Imagine My Frustration
Ella Fitzgerald/Nelson Riddle's Orchestra Lyrics

I went down to the dance
I went to a dance event.

Such a clown by the wall
I was standing awkwardly by the wall like a clown.

Invited to dance
No one invited me to dance.

By no one at all
Literally nobody asked me to dance.

The couples danced fine
I watched as other couples danced gracefully.

So charming and gay
The other couples looked so happy and joyful.

But nobody wants
None of the other dancers were interested in.

To look over my way
None of the dancers paid attention to me.

So awfully sad
I felt extremely sad and disappointed.

Dissatisfied
I was not satisfied with what was happening.

I hurt so bad
The rejection hurt me a lot.

I almost cried
I almost shed tears because of the rejection.

Imagine my frustration with no
I cannot fully express how frustrating it was.

Invitation to dance
I was disappointed that no one invited me to dance.

Head high, standing tall
I tried to maintain my composure and stand confidently.

Who else, who else could I be?
I wondered if others were judging me for my inability to get a dance partner.

But Ella next to the wall
It was just me standing awkwardly next to the wall, being Ella.

A fella who likes what they see?
I wondered if there was someone who took an interest in me.

And then in my ear
Suddenly someone whispered to me.

Someone said to me
I heard someone's voice next to my ear.

Wallflower, my dear
The person who spoke to me called me a wallflower.

How come you can't see
They were wondering why I couldn't see something so obvious.

They couldn't care less?
The other dancers were indifferent about whether I danced or not.

They're not impressed
None of the dancers were impressed by me.

As you might have guessed
This was probably not news to me.

You're in excess
I was apparently too much in some way.

I smiled to the crowd
I tried to act more confident and happy, smiling at the other dancers.

Tip toe and alert
I was staying attentive and alert in case someone might change their mind and ask me to dance.

Yes, the band blues went loud
The blues music from the band was getting louder.

But next on a flirt
I was secretly waiting for someone to flirt with me and ask me to dance.

A voice said to me
I heard another voice speak.

You're sweet as can be
The person calling me a wallflower said I was sweet.

But how come you're here
They were wondering why I was not dancing with anyone.

About your dress
The person who spoke to me commented on my dress.

You're in a mess
They suggested that I was making a mess of the situation.

And in excess
Once again, the person implied that I was too much.

Imagine my frustration with no
They could not understand how frustrated and disappointed I was.

Invitation to dance
It was particularly hard to deal with not being invited to dance.