Southern Belle -- The Song

Learn more about the song Southern Belle that the Kansas City Southern Lines used to promote their new Southern Belle passenger trains between Kansas City and New Orleans.

In 1940, the Kansas City Southern Lines introduced the new Southern Belle passenger trains between Kansas City and New Orleans. To promote these trains, the railway published sheet music for a new song entitled Southern Belle, by Cecil Taylor (not the jazz pianist of the same name). Parts of the song were used in an 18-minute color film (see below) that was produced by The Calvin Company of Kansas City to publicize the new trains.

Southern Belle Sheet Music

Collection of Dr. Nick Muff

Audio

• Use the audio controls, below, to play the music (MP3) on your computer.
• The lyrics appear at the end of this page so that you can sing along.
• The vocal melody is carried by the clarinet, which begins eleven seconds into the piano accompaniment.
• The original MIDI was produced for the KCSHS by Mr. John McDonnell. (Find his other MIDI's here).

Southern Belle Lyrics

SOUTHERN BELLE
by Cecil Taylor

Sweet mag-no-li-as
Stole their sweet-ness from you,
Ro-ses too,
And I knew from the start
You had sto-len my heart:

SOUTH-ERN BELLE,
In your eyes
Is the gleam of Dix-ie skies,
You're my dreams of Par-a-dise
All come true:
SOUTH-ERN BELLE,
You're the thrill
That can make my heart stand still,
And I pray some day you will say "I do!"
You're a pic-ture in your crin-o-line
And, honey, you're a peach
In a trim suit,
Or a gym suit,
Or a swim suit on the beach;
SOUTH-ERN BELLE,
When you dance
You're the es-sence of ro-mance;
In a sin-gle word, you're swell,
SOUTH-ERN BELLE

SOUTH-ERN BELLE,
In your eyes
Is the gleam of Dix-ie skies,
You're my dreams of Par-a-dise
All come true:
SOUTH-ERN BELLE,
You're the thrill
That can make my heart stand still,
And I pray some day you will say "I do!"
You're a pic-ture in your crin-o-line
And, honey, you're a peach
In a trim suit,
Or a gym suit,
Or a swim suit on the beach;
SOUTH-ERN BELLE,
When you dance
You're the es-sence of ro-mance;
In a sin-gle word, you're swell,
SOUTH-ERN BELLE

Song © 1940 by KCS Ry. Co. and L&A Ry. Co. Used by permission.