Hello Sandy Allen
The world's tallest woman
We made friends in New York
Don't know if you'll remember
I'm bound to say I felt uneasy
when I first laid eyes on you
But I liked the way you talked
Like a living Totara*
Towering over our heads
In more ways than one
The hand that shook my hand was awesome
It still amazes me
Hope you're happy - Sandy Allen
Hope your garden is blooming
We're all staring at the mirror
tryin' to put our faces on
Fear has never held you back
Must be when you're number one
you don't have to try so hard
Hello Sandy Allen, hello Sandy Allen, hello...
Hope you're happy Sandy Allen
Hope your garden is blooming
We're all staring at the mirror
tryin' to put our faces on
Fear has never held you back
Must be when you're number one
you don't have to try so hard
[*
a Totara is a huge tree in New Zealand - in Maori mythology the Totara towers over everyone and everything,
as a protector and venerable leader. The other error is "appearances never held you back" is actually
"fear has never held you back".
I met the fellows in the band Split Enz in NZ and asked about the origin of this song, which I always loved.
They said met Sandy Allen - indeed, the world's tallest woman - backstage in the USA on David Frost's talk show.
They were humbled by her genuine warm, friendly and charismatic presence, truly impressed by her.
They wrote the song as a tribute, and would never think to imply her appearance was not up to scratch!
They liked her very, very much indeed.
- cheers -dyan campbell (a canadian who lived there). ]
[Thanks to dyanc for correcting these lyrics]