I Wanna Be Around
Frank Sinatra Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I want to be around to pick up the pieces when somebody breaks your heart,
Somebody twice as smart as i.
Somebody who will swear to be true like you used to do with me,
Who'll leave you to learn that misery loves company, wait and see.

I want to be around to see how he does it when he breaks your heart to bits,
Let's see if the puzzle fits, so fine,
And that's when I'll discover that revenge is sweet,
As I sit there applauding from a front row seat,

When somebody breaks your heart like you broke mine.
That's when I'll discover that revenge is sweet,
As I sit there applauding from a front row seat,




When somebody breaks your heart like you broke mine,
Like you, like you broke mine.

Overall Meaning

The song "I Wanna Be Around" by Frank Sinatra and Count Basie and His Orchestra, is about a man who is no longer with his love but wants to be around to see her suffer if someone breaks her heart. The lyrics are bitter and vengeful, showing the hurt that he still feels after being left behind. He wants to show his ex how it feels to have someone leave you heartbroken and alone.


The singer hopes to one day pick up the pieces when somebody breaks his ex's heart, hoping it would be someone twice as smart as him. He wants to see how her new beau will handle breaking her heart to bits and see if the puzzle fits, which reveals how he still harbors feelings for her. The lyrics conclude by reflecting on how revenge is sweet as he sits in the front row seat, watching her experience the same pain he felt.


The song's melody is a mid-tempo jazz number that emulates the melancholic mood of the lyrics. Sinatra's voice is clear and alluring, providing an excellent contrast to the background music's vibrant horn section. The song's narrative is keen, transitioning from hope to agony and ultimately vindictiveness.


Line by Line Meaning

I want to be around to pick up the pieces when somebody breaks your heart,
I desire to be present whenever someone breaks your heart to console you and help you recover.


Somebody twice as smart as i.
The one who might break your heart can be someone cleverer than me.


Somebody who will swear to be true like you used to do with me,
The person who might love you next may promise to remain loyal and faithful as you did when you were with me


Who'll leave you to learn that misery loves company, wait and see.
Let's wait and see if the new person will make you realize that sorrow enjoys being accompanied.


I want to be around to see how he does it when he breaks your heart to bits,
I wish to be present when somebody breaks your heart to observe how they do it.


Let's see if the puzzle fits, so fine,
Let's see if the new heartbreak for you turns out to be a perfect fit for you.


And that's when I'll discover that revenge is sweet,
When I witness you going through the same pain as me, that's when I'll realize that vengeance can be satisfying.


As I sit there applauding from a front row seat,
I'll be sitting in the front row enjoying your suffering like a spectator applauding a show.


When somebody breaks your heart like you broke mine.
When somebody breaks your heart like you did to me.


Like you, like you broke mine.
Just like you did, exactly the way you broke mine.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Sadie Vimmerstedt, Johnny Mercer

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Mike


on The Lady Is A Champ

eight

She gets too hungry for dinner at eight
She can't eat late and stay up all night, because unlike society types, she has to get up in the morning.

She likes the theatre and never comes late
She cares more about seeing the play than being seen making an entrance.

She never bothers with people she'd hate
Her friends are friends, not social trophies.

Doesn't like crap games with barons or earls
While barrns and earls probably don't play craps, she associates with friends, not people to be seen with.

Won't go to Harlem in ermine and pearls
She doesn't "slum", the practice of the rich in the 30's, when the song was written, of touring poor neighborhoods dressed in rich clothes to "tut, tut" about the deplorable conditions, and congratulate each other for "caring about the poor"

Won't dish the dirt with the rest of the girls
Doesn't trade gossip for acceptance among an in-crowd


She likes the free, fresh wind in her hair
She cares more about how her hair feels than conforming with current hair fashions

Hates California, it's cold and it's damp
Since most of California is noticeably warmer and / or drier than New York, where the play the song was written for is set, this is probably a facetious excuse to like what she likes.


And she won't go to Harlem in Lincoln's or Ford's
Another reference to slumming, but facetious, since Lincolns and Fords were middle-class, not luxury brands when the lyric was written

Anonymous


on Try a Little Tenderness

Here are the correct lyrics

Try A Little Tenderness - Frank Sinatra - Lyrics

Oh she may be weary
Women do get wearied
Wearing that same old shabby dress
And when she’s weary
You try a little tenderness

You know she’s waiting
Just anticipating things she’ll may never possess
While she is without them
Try just a little bit of tenderness

It’s not just sentimental
She has her grieve and her care
And the words that soft and gentle
Makes it easier to bear
You wont regret it
Women don't forget it
Love is their whole happiness
And it’s all so easy
Try a little tenderness

Musical Interlude

And, it’s all so easy
Try a little tenderness

Daniel


on The Way You Look Tonight

I met Frank Jr. in Las Vegas, a real gentleman. RIP you both.

Giorgi Khutashvili


on Theme from New York, New York

)))

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