Two Sleepy People
Fats Waller & His Rhythm Lyrics


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Here we are, out of cigarettes,
Holding hands and yawning,
Look how late it gets.
Two sleepy people by dawn's early light,
And too much in love to say goodnight.

Here we are, in a cozy chair;
Pickin' on a wishbone from the frigidaire.
Two sleepy people with nothing to say,
And too much in love to break away.

Do you remember the nights we used to linger in the hall?
Your father didn't like me at all.
Do you remember the reason why we married in the fall?
To rent this little nest and get a bit of rest.

Well, here we are just about the same,
Foggy little fella, drowsy little dame.




Two sleepy people by dawn's early light,
And too much in love to say goodnight.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Two Sleepy People" by Fats Waller and His Continental Rhythm tell a story of two lovers who are out of cigarettes, holding hands, and yawning. As the night gets later, they become progressively sleepier and unable to say goodnight. In the second verse, they are sitting in a cozy chair, picking on a wishbone from the Frigidaire, still with nothing to say, but too much in love to break away. They reminisce about the past, remembering the nights they used to linger in the hall and how the reason for their marriage was to rent a little nest and get some rest. The final verse reveals that time has passed, but they are still just about the same, the little foggy fella and drowsy little dame, too in love to say goodnight even at dawn's early light.


The song was originally written by Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser in 1938 for the movie "Thanks for the Memory." It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song but lost to "Jeepers Creepers."


Interestingly, the opening line of the original song was "Here we are, out of wine," but it was changed to cigarettes for radio broadcast.


Fats Waller, a jazz pianist and composer, recorded his version of "Two Sleepy People" in 1938, which became a hit and a jazz standard.


The song has been covered by numerous artists, including Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney, Nat King Cole, and Harry Connick Jr.


The lyrics were used as the title for a 1955 romantic comedy film starring Jane Russell and Ralph Meeker.


In 2004, the song was used in a commercial for Dunkin' Donuts.


The song has been featured in several TV shows, including "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and "American Horror Story."


The "Frigidaire" mentioned in the song was the first self-contained refrigerator with a compressor that was mass-produced in the United States.


The line "picking on a wishbone from the Frigidaire" refers to a tradition where two people pull on the wishbone of a cooked chicken or turkey for good luck.


The chords for the song, in the key of C, are C6, A7, Dm7, G7, C6, Am7, D9, Dm7/G7, C6, A7, Dm7, G7, C6, Bb9, A7, D9, Dm7/G7, C6.


Line by Line Meaning

Here we are
We are here together in this moment


Out of cigarettes
We have no more cigarettes to smoke


Holding hands and yawning
We are holding hands and tired


Look how late it gets
We have been up so late


Two sleepy people by dawn's early light
We are both sleepy and it is early in the morning


And too much in love to say goodnight
We love each other too much to want to end the night


Here we are
We are here together in this moment


In the cozy chair
We are sitting comfortably in the chair


Picking on a wishbone
We are breaking a wishbone for fun


From the Frigidaire
We are taking the wishbone from the refrigerator


Two sleepy people with nothing to say
We are both tired and don't have much to talk about


And too much in love to break away
We love each other too much to want to separate


Do you remember
Do you recall


The nights we used to linger in the hall?
The times we spent in the hallway together


Father didn't like you at all
Your father did not approve of me


Do you remember
Do you recall


The reason why we married in the fall?
The reason we got married in the autumn


To rent this little nest
To have this small home


And get a bit of rest
To have some time to relax


Well, here we are
And so now we are


Just about the same
In a similar situation to before


Foggy little fella
Feeling drowsy and confused


Drowsy little dame
Feeling tired and sleepy


Two sleepy people by dawn's early light
We are both tired and it is early in the morning


And too much in love to say goodnight
We love each other too much to want to end the night




Lyrics © Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Frank Loesser, Hoagy Carmichael

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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