Are You Lonesome Tonight
Elvis Presley Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Are You Lonesome Tonight

Performer:Elvis Presley & The Jordanaires
Composer :Roy Yurk
Lyricist :Lou Handman

Are You Lonesome Tonight
Do You Miss Me Tonight
Are You Sorry We Drifted Apart
Does Your Memory Stray
To A Brighter Summer Day
When I Kissed You And Called You Sweetheart

Do The Chairs In Your Parlor Seem Empty And Bare
Do You Gaze At Your Doorstep And Picture Me There

* Is Your Heart Filled With Pain
Shall I Come Back Again
Tell Me Dear, Are You Lonesome Tonight *

I Wonder If You're Lonesome Tonight
You Know, Someone Said That The World's A Stage
And Each Must Play A Part
Fate Had Me Playing In Love With You As My Sweetheart
Act One Was When We Met
I Loved You At First Glance
You Read Your Line So Cleverly And Never Missed A Cue
Then Came Act Two
You Seemed To Change, You Acted Strange
And Why I've Never Known

Honey, You Lied When You Said You Loved Me
And I Had No Cause To Doubt You
But I'd Rather Go On Hearing Your Lies
Than To Go On Living Without You

Now The Stage Is Bare And I'm Standing There
With Emptiness All Around
And If You Won't Come Back To Me
Then They Can Bring The Curtain Down





(Repeat *)

Overall Meaning

In the classic Elvis Presley's song "Are You Lonesome Tonight," the singer is questioning his former love about how she feels now that they have separated. He asks her if she misses him and if she regrets the drift that drove them apart. He reminisces about the happier times when they were together, and he called her sweetheart. The lyrics are full of metaphors, and in the second verse, he compares their relationship to a play where he had a supporting role, but his love was the lead performer.
He describes how, during their time together, she played her part perfectly, and their love story seemed to unfold quite naturally until she started acting strange. At this point, he suspects she is lying when she says she loves him, but he still prefers to live with her falsehood than to live without her love. He expresses his grief and despair when he stands alone on the stage, surrounded by emptiness and laments that if she does not return to him, the curtain will fall on his life.


The beauty of the song lies in its emotional appeal, the depth of the metaphor, and the powerful voice of Elvis Presley. The song has been covered by numerous artists and has become a classic ballad. Interestingly, the lyricist, Roy Turk, and the composer, Lou Handman, wrote the song in 1926, barely two decades before Elvis Presley's version became a massive hit. Despite its age, the song continues to appeal to generations of music lovers worldwide.


Line by Line Meaning

Are you lonesome tonight?
I wonder if you're feeling lonely tonight. Do you long for my company?


Do you miss me tonight?
Are you thinking about me and wishing I was there with you?


Are you sorry we drifted apart?
Do you regret that we have become separated from each other?


Does your memory stray to a brighter sunny day When I kissed you and called you sweetheart?
Do you think about the happy times we shared, when we were in love and I showed you my affection?


Do the chairs in your parlor seem empty and bare?
Do you feel like your home is missing something, like there's an emptiness or void left by our separation?


Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there?
When you look at your front door, do you imagine me standing there, ready to come back into your life?


Is your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again?
Are you hurting because of our separation? Should I return to you to ease your pain?


Tell me, dear, are you lonesome tonight?
Please let me know if you're feeling lonely and need me back in your life.


You know someone said that the world's a stage
As the saying goes, life is like a play, with each person playing a certain role.


And each must play a part
We all have a role to play in life, whether we like it or not.


Fate had me playing in love with you as my sweet heart
It seems like destiny brought us together to fall in love.


Act one was when we met, I loved you at first glance
When we first met, I was immediately drawn to you and fell in love with you.


You read your line so cleverly and never missed a cue
You played your role perfectly, always knowing what to say and do to keep me in love with you.


Then came act two, you seemed to change, you acted strange
But eventually, something changed and you started behaving unlike the person I fell in love with.


And why, I'll never know
I don't understand why you changed, and I may never know the reason.


Honey, you lied when you said you loved me
It hurts me to admit it, but I now realize that you weren't being honest when you said you loved me.


And I had no cause to doubt you
At the time, I had no reason to think that you were lying to me.


But I'd rather go on hearing your lies
Despite the pain it causes me, I still want to hear you say that you love me, even if it's not true.


Than to go on living without you
The pain of losing you is so great that I'd rather keep pretending that you love me, than face life without you.


Now the stage is bare and I'm standing there With emptiness all around
Now that our relationship is over, I feel like I'm standing on an empty stage, surrounded by emptiness and loneliness.


And if you won't come back to me Then they can bring the curtain down
If you're not willing to come back to me and try to make things work, then it's time to end the show and move on with my life.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LOU HANDMAN, ROY TURK

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
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@baddiemauve4958

[Verse 1]
Are you lonesome tonight?
Do you miss me tonight?
Are you sorry we drifted apart?
Does your memory stray
To a bright sunny day
When I kissed you and called you sweetheart?

[Verse 2]
Do the chairs in your parlor seem empty and bare?
Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there?
Is your heart filled with pain
Shall I come back again?
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?

Spoken:
I wonder if you're lonesome tonight
You know someone said that the world's a stage
And each of us must play a part
Fate had me playing in love with you as my sweetheart
Act one was where we met
I loved you at first glance
You read your line so cleverly and never missed a cue
Then came act two, you seemed to changed, you acted strange
And why I've never know
Honey, you lied when you said you loved me
And I had no cause to doubt you
But I'd rather go on hearing your lies
Than to go on living without you
Now the stage is bare and I'm standing there
With emptiness all around
And if you won't come back to me
Then they can bring the curtain down

[Outro]
Is your heart filled with pain
Shall I come back again?
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?



@iojorge1

Are you lonesome tonight?
do you miss me tonight?
are you sorry we drifted apart?
does your memory stray to a bright sunny day?
when i kissed you and called you sweetheart?
do the chairs in your parlor seem empty and bare?
do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there?
is your heart filled with pain, shall i come back again?
tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?
Spoken
<<i wonder if you're lonesome tonight
you know someone said that the world's a stage
and each must play a part.
fate had me playing in love with you as my sweetheart.
act one was when we met
i loved you at first glance
you read your lines so cleverly and never missed a cue
and then came act two
you seemed to change, you acted strange
and why i'll never know
honey, you lied when you said you love me
and i had no cause to doubt you.
but i'd rather go on hearing your lies
than to go on living without you.
now the stage is bare and i'm standing there
with emptiness all around
and if you won't come back to me
then they can bring the curtain down>>
Is your heart filled with pain, shall i come back again?
tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?



All comments from YouTube:

@mickjr270

That day he died in 1977, I walked out on a dark Hudson River pier in New York City. On the very end a couple sat with a transistor and suddenly: "Are you lonesome tonight, Do you miss me tonight". A warm night, the water, the sad feeling, the song. I've never forgotten any of it.

@AJ-jc1ye

@@aileen9553 Well it makes no sense whatsoever to come on here then..just show that you’ve have absolutely no filter. Pointless waste of time. Go and listen to the other one then.

@meldie

Thank you for sharing that

@barbaramarkham4736

Beautiful words 🎸🎵♥️

@HestanIslandLad

I'm with you all the way on a moment of unequalled emotion. There'll never be another.
He meant so much to us kids back then.

@brickhead_07

Everybody gets old. Except Elvis with his music.

@veritaslibertas4976

It's amazing how soft his voice can get, just above a whisper, and still keep that perfect vibrato. He makes it seem effortless, and with a voice like that, I'm sure it is. No one can ever match it. Timeless. Perfection.

@RR448

That's the reason I love this song..it's definitely a whisper

@rossellapareschi1999

If angels sings for real, this should be how their voice sound....love you Elvis

@reginaldweeks3738

No doubt!!!!

More Comments

More Versions