Black Orpheus
Cassandra Wilson Lyrics


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A day in the life of a fool
A sad and a long, lonely day
I walk the avenue hoping I'll run into
The lovely sight of you coming my way

I stop right across from your door
But you don't see me anymore
So back to my room I go with a gloom
And I cry tears of goodbye

A day in the life of a fool
A sad and a long, lonely day
I walk the avenue hoping that I'll run into
The lovely sight of you coming my way

And I stop just across from your door
But you don't see me anymore
So back to my room I go with a gloom
And I cry tears of goodbye





Tears of goodbye

Overall Meaning

This song tells a story of a person who is sad and lonely, hopelessly waiting to catch a glimpse of someone they love. They walk down the avenue each day, yearning to see that person coming their way. However, when they finally stop in front of the person's door, the object of their affection doesn't even notice them. The singer is left heartbroken and returns to their room feeling doomed, shedding tears of goodbye.


The lyrics of this song convey a deep sense of longing and the pain of unrequited love. The storyteller wants nothing more than to see the person they love, but that hope is never realized. Even when they finally reach the person's doorstep, they are invisible to the one they desire, which reinforces the futility of their efforts. The tears of goodbye that they cry perfectly capture the sense of finality and despair that comes with unrequited love.


Line by Line Meaning

A day in the life of a fool
Describing the experience of a foolish person's day


A sad and a long, lonely day
The day is filled with sadness and loneliness


I walk the avenue hoping I'll run into The lovely sight of you coming my way
The person walks with the hope of meeting their loved one on the way


I stop right across from your door But you don't see me anymore
The person stops near the loved one's door, but they are no longer noticed


So back to my room I go with a gloom And I cry tears of goodbye
The person returns to a gloomy room and cries tears of farewell


A day in the life of a fool
Reiterating the foolish person's unhappy day


A sad and a long, lonely day
Continuing to emphasize the sadness and loneliness of the day


I walk the avenue hoping that I'll run into The lovely sight of you coming my way
Repeating the hope of finding the loved one on the way


And I stop just across from your door But you don't see me anymore
Again mentioning the person stopping near the loved one's door but not being noticed


So back to my room I go with a gloom And I cry tears of goodbye
Repeating the sad scene of the person returning to their room and crying tears of farewell


Tears of goodbye
Describing the tears as a way of saying farewell




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARIA, ANTONIO / SALVET, ANDRE MICHEL CHARLES / BONFA, LUIZ

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Тимур Губашев

A day in the life of a fool

A sad and a long lonely day

I walk the avenue

And hope I’ll run into

The welcome sight of you

Coming my way



I stop just across from your door

But you’re never home any more

So back to my room

And there in the gloom

I cry tears of good bye

(that’s the way it will be every day in the life of fool)

День в жизни дурака

Грустная и длинный одинокий день

Я иду по аллее

И надеюсь, что будете работать в

Желанный вид из вас

Далее мой путь



Я останавливаюсь только напротив вашей двери

Но вы никогда не домой больше

Итак, вернемся к моей комнате

И там во мраке

Я плачу слезами до свидания

( что так оно и будет каждый день в жизни дурака )



All comments from YouTube:

Maria Bento

Encantadora. Interpretação linda. Adoro tudo em Cassandra Wilson.

Sandy G.

Beautiful interpretation of this song!
I saw this movie when I was a child in the 1960’s.
I remembered some of the story line and that the ending was tragic.
I remembered this English version of the song and it’s lyrics and name.
I haven’t thought about this song or sang it since I was in elementary school yet I still knew it!
So many artists sung Black Orpheus in the 1960’s, it was that popular!

JaNai Waden

Thank you so much for posting this. I have ben looking for this for months on here. I have the album too. Much appreciated :)

Тимур Губашев

A day in the life of a fool

A sad and a long lonely day

I walk the avenue

And hope I’ll run into

The welcome sight of you

Coming my way



I stop just across from your door

But you’re never home any more

So back to my room

And there in the gloom

I cry tears of good bye

(that’s the way it will be every day in the life of fool)

День в жизни дурака

Грустная и длинный одинокий день

Я иду по аллее

И надеюсь, что будете работать в

Желанный вид из вас

Далее мой путь



Я останавливаюсь только напротив вашей двери

Но вы никогда не домой больше

Итак, вернемся к моей комнате

И там во мраке

Я плачу слезами до свидания

( что так оно и будет каждый день в жизни дурака )

Terry Mathews

I love this ... and love it live on the new CD, SILVER PONY.

james stephens

She adds such beautiful to what is other wise a sad song!

Ray Adams

Beautiful Song!!!

Julie Holtzman

CASSANDRA'S sultry voice makes me like this English version - tho it has NOTHING to do w/ MANHA DE CARNAVAL ....by Luis BONFA . (BLACK ORPHEUS .) I Love singing it in Portuguese and co-incidentally wrote an English version one sleepless night last week........!
Did any of you see the Film ?

bluemoonomen

Thank you for posting this. Another song for my favs.

Trak Trennoche

...lagrimas sem fim...

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