Round About Midnight
Chet Baker Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

It begins to tell
'Round midnight, midnight
I do pretty well, till after sundown
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
But it really gets bad
'Round midnight

Memories always start 'round midnight
Haven't got the heart to stand those memories
When my heart is still with you
And ol' midnight knows it, too
When a quarrel we had needs mending
Does it mean that our love is ending
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
You're out of my heart
And I'm out of my mind

Let our hearts take wings'
'Round midnight, midnight
Let the angels sing
For your returning
Till our love is safe and sound
And old midnight comes around
Feelin' sad




Really gets bad
Round, Round, Round Midnight

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Chet Baker's "Round Midnight" express the sadness and longing felt when memories of a lost love come flooding back, particularly around midnight. The opening line sets the stage for the rest of the song as Baker sings, "It begins to tell 'round midnight, midnight." This line implies that something significant happens at this time, and it's evident that it's related to his lost love. Baker then sings about how he manages to keep it together until after sundown but starts feeling sad around suppertime. However, it's around midnight when it "really gets bad" because memories of his lost love start coming back, and he can't help but feel the emptiness where she used to be.


Line by Line Meaning

It begins to tell
The song starts to tell a story or express a feeling.


'Round midnight, midnight
The events in the song happen around midnight.


I do pretty well, till after sundown
The singer is okay during the day, but starts to feel sad as night falls.


Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
The singer is sad during dinnertime.


But it really gets bad
The sadness intensifies.


'Round midnight
The peak of the sadness happens around midnight.


Memories always start 'round midnight
The singer's memories of their past relationship always come back late at night.


Haven't got the heart to stand those memories
The singer is unable to emotionally handle thoughts of their past.


When my heart is still with you
The singer is still in love with someone from their past.


And ol' midnight knows it, too
The singer feels like even midnight is aware of their sadness and longing for their past love.


When a quarrel we had needs mending
When there is a fight or unresolved issue with the past love that needs to be fixed.


Does it mean that our love is ending
The singer wonders if the issues between them and their past love mean the end of the relationship.


Darlin' I need you, lately I find
The singer needs their past love and has been feeling this way recently.


You're out of my heart
The past love is no longer in the singer's heart.


And I'm out of my mind
The singer is losing their sanity because of their emotions.


Let our hearts take wings'
The singer wishes for their love to be free and happy.


'Round midnight, midnight
The song returns to the late night setting.


Let the angels sing
The singer hopes for something beautiful to happen with their love.


For your returning
The hope is for the past love to return to the singer's life.


Till our love is safe and sound
The singer wants a secure and true love with their past love.


And old midnight comes around
The song again highlights the late night time of sadness.


Feelin' sad
The singer is still sad.


Really gets bad
Their emotions are overwhelming.


Round, Round, Round Midnight
The song emphasizes that the sadness and memories come around every night, and will continue to do so.




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cootie Williams, Bernard D Hanighen, Theolonious S Monk

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@TheAvivakta

Thank you God for created such a talented artist who left us one of the greatest gift that a person can give for someone.

@jaccar2020

Its a mark of an artist that they can bring out emotion in their audience touch us all inside and deeply whether its Kurt or Chet.

@maximpopov8651

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. ~ Plato.

@maximpopov8651

Man stands face to face with the irrational. He feels within him his longing for happiness and for reason. The absurd is born of this confrontation between the human need and the unreasonable silence of the world. ~ Albert Camus.

@Vanvatthaibinh

Chet makes me sad. But i love it too. It's like a religious

@Kentrap

This make me imagine it's 'round midnight I'm sitting on a bench while looking at the sky with only the moon...

I love this song!

@Catcher2412

Absolutely Love Chet, but I got to cut down listening to him a bit. He really tears me apart everytime and breaks my soul to pieces with that horn...

@letemroll7871

I know what you mean. I´m a user too, sorely in need of rehab.

@happynessblaster2365

"You can't touch music but music can touch you."

@just2hi4u39

I urge you to not cut down, but rather throw yourself into the emotions... youll thank me later with tears running down your face

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