But while Waits' early life was tumultuous to say the least, that voice managed to prevail, and on her self-titled debut for the Radarproof label, we are shown why we are all the better for it. Just as capable of singing a torch song as getting down and dirty with the blues, Waits tackles a combination of covers and originals on her CD with passion that really should be displayed more in the music business.
Her choices for covers are as curious when one sees them listed on the CD cover as they are ultimately appropriate, once they have been heard. Tom Waits' "Get Behind the Mule," sizzles with mischief when the female Waits works her magic on it. Bob Dylan's "Ring Them Bells," a criminally overlooked track from his excellent "Oh Mercy" CD, is given beautifully reverent treatment by Waits, as is the Billie Holiday standard, "Yesterdays."
Just wait until you hear the longing in Waits' voice when she tackles Ray Charles' "Drown in My Own Tears." Among the originals, the song "The Ballad of Judith Anne" is the most intriguing.
Also good is "Ignatius," which closes out the CD.
Cigarettes and Coffee
Hope Waits Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About a quarter till three
I'm sittin' here talkin' with my baby
Over cigarettes and coffee, now
I would like to tell you that
Darling I've been so satisfied
Honey since I met you
All the places I've been around
And all the good looking boys I've met
They just don't seem to fit in
Knowing this is particularly sad, yeah
But it seemed so natural
Darling, that you and I are here
Just talking over cigarettes
And drinking coffee
And my whole heart cries out
Love at last I've found you
And honey won't you let me, just let me
Build my whole life around you
And how complete, how complete
My whole life would be
If you would take things under consideration
And walk down this aisle with me
I would love it, yeah
It's so early in the morning
It's a quarter till three
We're sittin' here talkin' over cigarettes
And drinking coffee, now, Lord
And would like to tell you, well
I've known nothing but good old joy
Since I met you
Honey since I've met you
I would love to have
Another drink of coffee, now
And please, darling, help me smoke
Just one more cigarette
I don't want no cream and sugar
Because I've got you
Just help me enjoy this good time
That we'll have
It's so early, so early in the morning
So early, so early in the morning
And I've got you and you've got me
And we'll have each other
And we don't, we don't need nothing
But good ole joy
The Hope Waits song, "Cigarettes and Coffee" is a beautiful ballad sung in the early hours of a new day. The singer of the song is having a conversation with their love about the joy and satisfaction that they have found since meeting. The song is filled with imagery of smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee, two vices that often accompany intimacy and late night conversations. The singer tells their love that they have found joy and completeness in their relationship and that they would love for their love to consider marriage.
The lyrics of "Cigarettes and Coffee" speak not only to the intimacy of love but also to the comfort and familiarity of spending time with someone you care about. The song suggests that the singer and their love have been up all night talking and smoking cigarettes, enjoying each other's presence. It seems likely that this has been a recurring pattern in their relationship - a time to feel connected and grounded in each other's company. The song ends with the singer asking for one last cigarette and one last drink of coffee as they continue to enjoy each other's company.
Line by Line Meaning
It's so early in the morning
The time of day is early, probably around 3:00 AM
About a quarter till three
The time is specifically around 2:45-2:50 AM
I'm sittin' here talkin' with my baby
The singer is having a conversation with her significant other
Over cigarettes and coffee, now
They are smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee while talking
I would like to tell you that
The singer wants to share some information
Darling I've been so satisfied
The singer is happy and content
Honey since I met you
The singer has been happy since meeting her significant other
Baby, since I've met you
The singer has been happy since meeting her significant other
All the places I've been around
The singer has traveled to many different places
And all the good looking boys I've met
The singer has met many attractive men
They just don't seem to fit in
None of the men the singer has met have been the right match for her
Knowing this is particularly sad, yeah
The singer is saddened by the fact that none of the men she's met are a good match for her
But it seemed so natural
Being with her significant other feels natural
Darling, that you and I are here
The singer is glad to be with her significant other
Just talking over cigarettes
They are conversing while smoking cigarettes
And drinking coffee
They are also drinking coffee
And my whole heart cries out
The singer's heart is full of emotion
Love at last I've found you
The singer has finally found true love in her significant other
And honey won't you let me, just let me
The singer is expressing her desire for her significant other to let her build a life around them
Build my whole life around you
The singer wants to center her life around her significant other
And how complete, how complete
The singer is emphasizing the completeness she feels with her significant other
My whole life would be
The singer's life would be complete and fulfilled
If you would take things under consideration
The singer is asking her significant other to consider building a life together
And walk down this aisle with me
The singer is proposing marriage to her significant other
I would love it, yeah
The singer would be thrilled if her significant other would marry her
It's so early in the morning
The time of day is still early, around 3:00 AM
It's a quarter till three
The time is still around 2:45-2:50 AM
We're sittin' here talkin' over cigarettes
The singer and her significant other are still smoking and talking
And drinking coffee, now, Lord
They are also still drinking coffee
I would like to tell you, well
The singer wants to share more information
I've known nothing but good old joy
The singer has only experienced happiness since meeting her significant other
Since I met you
The singer has been happy since meeting her significant other
Honey since I've met you
The singer has been happy since meeting her significant other
I would love to have
The singer wants something
Another drink of coffee, now
The singer wants more coffee
And please, darling, help me smoke
The singer is asking her significant other to help her smoke a cigarette
Just one more cigarette
The singer wants to smoke one more cigarette
I don't want no cream and sugar
The singer wants her coffee plain
Because I've got you
The singer is happy because she has her significant other
Just help me enjoy this good time
The singer wants to cherish the moment and enjoy time with her significant other
That we'll have
The singer and her significant other will have a good time together
So early, so early in the morning
It is still early in the morning
And I've got you and you've got me
The singer and her significant other have each other
And we'll have each other
They will continue to have each other
And we don't, we don't need nothing
They don't need anything else
But good ole joy
They have each other and that is enough to bring them joy
Contributed by Taylor H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@petelabeat
"Call me Iggy."
"Sorry I`m late, Jim."
@Barry4B
Tom Waits has one of the best speaking voices on the planet
@tcehaus2600
Don't you mean Heath Ledger ;)
@colinmckinnon3494
I definitely agree
@woodpeckery
Colin Mckinnon... oh yeah, kinda like that linguistic marvel, El Fudd
@heathfever108
Tce Haus What?
@zetetick395
Here's a good one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F9AoKJGWis
@gabriellerossonfilmstrailers
Two of the coolest people on the planet at one table.
@dohaatheexplorer
I could not understand what they were talking about? sometimes the voice was really blurry. can you please explain
@sthomas7849
Add in Patti Smith and the world would implode.