the gentleman is a dope
GORME Eydie Lyrics


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The gentleman is a dope,
A man of many faults,
A clumsy Joe
Who wouldn't know
A rumba from a waltz.

The gentleman is a dope
And not my cup of tea;
Why do I get in a dither?
He doesn't belong to me!

The gentleman isn't bright,
He doesn't know the score;
A cake will come,
He'll take a crumb
And never ask for more!

The gentleman's eyes are blue,
But little do they see,
Why am I beatin' my brains out?
He doesn't belong to me!

He's somebody else's problem,
She's welcome to the guy!
She'll never understand him
Half as well as I.

The gentleman is a dope,
He isn't very smart;
He's just a lug
You'd like to hug
And hold against your heart.

The gentleman doesn't know
How happy he could be,
But look at me cryin' my eyes out
As if he belonged to me;
He'll never belong to me!

The gentleman doesn't know
How happy he could be,
But look at me cryin' my eyes out
As if he belonged to me;




He'll never ever,
He'll never belong to me!

Overall Meaning

The song "The Gentleman is a Dope" by Eydie Gorme tells a story of unrequited love, where the singer is pining for a man who is not a suitable match for her. The lyrics describe him as "a man of many faults," "clumsy," and "not very smart." Despite his flaws, the singer finds herself drawn to him and struggling to understand why. She knows that he doesn't belong to her and isn't her cup of tea, yet she can't help but be in a dither over him.


The line "A cake will come, he'll take a crumb and never ask for more" is particularly telling, implying that the man is someone who settles for less and doesn't know his own worth. The song suggests that he could be happier if he were with someone who truly appreciates him, but the singer recognizes that she cannot be that person.


Line by Line Meaning

The gentleman is a dope,
The man is foolish and flawed


A man of many faults,
He is deeply flawed in many ways


A clumsy Joe
He is inept and graceless


Who wouldn't know
He lacks basic knowledge


A rumba from a waltz.
He can't distinguish between two very different things


The gentleman is a dope
The man is intellectually deficient


And not my cup of tea;
He is not someone I'm interested in


Why do I get in a dither?
Why am I getting worked up over him?


He doesn't belong to me!
I have no claim on him


The gentleman isn't bright,
He lacks intelligence


He doesn't know the score;
He doesn't understand the situation


A cake will come,
He will settle for the bare minimum


He'll take a crumb
He is satisfied with very little


And never ask for more!
He doesn't have high expectations


The gentleman's eyes are blue,
He has blue eyes


But little do they see,
He doesn't perceive what's going on around him


Why am I beatin' my brains out?
Why am I so troubled by this?


He doesn't belong to me!
I have no claim on him


He's somebody else's problem,
He is someone else's responsibility


She's welcome to the guy!
She can have him if she wants


She'll never understand him
She won't comprehend him fully


Half as well as I.
Not as well as I do


The gentleman is a dope,
The man is foolish and flawed


He isn't very smart;
He lacks intelligence


He's just a lug
He's just a simpleton


You'd like to hug
You might feel an affection for him


And hold against your heart.
You might want to keep him close


The gentleman doesn't know
He is unaware


How happy he could be,
He could be much happier


But look at me cryin' my eyes out
I am so upset


As if he belonged to me;
As if I had a claim on him


He'll never belong to me!
I have no claim on him


The gentleman doesn't know
He is unaware


How happy he could be,
He could be much happier


But look at me cryin' my eyes out
I am so upset


As if he belonged to me;
As if I had a claim on him


He'll never ever,
He definitely will not


He'll never belong to me!
I have no claim on him




Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: OSCAR II HAMMERSTEIN, RICHARD RODGERS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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