Harold Arlen described the song as "another typical Arlen tapeworm" – a "tapeworm" being the trade slang for any song which went over the conventional 32 bar length. He called it "a wandering song. [Lyricist] Johnny [Mercer] took it and wrote it exactly the way it fell. Not only is it long – forty-eight bars – but it also changes key. Johnny made it work." In the opinion of Arlen's biographer, Edward Jablonski, the song is "musically inevitable, rhythmically insistent, and in that mood of 'metropolitan melancholic beauty' that writer John O'Hara finds in all of Arlen's music."
Sinatra recorded the song several times during his career: In 1947 with Columbia Records, in 1954 for the film soundtrack album Young at Heart, in 1958 for Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely, in 1962 for Sinatra & Sextet: Live in Paris, in 1966 for Sinatra at the Sands and finally, in 1993, for his Duets album.
One for My Baby
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's no one in the place 'cept you and me
Set 'em' up, Joe
I got a little story, I think you should know
We're drinking my friend
To the end of a brief episode
Make it one for my baby
I know the routine
Put another quarter in the machine
I feel kind of bad
Can't you make the music easy and sad
I could tell you a lot
But it's not in a gentleman's code
Just make it one for my baby
And one more for the road
You'd never know it
But buddy I'm a kind of poet
And I've got a lot of things I'd like to say
And if I'm gloomy, please listen to me
Till it's talked away
Well, that's how it goes
And Joe I know you're gettin' anxious to close
Anyway thanks for the cheer
I hope you didn't mind
My bending your ear
But this torch that I found
It's gotta be drowned
Or it's gonna explode
Make it one for my baby
And another for the road
The long, it's damned long, it's so long
"One for My Baby" is a melancholic, haunting song about a man who has just broken up with his lover and seeks refuge in a bar. He finds himself alone with the bartender and proceeds to share his innermost feelings in a way that is both bleak and touching. He asks for a drink for himself and one more for the road, knowing he is about to hit the highway and leave his heart behind. He continues to pour out his heart with a poetic flair, seeking the bartender's understanding and solace. He hints at dark secrets and hidden pain, but stops short of revealing too much. Sinatra's voice and phrasing are impeccable, conveying a sense of resignation and sadness that is heartbreaking.
The song is widely regarded as one of Sinatra's best, due to his delivery of the words and the emotion that comes with it. He famously performed it as a test of a new sound system, and was moved to tears by the results. Sinatra went on to record the song several times, and it became a staple of his live performances. The lyrics capture the sense of loneliness and despair that can come with heartbreak, and the music heightens those emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
It's quarter to three
It's almost 3 a.m.
There's no-one in the place
The bar is empty
'Cept you and me.
Except for us
So set 'em up Joe,
Barman Joe, please get us drinks
I've got a little story, I think you should know
I want to tell you a story
We're drinking my friend, to the end of a brief episode
We're drinking as a goodbye to a short period of time
Make it one for my baby, and one more for the road
Please give me another drink for myself, and one more to take with me for the road
I've got the routine
I'm used to doing this
Put another nickel in the machine
Please play another sad song
I'm feeling so bad
I'm feeling very sad
Can't you make the music easy and sad
Please play a slow, melancholy song
I could tell you a lot, but you've gotta be true to your code
I have a lot to say, but I don't want to betray your trust as a bartender
Just make it one for my baby, and one more for the road
Please give me another drink for myself, and one more to take with me for the road
You'd never know it, but buddy I'm a kind of poet
You might not realize it, but I consider myself a poet
And I got a lot of things I'd like to say
I have a lot on my mind that I want to share
So when I'm gloomy, won't you listen to me
When I'm sad, can you please listen to me
'Til it's talked away
Until I feel better by talking about it
Well, that's how it goes
That's just the way things happen
And Joe I know you're getting anxious to close
And I know you want to close the bar soon, Joe
And thanks for the cheer
Thank you for making me feel better
I hope you didn't mind my bending your ear
I hope you didn't mind me talking to you for so long
But this touch that I've found
But this feeling that I have
Must be drowned or it soon might explode
I need to drink away this feeling or it might become overwhelming
So make it one for my baby
Please give me another drink for myself
And one more for the road
And one more to take with me for the road
The long
The night feels long
It's so long
The night feels very long
The long
The night feels long
Very long
The night feels extremely long
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@morozy8743
It's quarter to three,
There's no one in the place 'cept you and me
So set 'em' up joe
I got a little story I think you should know
We're drinking my friend
To the end of a brief episode
So make it one for my baby
And one more for the road
I got the routine
Put another nickel in the machine
I'm feeling so bad
Can't you make the music easy and sad
I could tell you a lot
But you gotta to be true to your code
So just make it one for my baby
And one more for the road
You'd never know it
But buddy I'm a kind of poet
And I've got a lot of things I want to say
And when I'm gloomy, won't you listen to me
Till it's all, all talked away
Well, that's how it goes
And joe I know you're gettin' anxious to close
So thanks for the cheer
I hope you didn't mind
My bending your ear
But this torch that I found
It's gotta be drowned
Or it soon might explode
So make it one for my baby
And one more for the road
@hardingtess42
The man is singing in Royal Festival Hall in front of hundreds of people and yet -- he makes the song totally intimate - him and the bartender --- that's wonderful performing and singing.
@llne
hardingtess42 the atmosphere he creates is always on point
@nicolasalegriaperez490
Dueto america
@richardcarter6664
my favourite comment iv read! beautiful voice amazing man!! and will live forever
@mg659er
Powerful draw is needed
@amileoj9043
Exactly so. This is Sinatra at the very height of his powers, and all the years later, it's still astonishing to see & hear him summon such emotional nakedness in such a setting.
@petemarciano
2049? If I’m still alive I will still be listening to Frank!
@Tomjones12345
2049 brought me here.
@eddardmulligan
Agreed!
@evilemperordude
Sony should get working on that holographic jukebox.