My Little Brown Book
Duke Ellington Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The song "My Little Brown Book" by Duke Ellington is a nostalgic ballad that reflects on a failed love story. The title suggests that the song is about a personal diary that holds memories and emotions of past events. The "little brown book" is personified to have a "silver binding," indicating that even though it is old, it is valued and cherished. The singer talks about going through its pages in "some quiet nook," symbolizing inward reflection and introspection.
The memories that are held in the book are described as "haunting" and "ageless," suggesting that they are still vivid and timeless. The lyrics revolve around a love that failed to become true. The singer goes through the pages and comes across an entry with the date of a fateful night when he found out his lover was no longer in love with him. The subsequent pages are empty, except for a "dark and futile door that shuts out the stars above," indicating that hope and joy are lost.
The singer's love for his past lover is evident in the words "I inscribed your vow," and "this last sweet kiss is all that's left of you," which suggest that he still holds dear the memories of the happy moments he shared with his lover. Overall, the song's melancholic tone with descriptive expressions evokes a lot of emotions, making it an excellent piece for listeners who enjoy sentimental pieces.
Line by Line Meaning
My little brown book
I have a small brown journal that contains my most inner thoughts and feelings
With the silver binding
The outside of my journal has a shiny silver cover
How it keeps reminding me
It consistently brings subtle memories to the surface of my mind
Of a memory
A recollection of things past, a bittersweet history
That's haunting me.
It's haunting me because it's something that I can't easily forget.
In some quiet nook
In a serene and peaceful place, where I can be alone with my thoughts.
I go thru its pages
I carefully read and inspect each page of the journal, reliving each experience.
And peruse this ageless tale
I read and examine this timeless love story over and over again.
Of a love that failed
It's a story of a love that never reached its full potential.
To ever become true.
The love between us never materialized to what it could've been.
On this page is the date
This page in particular cites a specific date
Of that fateful night at eight
The date mentioned on the page is specifically the night at eight o'clock when something significant took place.
When I found you were no longer in love.
This was the moment when our love began to fade, and I began to lose you.
After that there's nothing more
After that moment, I couldn't go on writing about our love anymore.
Just a dark and futile door
Just a hopeless and pointless attempt to rekindle my love
That shuts out the stars above.
It puts an end to any and all hope of ever pursuing love again
In my little book
Once again, I am referring to my brown book that contains all of my memories.
I inscribed your heart vow
When we first fell in love, I transcribed the promise you made to me in my book.
But since we're apart now
But now that we're no longer together, the promise is all that remains.
This and that last sweet kiss
All that's left of the memory of our love is the last time we kissed and the promise made.
Is all that's left of you
Those moments are all that remain of our once great love story, which is now just a memory.
Is all that's left of you.
All that is left of you in my life is the memory of our last kiss and the promise you made to me.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: BILLY STRAYHORN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@zelmatoro9135
my husband and i use to slooow dance to this after a hectic day - kids, work, etc... beautiful foreplay - miss him so much! rip lover
@chill9101
How beautiful... ♡ Rev. 21:4 ♡
@tjosephkozlowski
That really hit me deep. Thank you for sharing such a tender memory.
@artivism4068
I shed a tear for your lost loved one just now, listening to this in my loneliness, wondering if ill ever meet someone wholl share their life with me.
@jlbribeiro
What a wonderful memory to hold of a lover... That you may hold him and be held by him in your memory forever, as vividly as you can remember those sweet moments. Thank you so much for sharing.
@tthalley3642
what a beautiful memory thank you for sharing............rest his soul
@252Ron
This song literally is uplifting! Rest in peace Coltrane! Rest in peace Duke! 🎷 🎹
@elvinz2
Another requiem for survival in hard times. Such artistry.
@shyg4525
Truly
@maxxhippolyte79
Truly truly