These Foolish Things
Jane Birkin / Jimmy Rowles Lyrics

Oh! Will you never let me be?
I am trapped by my feelings for you and cannot escape.

Oh! Will you never set me free?
I am asking for you to let me go from the ties of our past relationship.

The ties that bound us Are still around us There's no escape that I can see
Though we have separated, memories of our love still surround me, and there is no way to escape them.

And still those little things remain That bring me happiness or pain
Even small things that remind me of you, bring me mixed feelings of happiness and pain.

A cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces An airline ticket to romantic places And still my heart has wings These foolish things remind me of you
Even ordinary things like a cigarette with your lipstick mark, an old airline ticket to a beautiful place, or listening to romantic music brings back the memories of our love, making me feel alive again.

A tinkling piano in the next apartment Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant A fair ground's painted swings These foolish things remind me of you
Simple things like the sound of a piano playing nearby, the memory of the first time I said I love you to you, or the sight of painted swings in a fair remind me of how we used to be together.

You came you saw you conquer'd me When you did that to me I knew somehow this had to be
You won my heart completely when we were together, and even though it hurt, I knew that our love story was meant to be.

The winds of March that make my heart a dancer A telephone that rings but who's to answer? Oh, how the ghost of you clings! These foolish things remind me of you
Just like the winds of spring that bring new life, every time the phone rings, I hope that it's you, but your absence haunts me, and these foolish things keep reminding me of you.

First daffodils and long excited cables And candle lights on little corner tables And still my heart has wings These foolish things remind me of you
Even the sight of spring flowers or the memory of our romantic candlelit dinners gives me happiness and makes me feel alive, but also reminds me of my love for you.

The park at evening when the bell has sounded The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it The beauty that is Spring's These foolish things remind me of you
Walking in the park on a spring evening or standing near the harbor with the sound of gulls flying around makes me feel your presence, and these simple things remind me of you.

The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses The waiters whistling as the last bar closes The song that Crosby sings These foolish things remind me of you
Even watching an old movie star like Garbo smiling, the scent of roses announced in the air, or the song of Bing Crosby brings back memories of our love and reminds me of you.

The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers Oh, how the ghost of you clings! These foolish things remind me of you
The smell of burning leaves or the sound of steamer ships reminds me of our time together, as well as seeing two people in love walking on the streets reminds me of my love for you.

How strange how sweet to find you still These things are dear to me They seem to bring you near to me
It is strange, but sweet to realize that even though we have separated, these memories are still dear to me, and somehow they make me feel closer to you.

The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations Oh, how the ghost of you clings! These foolish things remind me of you
The sound of trains passing by empty stations or the memory of dancing together with my silk stockings thrown aside takes me straight back to the past and reminds me of you.