Tell Me on a Sunday
Black Don Lyrics
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Don't call me at 3 A.M. from a friend's apartment
I'd like to choose how I hear the news
Take me to a park that's covered with trees
Tell me on a Sunday please
Let me down easy, no big song and dance
No long faces, no long looks, no deep conversation
Take me to a zoo that's got chimpanzees
Tell me on a Sunday please
Don't want to know who's to blame
it won't help knowing
Don't want to fight day and night
bad enough you're going
Don't leave in silence with no words at all
Don't get drunk and slam the door
that's no way to end this
I know how I want you to say goodbye
Find a circus ring with a flying trapeze
Tell me on a Sunday please
I don't want to fight day and night
bad enough you're going
Don't leave in silence with no words at all
Don't get drunk and slam the door
that's no way to end this
I know how I want you to say goodbye
Don't run off in the pouring rain
Don't call me as they call your plane
Take that hurt out of all the pain
Take me to a park that's covered with trees
Tell me on a Sunday please
The lyrics to Black Don's song "Tell Me On a Sunday" express a plea from the singer to their partner to end the relationship in a kind and respectful manner. The singer asks their partner not to write a letter or call in the middle of the night from a friend's apartment to end things. Rather, they ask to be taken to a peaceful place, like a park covered in trees, and to hear the news on a Sunday. They ask for the news to be delivered gently, without any dramatics or long conversations. The singer makes it clear that they don't want to fight or assign blame, and they don't want their partner to leave in silence or with a drunken outburst. Instead, they ask for a proper goodbye, even suggesting an out-of-the-box location like a circus ring with a flying trapeze.
The song "Tell Me On a Sunday" was originally written for a musical of the same name by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black. It tells the story of a young British woman named Emma who moves to New York City to start a new life and find love. The song was first performed by Marti Webb, who played Emma in the original production, in 1979. Since then, it has been covered by numerous artists and has become a popular standard in the theater and cabaret worlds.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't write a letter when you want to leave
Please don't write me a letter when you're planning to leave me. It's better to tell me in person.
Don't call me at 3 A.M. from a friend's apartment
Don't call me when it's too late to talk, and you're calling from someone else's place. It's wrong.
I'd like to choose how I hear the news
I would appreciate it if you gave me the news of your departure in a way that's comfortable for me.
Take me to a park that's covered with trees
Take me to a peaceful place covered by nature, where I can think clearly after hearing the news of your departure.
Tell me on a Sunday please
Please choose a Sunday to tell me that you're leaving, so I have time to process it before the start of the next week.
Let me down easy, no big song and dance
Please break the news softly and without much fuss, and don't make a big deal of it.
No long faces, no long looks, no deep conversation
No need to make a long face, stare deeply or engage in heavy conversation after delivering the news of your departure.
I know the way we should spend the day
I know how we should spend our last day together before you depart.
Take me to a zoo that's got chimpanzees
Take me to the zoo to see chimpanzees. Let's spend our last day together having fun and creating memories.
Don't want to know who's to blame, it won't help knowing
I don't want to know who's responsible for you leaving me. It won't make it any easier.
Don't want to fight day and night, bad enough you're going
I don't want us to spend our last moments together arguing. It's already hard enough that you're leaving.
Don't leave in silence with no words at all
Please don't leave silently without saying anything. It'll be harsh to handle.
Don't get drunk and slam the door, that's no way to end this
Don't get drunk and act impulsively by slamming the door, and taking it as an excuse to hurt me. It's not a good way to end things.
I know how I want you to say goodbye
I know how I want you to say goodbye. Please respect my wish.
Find a circus ring with a flying trapeze
Find a circus that has flying trapeze, and say goodbye to me in a memorable way, different from how most people say goodbye.
Don't run off in the pouring rain
Don't leave in a rush, especially when it's raining heavily, it'll be chaos.
Don't call me as they call your plane
Please don't call me right after your plane is announced. It'll be too late, and I'll be in distress.
Take that hurt out of all the pain
Take the hurt that's making you leave out of all the pain surrounding our relationship.
Take me to a park that's covered with trees
Take me to the park once again, so that we can say goodbye properly, surrounded by nature.
Tell me on a Sunday please
Please choose a Sunday to tell me that you're leaving, so I have time to process it before the start of the next week.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Donald Black
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind