☝️ Key Points
- The song is about the joy and significance of music and swing
- The protagonist asks Mr. Mendelssohn to teach her to sing with a modern rhythm and make her swing
- The words in the chorus seem to be onomatopoeia representing the swing and energy of the music
- The protagonist talks about her singing school and how cool it is
- Overall, the song lyrics express the joy and fun of singing and swinging to the rhythm of swing, and show the importance of music and rhythm to the protagonist
Interpretation
The lyrics of the song "Swing, Mr Mendelssohn" by
Judy Garland are about the joy and significance of music and swing. The protagonist asks Mr. Mendelssohn to teach her to sing with a modern rhythm and make her swing. Music is something that, for her, is not good without rhythm. She describes it as sweet and hot, penetrating the soul. She asks Mr. Mendelssohn to get some of that "hodie ho" and swing it, high and low. The chorus repeats this request for Mr. Mendelssohn to swing it. The words "ho ho da da da da" and "rodie doc and rodie doc a radie da" seem to be onomatopoeia representing the swing and energy of the music. The protagonist also talks about her singing school, where she is one among many and how cool it is. She mentions that Mr. Mendelssohn had his time, but is still present. She can't understand why he's still here, but she's glad about it. Overall, the lyrics express the joy and fun of singing and swinging, and show the importance of music and rhythm for the protagonist.