richard rodgers • oscar hammerstein II
This song is from the 1949 Broadway Musical "South Pacific" and the 1958 Film Musical with the same title. The story of the musical is summed up along with a medley HERE.
From the first act; Lieutenant Joseph Cable arrives the islands with a secret mission in mind. He attracts to the mysterious Bali H'ai in the distance, and Seabeee Luther Billis arranges a trip over there; meeting the leading Tonkinese lady "Bloody Mary", who immediately plans to marry him to her own daughter Liat. It partially works; coming up with this song. Later through the act; Cable realises that his family never will accept such a marriage, and withdraws his promises.
Immediately after the Broadway premiere, prominent singers captured the song, but none of them really went to the charts. The character "Joe Cable" was performed, from the start, by William Tabbert, and his Broadway 1949 Original Stage Recording from March was for a long time the most estimated. In the 1958 film version, the role was taken by John Kerr, whose voice was dubbed by Bill Lee. This version, from the soundtrack, is probably the best known. But it has immerged into the instrumental ocean of jazz music, and become a standard where the lyrics' background is ignorable.
I touch your hand and my arms grow strong
like a pair of birds that burst with song
my eyes look down at your lovely face
and I hold the world in my embrace
younger than springtime are you
softer than starlight are you
warmer than winds of June are the gentle lips you gave me
gayer than laughter are you
sweeter than music are you
angel and lover : heaven and earth are you to me
and when your youth and joy invade my arms
and fill my heart as now they do
then younger than springtime am I
gayer than laughter am I
angel and lover : heaven and earth am I with you
For the following CHORD section, fullscreen/horizontal mobile is recommended.
Chords in brackets may be omitted.
G D C D I touch your hand and my arms grow strong G D C F like a pair of birds that burst with song Am E7 Am my eyes look down at your lovely face Cm7 G D7 and I hold the world in my embrace G C D7 G younger than springtime are you Am Bm7 Em7 D7 softer than starlight are you G Cmaj7 Em Bm A7sus4 A A7 D7 warmer than winds of June are the gentle lips you gave me G C D7 G gayer than laughter are you Am Bm7 Em7 D7 sweeter than music are you G Cmaj7 Em Bm A7sus4 A D angel and lover heaven and earth are you to me D Em A Em7 D and when your youth and joy invade my arms Em A Cadd9 ...D7 and fill my heart as now they do G C D7 G then younger than springtime am I Am Bm7 Em7 D7 gayer than laughter am I G Cmaj7 Em Bm Am7 D7sus4 G angel and lover heaven and earth am I with you
