Take the "A" Train
Ella Fitzgerald - Dizzy Gillespie - Duke Ellington and his Orchestra Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I hate to see that evening sun go down,
I hate to see that evening sun go down,
'Cause my lovin' baby done left this town.

If I feel tomorrow, like I feel today,
If I feel tomorrow, like I feel today,
I'm gonna pack my trunk and make my getaway.
Oh, that St. Louis woman, with her diamond rings,
She pulls my man around by her apron strings.
And if it wasn't for powder and her store-bought hair,
Oh, that man of mine wouldn't go nowhere.

I got those St. Louis blues, just as blue as I can be,
Oh, my man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea,
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me.

I love my man like a schoolboy loves his pie,
Like a Kentucky colonel loves his rocker and rye
I'll love my man until the day I die, Lord, Lord.

I got the St. Louis blues, just as blue as I can be, Lord, Lord!
That man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea,
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me.

I got those St. Louis blues, I got the blues, I got the blues, I got the blues,




My man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea,
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me, Lord, Lord!

Overall Meaning

In Ella Fitzgerald's "St. Louis Blues", the singer portrays deep feelings of despair and heartbreak caused by her lover leaving her. She hates to see the evening sun go down because it brings the night, and with it the loneliness she now feels. She confesses that if she feels the same way tomorrow as she does today, she will pack her bags and leave town. The second stanza talks about the "St. Louis woman" who has stolen her man away from her, aided by jewelry and other shallow material possessions. The singer sees herself as a victim of the woman's tricks, which have led her lover away. The singer does not criticize him, rather lays the blame on the insidious woman with fake hair and powder.


The third stanza sees the singer confessing to having the St.Louis Blues, which mirrors the lyrics expressed in the first two stanzas. She feels blue, sad, and hopeless, while her man has a heart "like rock cast in the sea". The fourth and final stanza, however, reveals the depth of her love. She compares her love for her man with a schoolboy's love for pie, and a Kentucky colonel's love for his rocker and rye. She ends by affirming that she will love him until the day she dies.


Line by Line Meaning

I hate to see that evening sun go down,
I can't stand to watch the sun set, because my love has left me in this town.


If I feel tomorrow, like I feel today,
If things don't change, I'm leaving town tomorrow.


Oh, that St. Louis woman, with her diamond rings,
That woman from St. Louis with her wealth and jewelry has taken my man and controls him with her feminine wiles.


She pulls my man around by her apron strings.
She has a tight hold on my man and he behaves according to her wishes.


And if it wasn't for powder and her store-bought hair,
If that woman wasn't covering up her true nature (with makeup and a wig), my man wouldn't be interested in her.


Oh, that man of mine wouldn't go nowhere.
My man is under the spell of that St. Louis woman, and without her he wouldn't do anything.


I got those St. Louis blues, just as blue as I can be,
I am consumed with sadness and longing, because of my love leaving me for that woman from St. Louis.


Oh, my man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea,
My man is emotionally unavailable, and may not care about me as much as I do about him.


Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me.
If he truly loved me he would never have left me behind like this.


I love my man like a schoolboy loves his pie,
I have an intense and innocent love for my man that is unreturned and unrequited.


Like a Kentucky colonel loves his rocker and rye
My love for him is as real and as passionate as the love a colonel has for his favorite drink.


I'll love my man until the day I die, Lord, Lord.
I will always love him, no matter what happens, even until the day I pass away.


I got those St. Louis blues, I got the blues, I got the blues, I got the blues,
My sadness is overwhelming and all-consuming, and it has taken over my entire being.


That man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea,
My love is emotionally unresponsive, and may not be capable of feeling love in the same way I do.


Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me, Lord, Lord!
If he really cared for me, he never would have left me alone and hurting like this.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Reservoir One Music
Written by: BILLY STRAYHORN

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

HB

00:44 ~ 1:25
You must take the "A" train
To go to Sugar Hill, way up in Harlem
If you miss the "A" train
You'll find you missed the quickest way to Harlem
Hurry, get on, now it's coming
Listen to those rails a-thrumming all aboard
Get on the "A" train
Soon you will be on Sugar Hill in Harlem
4:19 ~ 4:30
You, you must take the "A" train
To go to Sugar Hill, way up in Harlem
5:00 ~ 5:40
You must take the "A" train
To go to Sugar Hill, way up in Harlem
If you miss the "A" train
You'll miss the quickest way to Harlem
Hurry, get on board, it's comin'
Listen to those rails a-thrumming all aboard
Get on the "A" train
Soon you will be on Sugar Hill in Harlem
5:48 ~ 6:37
All aboard
Next stop is Harlem
Next stop, Harlem
Come on, get aboard the "A" train
Get aboard
Next stop is Harlem
Take the "A" train



lays lays

You must take the "A" train
To go to Sugar Hill, way up in Harlem
If you miss the "A" train
You'll find you missed the quickest way to Harlem

Hurry, get on, now it's coming
Listen to those rails a-thrumming all aboard
Get on the "A" train
Soon you will be on Sugar Hill in Harlem

You, you must take the "A" train
To go to Sugar Hill, way up in Harlem

You must take the "A" train
To go to Sugar Hill, way up in Harlem
If you miss the "A" train
You'll miss the quickest way to Harlem

Hurry, get on board, it's comin'
Listen to those rails a-thrumming all aboard
Get on the "A" train
Soon you will be on Sugar Hill in Harlem

All aboard
Next stop is Harlem

Next stop, Harlem
Come on, get aboard the "A" train

Get aboard
Next stop is Harlem
Take the "A" train



giuspe

jazz students, a funny experiment to try at home:
1) open the Realbook
2) find this song
3) play the melody as written
4) come back to this video
5) listen to how she plays it
6) transcribe
7) compare
8) (optional) laugh profusely. be grateful to be alive in a world where both Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerarld were also, at a point, alive.



All comments from YouTube:

Philinda Bell

Crazy. I knew this song as Duke Ellington’s but never knew it had lyrics! Unbelievable. Fantastic singing by Ella as always. 💕💕💕💕

Gabe Jurewicz

I remember hearing this as a teenager back in '89 when I worked in a dinner theater. I was listening to Traffic a lot so I dug this and asked the owners who sang this. Thus beginning my love of jazz music!

Edward Corrigan

This particular rendition is a masterpiece. Inspired, elegant, breathtaking...not a note missed by anyone at anytime...glorious indeed. Thanks to them all.

Jay Young

@Cashel...Much is sung about Harlem. But little is known that Harlem didn't go black until 1925. Up to then, it had been Jewish (white).

Edward Corrigan

@Jay Young Not surprised...neighborhoods, areas, sections and districts change residents frequently throughout history...I mean, look at NY!! Love NY for that reason alone...nevermind all the other reasons to love NY...check out the documentary by Ric Burns..."New York: A Documentary"....fantastic, hard to watch...and fantastic...except for Robert Moses....

Ethan Mulvihill

I've been playing this song for so long without even hearing the lyrics! Exemplary performance!

TONEZ KHALFANi

Rest In Peace Rich Porter. 🙏🏾
Shout out to the Duke! No Art is done without intent. #Jazz

jim

???

P K

A Harlem king!! #rip

Riptide534

This song gets me nostalgic even though I’ve only heard this a year ago

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