"Miss Otis Regrets" is a song by Cole Porter from 1934. It was first perfor… Read Full Bio ↴"Miss Otis Regrets" is a song by Cole Porter from 1934. It was first performed on stage by Douglas Byng in Hi Diddle Diddle, which opened October 3, 1934 at the Savoy Theatre, London. However, the song was originally written for Ada "Bricktop" Smith to perform.
"Miss Otis Regrets" is a song in the blues style, and Porter's wry take on some common lyrical subject matter of the genre, telling the tale of a woman who comes to a bad end after an encounter with a man. But Porter's peculiar twist is that Miss Otis is a polite society lady, and the story of her last evening is told by her servant after Miss Otis has met her demise. In a few compact lines, the servant reveals how, after being seduced and then abandoned, Miss Otis hunted down and shot her seducer, was arrested, taken from the jail by a mob, and hanged. The servant conveys Miss Otis's final, polite, apologetic words to her friends: "Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today."
more : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Otis_Regrets

Miss Otis Regrets
Ethel Waters Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today, madam
Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today
She is sorry to be delayed
But last evening down in Lover's Lane
She strayed, madam
Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today

When she woke up and found

That her dream of love was gone, madam
She ran to the man who had led her so far astray
And from under her velvet gown
She drew a gun and shot her love down, madam
Miss Otis regrets, she's unable to lunch today

When the mob came and got her
And dragged her from the jail, madam
They strung her upon the old willow across the way
And the moment before she died
She lifted up her lovely head and cried, madam
Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today

Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Ethel Waters's song Miss Otis Regrets tell a story of a woman who has cancelled her lunch appointment due to unexpected events that happened the night before. The story unfolds when Miss Otis woke up and found that her dream of love was not reciprocated, causing her to seek out the man who had led her on. However, her actions ended in tragedy as she pulled out a gun hidden under her velvet gown and shot her love down. The mob arrested her and strung her on the old willow across the way. In her final moments before dying, she regrets that she will not be able to have lunch with her friend.

The lyrics of Miss Otis Regrets are a vivid depiction of a story of love and loss. Ethel Waters delivers the song with such emotion that the listener can feel the pain and sadness of Miss Otis. The narrative structure of the song is unique in that it tells a story rather than just telling about a feeling or a situation. The lyrics showcase the complexity of human emotions and the destructive power of unrequited love.

Line by Line Meaning

Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today, madam
Miss Otis apologizes for being unable to have lunch today, madam

She is sorry to be delayed
She is expressing sadness and regret for being late

But last evening down in Lover's Lane
However, she spent last night in Lover's Lane

She strayed, madam
She wandered off, madam

When she woke up and found That her dream of love was gone, madam
In the morning, she realized that her romantic fantasy had disappeared, madam

She ran to the man who had led her so far astray
Feeling misled, she went to the man who had caused her downfall

And from under her velvet gown She drew a gun and shot her love down, madam
From beneath her velvety dress, she retrieved her weapon and fatally shot her lover, madam

When the mob came and got her And dragged her from the jail, madam
When an angry group took her from jail, madam

They strung her upon the old willow across the way
They hung her from an old willow tree nearby

And the moment before she died She lifted up her lovely head and cried, madam
Just before she passed away, she raised her beautiful head and cried out, madam

Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today
Miss Otis is once again expressing apologies for not being able to have lunch today

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@paulasanchisesteve5909

4y↑4

"Oh, hi! Is Miss Otis in?"
"Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today, "
Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today, madam
Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today, mmm
And she's sorry to be delayed
But last evening down at lover's lane
She strayed, madam
Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today
When she woke up and found
That her dream of love was gone, madam
She ran to the man who had lead her so far astray
And from under her velvet gown
She drew a gun and shot her lover down, madam
Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today
When the mob came and got her
And dragged her from the jail, madam
They strung her up on the willow across the way
And the moment before she died
She lifted up her lovely head and cried, madam
Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch
Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today

All comments from YouTube:

@stevenl8054

4y↑7

Tongue-in-cheek, deadpan, and the great Ethel Waters absolutely nails it!

@user-cl1ew9ki5i

2y↑3

Such a beautiful artist. The songs story brings tears to my eyes every time. And I feel sadness that not enough has changed in the world over the years.

@davidwalsh3439

7y↑13

This is just simply wonderful what a great and talented performer Ethel Waters was. Her music is eternal. This is a brilliant rendition by a lady of great class and style.

@christopherdavis80

51w

Thank you. You have stated all that was, and is, wonderful about this lady

@williamroden8495

4y↑8

There is an Agatha Christie movie adaptation of At Bertram's Hotel where the concierge speaks the opening lines to this song into the telephone.
It is a very strange place to hear that, and it made me think of this recording.
Such a wonderful and sad song.
This is the definitive version of this song.

@festeCanuck

Yes, I've listened to just about every version and this is IT

@patricklardieri5063

3y↑2

The Best Version of This Classic!

@ChrisBurkeLincolnEngland

12y↑7

A gorgeous reminder of a bygone age that my parents would quote from. Don't you just love Cole Porter and Ethel Waters.

@adamcullen8777

50w↑1

Truly amazing we can hear Ethel so clearly and beautifully.

@wavesnearmyhome

14y↑2

Its a priviledge to listen to this song.

@revivalharpsichord5078

4y↑6

What an elegantly simple and straightforward rendition of a great song! Thanks for posting.

@ras613pa

4y↑1

Thank you. You expressed exactly why it is so perfect.

@richardmcleod5967

3y↑3

One of the most unusual songs ever written.

@owlzguy

14y↑5

Legend has it that Cole Porter was bragging to a friend that he could write a song about anything. So the friend picked up an invitation containing the title words from Porter's desk and challenged him to write a song around it. I think Porter succeeded admirably.

@sueparkerjones1070

8y↑2

Never in my life time have I not stopped and turned at hearing the best people in the world sing and these are the dancers and singers that are the best SueX I adore music , any type any person , all different but it has to hit my heart and a lot dooooooooooo thank you I salute you all I nothing when I listen to you my life's a better place with you all in it past and present your in my heart and my ears bringing out the best of me SueX

@thurberdrawing

15y↑6

Absolutely my favorite version of this song

@17025601

8y↑22

Ethel Waters was born in Chester, Pa., a small industrial city on the Delaware River. So was I, many years later, but in a far different neighborhood. William Penn landed there first, then went upriver to Philadelphia. She became enormously famous. My mother used to tell me that Ethel Waters often returned to Chester to visit -- in a purple Cadillac! Think of the time period. She made it. She was magnificent as a singer and actress. RIP.

@johnboys4697

Oh a history lesson! 😂

@peterhargraves2775

5y↑6

My Uncle Charlie sang this while playing his accordion back in the 50's. He would play it at parties and irrespective of how much drink folk had, they stopped and listened to this great song!

@johnboys4697

🤣🤣🤣🤣

@justinjaronlewis

3y↑2

Love the ending!

@artistphx

7y↑9

What a delight to find this!

@jacquelinewhiteley9437

3y↑2

GREAT!

@ras613pa

4y↑1

The best rendition.

@rozlin313

4y↑1

Sept. 2020 -- I am a first impressions girl. The 1st versionI heard of this song is Van Morrison and Joey DeFrancesco in organ. I love VM's husky voice. So today I'm going through several versions of this captivating song.

@seanandnaim

13y↑2

as much as i love Ella this evokes all the emotions needed for this song

@carolcheny

11y↑4

Ethel brings such warmth and empathy to this song that nobody else can do.

@TheGenreman

3y↑2

Bryan Ferry came pretty close.

@johnboys4697

@@TheGenreman 🤣

@rasmusrosengren9092

32w

@@TheGenremanhe did it great and I love his version. 😘

@HR5308

15y↑2

Remarkable nice song! Thanks!

@ccaammiinniiito2

10y↑2

He did!! In more ways than one. His way with words is magical.

@thomasbarnes796

83 and still discovering treasures JOY

@mandragorra

15y↑5

I appreciate this version! I grew up with the Bette Midler version, but I enjoy both versions.

@russellwindle3847

6y↑4

The song came from a bet between Monte Woolley and Cole Porter, Porter bragged he could write a song about anything to which Monte replied, "Miss Otis Regrets"...

@xavieralberto1176

7y↑9

Wow, had never heard of her, but what a performance-Super!!! This is how you tell a story through song. Isnt's youtube wonderful?

@patricklardieri5063

3y↑1

So glad u discovered this great artist!

@revivalharpsichord5078

4y↑2

A real treasure!

@ccaammiinniiito2

11y↑6

Continuing. She autographed a book I was reading, Thor Hyerdahl's "Kon Tiki," and I was most appreciative. My fascination with her is manifold. But it is primarily what she does with a song and how she does it. I should like to believe that Waters was classically trained from the manner in which she trills her "r.s." And her phrasing, breathing, if you will, is a lesson many today could learn. Her honesty about life is punctuated cleared in "His Eyes Are on the Sparrow.

@auriusblancheman9623

I liked when she sang the song in that movie...

@mhikl4484

10y↑1

Why does this ‘silly’ song tug at the heart strings? One of my favs.

@ccaammiinniiito2

9y↑1

+Mhi kl "Silly"? Cole Porter didn't write "silly" songs. He was a master of the English language, so much so that had I my druthers, one of these, Notre Dame, Pursue, University of Indiana would have to give him a posthumous doctorate in Linguistics, so masterful was he with the English language.

@Shabannie

12y↑3

This song always makes me laugh. Thank you for posting this. ---------Ellen

@mrofnocnon

6y↑1

A song about a lost love and a lynching, yeah that's very funny is it? What a sick puppy you are, obviously in need of a lot of growing up.

@stevetessier6568

Thank you so very much for posting this most lovely rendition.

@johnboys4697

🤡🤡🤡

@Corrie121

15y↑2

Love it! Thanks for the info and for sharing this gem.

@utawkinterme9428

6y↑1

Back in the early 1950's we had this on a 78 but it was a man speaking the words. I didn't fully understand the words then. Wow, it's far more sinister than I remember. The records would be brought out on Sunday usually when Dad had a day off. Wonderful to hear it again.

@Timmybear

12y↑1

The beauty of aesthetics is that, being subjective, it is not a field in which one can definitively say someone did a song 'better'. :)

@papoocanada

15y↑1

beautiful song - a classic

@paulostroff99

14y↑1

Awesome! As good as any ever recorded!

@paulostroff99

14y↑1

Awesome! TY.

@hillsmomhillsmom6668

10y↑1

It seems I remember reading a biography of Ethel Waters when I was a child. Not only did she sing, but she danced and was known as "Sweet Mama Stringbean" back in the day. I haven't thought of that in years. Thanks for the posting.

@potdog1000

& she was fanciable

@HR5308

15y↑1

Great!!!!

@ThiagoSantos-ie4sh

8y↑10

The uncanny x-men v1 #32 talks about this song. Stan Lee and Roy Thomas, wrote the script of this issue.

@ccaammiinniiito2

11y↑3

Continuing. I'd like to post the two cd's I have of hers. But first I want to make sure that what I'm doing will be legal. Care must be exercised, after all. But standouts are "Birmingham Bertha," There'll Be Some Changes Made," my favorite, "Cabin in the Sky," and playful, "Come Up And See Me Sometimes," among many others. "I'm Coming Virginia" is given sthe same dramatic input as "At the End of the Road," by Irving Berlin. She will ALWAYS be one of my early favorites!!

@direfranchement

11y↑3

Lena Horne (b. 1917) was not a contemporary of Ethel Waters (b. 1896). Lena Horne was part of the second generation of jazz singers including Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald born around World War I and coming to the national stage in the 1930's and 40's. Ethel Waters was already playing in Blues clubs by the time Lena Horne was borne. Louis Armstrong, Ethel Waters, Bessie Smith, Adelaide Hall and Mabel Mercer are luminaries of the first generation of influential jazz and blues singers.

@davidgriffiths2924

5y↑1

A classic.

@amiehunt3556

7y↑2

SUPER!

@mrofnocnon

Bryan Ferry does a wonderful version, everyone should give it a listen.

@solitarymaninblack

7y↑1

There was a cover version or a mix sampling this song. I heard it years ago and only found it again now.

@Denis-tg6jw

7y↑1

She was quite lovely.

@5601mason

14y↑1

Fantastic! another good version is by The Jack Jackson Band Terry

@bobinobaker

14y↑2

Ethel Waters and Alberta Hunter sings the best version of this song in this time 1930/40...

@scapegoat321

14y

Petty comment. Werx great w/ the feel of the song... Thx for posting...

@InuitInua

15y↑1

I knee I had to look up this song when I read about it in Bricktop's autobiography.

@henrimatisse7481

4y↑1

Far more elegant than Mack the Knife. That song creeps me out.

@waynebrasler

13y↑2

A supreme artist, Ethel Waters had to fight tooth and nail for every success she achieved in show business. When Lena Horne found she was making a film with Waters she heard terrible stories of how Waters treated other women in shows, especially beautiful younger women. But as it turned out nothing happened. Horne respected Waters and many people felt Waters realized that. And they didn't have that much contact making the film.

@silversleep731

15y↑1

Labelle has a version of this song on their new album, "Back to Now." I like it ^_^

@Ironbuket

2y↑1

The papers are saying this in UK queen's favourite song

@paulaltese4635

5y↑2

the definitive version of this song. it's almost too much to listen to.

@funkychick1234567890

3y↑1

Be sure to listen to the recording of this song by the great Linda Ronstadt.

@MamaCharisma1021

15y↑1

Nothing beat Patti Austin 2009 performance at te\he statmore. She b\killled.

@jw12ification

11y↑1

Here's hoping, with that command of African American musical history, that you've written something of an anthology whether it sells or not. This is a history that must never be relegated to the dustbin of history.

@jewellrian27

15y↑1

I am 27 yrs. old, and you would not believe it but my uncle always talks about Ethel Waters, and you gave me the opportunity to hear one of the greatest singers that ever walked the earth. i want to Thank You for posting, it was GREATLY appreciated. I have a new appreciation for the music in this era, and I will be looking forward to more of your postings. Ethel Waters........A name tattooed on my heart.

@johnboys4697

I guess your 40 now?

@njkauto2394

.
How time flies.......

@jimilove7773

2y↑1

Best version of this song bar a version by LA rock band/Adam PAskowitz on vocs....Check it out!

@jw12ification

11y↑1

I reacted to this piece in pretty much the same manner as I did with Dorothy Parker's "I Wished On A Star," with no better a conduit than Billie Holiday herself. My apologies if I've posted this already, but I do mourn the fact that Florence Mills' came at a time when recording was not so well developed. Historians say she was quite a visual singer along with Ethel and Lena. Whatever, that must've been a wonderful time to be alive musically at any rate.

@johnboys4697

🙄🙄🙄

@hyramesshiramess1035

9y↑12

WOW! Ethel Waters was the real deal. My earliest memory of her, however, was from the fifties when she played Beulah, a darling colored maid, probably modeled on Hattie McDaniel's portrayal of Mammy from GWTW. Miss Waters was mature by then and had grown plan and stout. I never knew she could sing till the late 1970's.

I wonder what prompted Porter to write this bizarre, uniquely sad song?

@mimhann2893

Hyramess Hiramess It's easy enough to believe it really happened to someone caught in a love triangle!! I love Nancy Wilson's 1962 version of this.

@BelAge

Hyramess Hiramess It was his own twist on a story after hearing about a racial lynching in the south.

@ccaammiinniiito2

9y↑1

+BelAge Racial? Not always. Italian Americans in New Orleans had a time of it, too! Amazing, however, that many of them have forgotten.

@ccaammiinniiito2

9y↑2

+Hyramess Hiramess "Bizarre"? I wouldn't exactly say that. The storyline can be found in reality. One the lynching of an Italian American, which prompted the Italian government to sever diplomatic relations between the two countries until the matter was resolved. Then, another lynching, this time a Jewish American, in Georgia. Indiana was a hotbed of early KKK activity during the time of Porter's birth and development, so it could be that the song had some reference to life's tragic experiences.

@Diaredd59

9y↑3

+Hyramess Hiramess Ethel Waters replaced Hattie McDaniel in the show when she passed away in 1952. Cole Porter was a member of the famous roundtable at The Algonquin Hotel where the era's most famous and notable wits gathered and dared each other creatively. Dorothy Parker was dared to make something out of the word "horticulture". Her wry response was "You can lead a 'whore to culture' but you can't make her think". Cole was given the phrase, "Miss Otis Regrets" and the result was this sad classic, immortalized by many.

12 More Replies...

@jeetjerome

11y↑1

Why cant we travel in time? Cause the golden years are over ; )

@renascencewoman

13y↑1

ella fitzgerald does this on songbooks for cole porter

@mikaelb7735

💓

@fromthesidelines

11y↑1

Recorded on August 20, 1934.

@RatPfink66

4y↑1

With Victor Young and his Orchestra. Originally released as Decca 140 A.

@carolcheny

11y↑6

Ethel Waters ware short changed because of racism at the time. She was a superstar despite of that.

@ccaammiinniiito2

@carol...Shortchanged? You obviously don't know how big a star Ethel Waters EVEN for the times. She broke ALL the rules and was the highest paid entertainer of the times, barring all other considerations. Do your homework, dear heart. There are some things that defied and challenged the existing mores, customs and traditions of the times. And EW was one of those things.

@christopherdavis80

had no idea Ethel was 'shortchanged', old friends, now dead of course, in London, found her enchanting and
introduced me..... aet 75 years I carry her enchantment into the 21st century

@bobinobaker

15y↑1

Ethel Waters,Alberta Hunter,Ella,Billie Holliday,ect...never comes back....

@arg10250

12y↑1

Great song, deserves to be in Fallout 3 though....

@paulasanchisesteve5909

4y↑4

@fromthesidelines

The Bette Midler version (the dialogue at the beginning was heard only on her 1990 album, "Some People's Lives").

@samsum3738

That would make a great song madam .

@gilraenn29

14y↑1

very nice, but the most moving and simply beautiful rendition is Ella Fitzgerald.

@mfj1021

My Peeps...check this our...more to come

@bobfriedman

I have this by the Mills Bros, released September 12, 1934 on Decca Records 166B. Cole Porter, the composer, reflected the lynching of an upper class woman; however, the majority of those lynched in those days were African American males and poor whites. Nevertheless, the delivery remains as an anti-lynching ballad of the time and beyond.

@andrewsmith2836

3y↑1

I heard this Ethel Waters song and loved it, Tried others ,but there not a patch on Ethels, Ella Fitzgeralds is good, but the piano's too loud and too modern, the time, lyrics, and music on Ethel Waters version are exquisite, right for the time and forever, don't mess it up, leave it alone if you can't sing it like Ethel,

@o0dballu

15y↑1

I think I prefer the Ella Fitzgerald version, with piano =]

@fukuinerd

13y

Killer!

@jw12ification

11y↑1

Where would you place Bricktop and Elizabeth Welch in the pantheon of African American singers?

@retepnalon

14y

your talking rubbish

@Diaredd59

One of our most famous or infamous lesbians.........

@17025601

8y↑7

No disparagment or disrespect meant. Many show biz people in those days swung both ways. Comfort is comfort on the road these fine ladies traveled. Just give them a peaceful memory for all they accomplished in a tough world for them.