So Long, Farewell Lyrics – the Children

"So Long, Farewell," from The Sound of Music, recognizes the innocence and appeal of the Von Trapp children. This song is actually written by the great team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. At its core, "So Long, Farewell" evokes a charmed composition in play while embodying the voice of the children to poignantly yet playfully bid farewell. The song is unique in its simplicity and effective use of the higher vocal ranges of the children, and in its placement within the musical, where it is performed during a party and then reprises them when it provides a means for the family's escape. The goodbyes in the song's lyrics are in many languages, which reflect a universality in farewell. Each of the children in line gets his or her turn, adds to the layers of the farewell of the song, which starts at the beginning with the sounds of the clock chimes, and crescendoes to the loud farewell from all the children to the visitors. Repetition of the chorus in a major key is now remembered and has a sing-along quality that has made it a favorite among audiences. Remarkably some of his very earliest notes for the show even mentioned "fifty" island, meaning Hawaii was on the brink of joining the Union, which showed a great example of his method of constant re-writing and drawing inspiration from current events. The song remained important beyond the context of the play as well: it was sung in a 1965 motion picture adaptation, parodied by many forms of popular culture and even found a place in a strange video by the band Laibach with a gloomy re-appropriation of the Von Trapp's family history. "So Long, Farewell," because of the context in which it is employed—it is really a goodbye from an almost tear-jerkingly ridiculous situation—also applies to the themes of change and transition at the core of The Sound of Music. It is able to pull at the heartstrings with the ability of emoting and yet, in a way, have the audience sing along. They are testament to the songwriting genius that is Rodgers and Hammerstein.