Can't Teach My Old Heart New Tricks
Benny Goodman Lyrics


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Can't teach my old heart new tricks
Can't make it love someone new
Can't teach my old heart new tricks
Keeps on beating just for you

I tell my old eyes it's spring
They tell me it's cold and gray
Can't teach my old eyes a thing
Keep on cryin' night and day

Oh why can't I forget you
As you forgotten me
But something inside keeps holding on
Not knowing that you're gone, ooh

Can't teach my old heart new tricks
Can't make it love someone new
Can't teach my old heart new tricks
Keeps on beating just for you, ooh

Oh why can't I forget you
As you forgotten me
But something inside keeps holding on
Not knowing that you're gone, ooh

Can't teach my old heart new tricks
Can't make it love someone new
Can't teach my old heart new tricks
Keeps on beating just for you

Can't teach my old heart new tricks, oh
(Can't make it love someone new)
Can't make it love someone new
My heart
Keeps on beating just for you

Can't teach my old heart new tricks, oh
(Can't make it love someone new)
Can't make it love someone new
My heart
Keeps on beating just for you

Can't teach my old heart new tricks, oh
(Can't make it love someone new)




Can't make it love someone new
My heart

Overall Meaning

In "Can't Teach My Old Heart New Tricks," Benny Goodman sings about the pain of moving on after a breakup. Despite his best efforts, he can't make his heart love someone new. He compares his heart and eyes to old dogs that can't learn new tricks, highlighting the difficulty of changing one's emotional patterns after years of attachment to a person.


The imagery combines the romantic (heart and love) with the mundane (tricks and eyes), showing the struggle between the idealized fantasy of love and the practical limitations of human nature. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the singer's inability to overcome his attachment to his former lover, whom he hopes to forget but cannot. The bittersweet tone of the song captures the complexities of relationships and the difficulty of letting go.


Overall, "Can't Teach My Old Heart New Tricks" is a melancholy yet relatable portrayal of heartbreak and the challenge of moving on. The lyrics showcase Goodman's skill at evoking emotion through simple yet powerful words.


Line by Line Meaning

Can't teach my old heart new tricks
I cannot change how I feel about you or love someone else


Can't make it love someone new
My heart only loves you and cannot love another person


Keeps on beating just for you
My heart continues to love only you


I tell my old eyes it's spring
I try to see the world as happy and bright, but my heart still feels sad


They tell me it's cold and gray
No matter how hard I try to see the world as happy, my sadness persists


Can't teach my old eyes a thing
I cannot change how I view the world or how I feel inside.


Keep on cryin' night and day
I cannot stop feeling sad and heartbroken


Oh why can't I forget you
I wish I could forget you and move on, but I can't


As you forgotten me
I know you have moved on and forgotten about me


But something inside keeps holding on
Something within me still hopes that we will be together


Not knowing that you're gone, ooh
Even though I should accept that you have moved on, I still hold onto the hope that we will be reunited


Can't teach my old heart new tricks, oh
No matter how hard I try, my heart remains the same


(Can't make it love someone new)
I cannot make my heart love another person


My heart
My feelings and emotions towards you


Keeps on beating just for you
I still love you and my heart beats solely for you




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RICHARD WHITING, JOHNNY MERCER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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