crowe's performance was elegant and timeless - worth watching a clip of this one scene if nothing else.
  • Jerry from Brooklyn, NyArtie Shaw's instrumental version of this song is one of the greatest recordings ever made. Shaw was a most creative and innovative bandleader but his ego and his hypersensitivy to the vagaries of the music industry was often a hindrance to the true greatness of which he was capable. But get a copy of his version; it is a joy to the ear and the mind!
  • Joshua from La Crosse, WiR.E.M. had a song called "Begin The Begin" (the opening track from Life's Rich Pageant); that title is presumably a play on this song's title.
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