Mah Lindy Lou

History

“Mah Lindy Lou” is a song written by Lily Strickland. The date of the first recording was sometime between 1919 and 1921, the exact year is debated. Lily Strickland herself was a composer for silent films and composed numerous piano pieces. Though “Mah Lindy Lou” was written by Strickland, the versions we hear today are sung by other artists who are usually male. The most popular rendition was done by Paul Robeson, while Burl Ives also gives a spectacular rendition of the song. The recording contained on the homepage of this website is Paul Robeson’s recording of the song.

​

The song itself was written in an old southern vernacular, causing most recordings to have a definitive twang in their pronunciation, which is often harder for us to understand today. However, it helps encapsulates the time and feeling Strickland designed nearly 100 years ago. 

​

Meaning of the Song

The lyrics themselves are about a man who is professing his true and undying love to a woman, Lindy Lou. The singer croons about the beauty of the South, mentioning magnolia trees, mockingbirds, and honeysuckle. These lyrics personify the images and tell Ms. Lindy Lou that these beautiful things are meant just for her because he wants to show her how much he loves her. The singer then tells his love that, “I'd lay right down and die and die” if he could make her feel like that. The song is very clearly a love ballad, sung in hopes of having love returned. 

 

Talley’s Folly

This song so excellently pairs up with the plot and setting of Talley’s Folly. Although the place may not be exactly the same, it is still set in the South. Additionally, this song was written and recorded during the same time period that Sally and Matt were meeting in the folly, the early 1940s. The entire play shows Matt, our tragic hero, trying to sweep the love of his life, Sally, off her feet. He pleads and persuades her, using his words to eloquently remind her of his feelings, just like the song does.