Two Sleepy People
Hoagy Carmichael & Ella Logan 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 Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser's classic song, "Two Sleepy People," tell the story of a couple who are staying up late into the night, holding hands and yawning, and too much in love to say goodnight. The first verse establishes the scene, where the couple is out of cigarettes and it's getting late, but they're still together. The second verse places them in a cozy chair, with nothing to say to each other but still too in love to break away. The bridge of the song reflects back to their past, where they remember the reason why they got married and rented their little nest - to get some rest. The song's final verse brings them back to the present, where they are still the same, two sleepy people by the dawn's early light, and still too much in love to say goodnight.


Line by Line Meaning

Here we are, out of cigarettes,
We have run out of cigarettes, and we are sitting together holding hands and yawning despite the lateness of the hour.


Holding hands and yawning,
Despite the late hour and lack of cigarettes, we are still enjoying each other's company as evidenced by our holding hands and yawning.


Look how late it gets.
The lateness of the hour is apparent, and we are too tired to continue staying up.


Two sleepy people by dawn's early light,
We are two people who are quite drowsy and tired as the morning approaches.


And too much in love to say goodnight.
Despite the lateness of the hour, we are too deeply in love to bid each other goodnight and seek rest separately.


Here we are, in a cozy chair;
We are comfortably seated in a warm and inviting chair.


Pickin' on a wishbone from the frigidaire.
We are casually picking on a frigid wishbone, likely from the refrigerator, to pass the time.


Two sleepy people with nothing to say,
We are both so tired that we have nothing left to say to each other.


And too much in love to break away.
Despite the lack of conversation and the lateness of the hour, we are too deeply in love to want to separate.


Do you remember the nights we used to linger in the hall?
Do you recall the evenings we spent spending time together in the hallway?


Your father didn't like me at all.
I had not made a favorable impression on your father.


Do you remember the reason why we married in the fall?
Can you recollect the rationale behind our decision to get married in the autumn?


To rent this little nest and get a bit of rest.
We chose to marry in order to secure a small home and enjoy some peace and quiet.


Well, here we are just about the same,
Years later, we find ourselves in much the same circumstances.


Foggy little fella, drowsy little dame.
We are both a bit groggy and tired as the morning approaches.


Two sleepy people by dawn's early light,
We are still two drowsy individuals as the morning light begins to filter in.


And too much in love to say goodnight.
Despite the lateness of the hour, we are still too deeply in love to want to part ways and seek rest.




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

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Geoff M

A beautiful song by the incomparable Hoagy Carmichael and the delicious voice of Ella Logan. Americans singers with strong Scottish links.

Silkworm

You posted the same thing 4 months ago :)

Clifton Jamison

My Dad (drummer) played with Jack Mahew at Champlain Valley College back in the 40's.Jack was from Plattsburgh,N.Y.,and that's where dad met Mom who grew up in P-burgh and Jack went on to Eddie Condons in N.Y,N.Y,then he ended up in The Dukes of Dixieland.

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