Lover Man
Dizzy Gillespie Ft Sarah Vaughan Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I don't know why
But I'm feelin' so sad
I long to try
Somethin' I've never had

Never had no kissin'
Oh, what I've been missin'
Lover man
Oh, where can you be?

The night is cold
And I'm so all alone
I'd give my soul
Just to call you my own

Got the moon above me
But no one to love me
Lover man
Oh, where can you be?

I've heard it said
That the thrill of romance
Can be
Like a heavenly dream

I go to bed
With the prayer
That you'll make love to me
Strange as it seems

One day we'll meet
And you'll dry all my tears
And whisper sweet
Little things in my ears

A huggin' and a kissin'
Oh, what I've been missin'
Lover man
Oh, where can you be?





Lover man
Where can you be?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Dizzy Gillespie and Sarah Vaughan's song, Lover Man, express a deep longing for a lover who is absent. The first two lines of the song, "I don't know why, but I'm feeling so sad," express the singer's confusion and sadness about their current state. They then go on to explain that they long to try something they've never had before, specifically kissing and physical intimacy. This longing is emphasized by the repetition of the phrase "Lover man, oh, where can you be?" throughout the song.


The second verse continues the theme of loneliness and isolation, with the singer expressing a desire for someone to love them. They have the moon above them, but no one to love them. The bridge of the song is particularly poignant, with the singer acknowledging that the thrill of romance can be like a heavenly dream, but they go to bed every night with the hope that their lover will make love to them. The final verse is perhaps the most hopeful, with the singer imagining a future where they will meet their lover, who will dry their tears and whisper sweet words in their ear.


The lyrics to Lover Man are a powerful expression of the pain of loneliness and the yearning for love and human connection. The song has been covered by numerous artists over the years and has become a jazz standard.


Line by Line Meaning

I don't know why
I am unaware of the reason behind my gloomy state.


But I'm feelin' so sad
However, experiencing acute sorrow despite not knowing the reason behind this feeling.


I long to try
I have an urge to fulfill a desire.


Somethin' I've never had
I want to experience something I have not yet experienced.


Never had no kissin'
I have never experienced the act of kissing.


Oh, what I've been missin'
A realization of what I have been missing.


Lover man
Addressing the person I am seeking - a lover man.


Oh, where can you be?
Expressing a sense of longing and wondering where my lover man could be.


The night is cold
The surroundings are cold, adding to the feeling of loneliness.


And I'm so all alone
I feel entirely alone at the moment.


I'd give my soul
A hyperbolic statement expressing just how much one yearns for the described situation.


Just to call you my own
Expressing the eagerness to belong to my lover man.


Got the moon above me
Despite being alone, I do have moonlight shining on me.


But no one to love me
Though the moon is a companion, it can never replace the love I seek from my lover man.


I've heard it said
I have come across an expression in the past.


That the thrill of romance
The feeling of excitement linked to the idea of being in a romantic situation.


Can be
This concept can exist in reality.


Like a heavenly dream
This experience can feel like a dream from paradise.


I go to bed
Each night before sleep, I do something specific.


With the prayer
At this time, I pray to the divine.


That you'll make love to me
A fervent desire to be intimate with my lover man.


Strange as it seems
The feeling and the way it manifests seems unusual.


One day we'll meet
I believe that one day we will cross paths.


And you'll dry all my tears
When we meet, my lover man will console me and make everything better.


And whisper sweet
He will speak kind, loving words.


Little things in my ears
He will place his lips close to my ear and speak softly.


A huggin' and a kissin'
The goal is to end up in a situation where we are embracing with kisses.


Lover man
Addressing the desired person once again - the lover man.


Oh, what I've been missin'
Reiterating the realization of what has been absent all along.


Lover man
Asking once again - where is my lover man?


Where can you be?
Expressing the constant yearning and longing to find and be with the lover man.




Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@37BopCity

This is what I call a PERFECT recording. A golden moment in time that could never be repeated the same way, live in a studio with the greatest names in jazz history, simple, direct, no artifice, no pretence, straight ahead perfection. I never get tired of listening to this.

@adnilrummut105

amazing fascinating ... this is what I call my home

@micmac99

This is regarded as Miss Vaughan's breakout song, that really launched her legendary career. The 78 must be worth at least hundreds.

@Astromyxin

Just went and looked through my mom's massive 45 collection, and she totally has this!

@gcurioso1974

Sarah Vaughn maravillosa !!!

@maick-tomg.602

Oh, so great !! What a golden voice !!

@cambridgeMandarin

She was so vocally gifted, just as Ella said - her breath and pitch control were bullet-proof so she had no need to use technique to cover problems.

@viggosimonsen

Love Dizzy's tritone subs from these early bebop years. They really add a fresh new coloration to the ballads. Just a few years earlier, one would never had heard a horn player play like that - in any jazz context.

@pullmanjunction5854

Viggo - I know what a tritone substitution is. I take it you are not referring to the chords though. Can you be a little more specific - which passages are examples of Dizzy using tritone subs in his playing?

@monicabella7894

A pity that he used tritone.

More Comments

More Versions