These Foolish Things
Billie Holiday; Teddy Wilson & His Orchestra Lyrics

Oh! Will you never let me be?
Are you never going to leave me alone?

Oh! Will you never set me free?
Are you never going to allow me to leave?

The ties that bound us
The emotional connection between us

Are still around us
Still present between us

There's no escape that I can see
I can't find a way to break free from you

And still those little things remain
The small details of our relationship are still here

That bring me happiness or pain
These details cause me both joy and sadness

A cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces
A cigarette with your lipstick on it

An airline ticket to romantic places
A ticket for a trip we took to a romantic destination

And still my heart has wings
I still feel the excitement of being in love

These foolish things remind me of you
These small, insignificant things make me think of you

A tinkling piano in the next apartment
I hear a piano playing in the apartment next door

Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
The words I said to express my feelings for you

A fair ground's painted swings
The swings at the amusement park we went to together

You came you saw you conquer'd me
You won me over completely

When you did that to me
When you won me over

I knew somehow this had to be
I knew that we were meant to be together

The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
The March wind makes me feel lighthearted and cheerful

A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
The phone rings, but I don't know who will answer

Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
I can't shake off thoughts of you

These foolish things remind me of you
These insignificant things bring back memories of you

First daffodils and long excited cables
The first spring flowers and long-distance cables filled with excitement

And candle lights on little corner tables
Soft lighting on tables in cozy corners

The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The park at night after closing time

The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it
Watching seagulls around the "Ile de France"

The beauty that is Spring's
The beauty of springtime

How strange how sweet to find you still
It's unusual but nice to still think of you

These things are dear to me
These things mean a lot to me

They seem to bring you near to me
They make me feel like you're close to me

The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
The sound of trains late at night in deserted train stations

Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Discarded silk stockings next to dance invitations

Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
The lingering scent of gardenia on a pillow

Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
Wild strawberries, only seven francs per kilogram

The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
Greta Garbo's smile and the smell of roses

The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The waiters whistling at closing time in a noisy bar

The song that Crosby sings
The song sung by Bing Crosby

The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
The smell of burning leaves and the sound of steamers whistling

Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Two lovers walking like they're in a dream