Coquette
Johnny Guarnieri Lyrics


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Hear me, why you keep fooling
Little coquette, making fun of the one who loves you
Breaking hearts you are ruling
Little coquette, true hearts tenderly dreaming of you.
Someday you'll fall in love as I fell in love with you.
Maybe the one you love will just be fooling too.
And when you are alone with all your regrets,
You know, my little coquette, I love you.

Someday you'll fall in love as I fell in love with you.
Now, maybe the one you love will just be fooling too.




And when you are alone with all your regrets,
Now, you know, my little coquette, I love you.

Overall Meaning

The song Coquette by Johnny Guarnieri is a heartfelt plea to a playful and flirtatious woman who is constantly breaking hearts with her frivolous behavior. The singer of the song warns her that she is ruling the hearts of many who are tenderly dreaming of her. He expresses his own love for her, despite her deceiving ways, and believes that one day she will fall in love and experience the same heartbreak she has caused for others. He suggests that the person she falls in love with may also be fooling her, just as she is fooling others.


The lyrics of the song are both honest and vulnerable. They speak to the pain of unrequited love and the struggle to let go of someone who is not meant to be. The use of the term "coquette" adds an air of playfulness to the song, suggesting that the object of the singer's affection is not necessarily a bad person, but simply someone who enjoys flirting and being chased.


Interestingly, the song itself has a long and varied history within the music industry. Originally written in 1928, it was popularized by artists such as Guy Lombardo and Benny Goodman during the swing era. It has since been covered by numerous artists across multiple genres, including Doris Day, Louis Armstrong, and even The Muppets.


Line by Line Meaning

Hear me, why you keep fooling
Listen to me, why are you continually deceiving those who care for you?


Little coquette, making fun of the one who loves you
You mischievous flirt, you enjoy ridiculing those who love you


Breaking hearts you are ruling
You reign as the heartbreaker, shattering the emotions of those who adore you


Little coquette, true hearts tenderly dreaming of you.
Sweethearts yearning for your affection, dreaming of your tender love, you careless tease


Someday you'll fall in love as I fell in love with you.
One day, you'll understand the pain of unrequited love, just as I felt it when I loved you


Maybe the one you love will just be fooling too.
Perhaps the one you end up loving will also deceive you, just as you've deceived others


And when you are alone with all your regrets,
When you're left with nothing but your regrets and your solitude,


You know, my little coquette, I love you.
You should know, oh playful temptress, that I still love you despite everything




Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network
Written by: JOHN WALDO GREEN, GUS KAHN, CARMEN LOMBARDO

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@christinemurphy7372

This really is one of my favorite recordings ever - thank you so much for sharing it. 💚

@betteroffsingle

Somewhere among my photo memories, there's a pix of myself with Scott Elsworth at KFI radio (LA). Scott was interviewing Barney Bigard and I was in the studio with them. Wish I could find that darn pix. One nice guy was Bigard and one heck of a musician too.

@sunshinecreole1319

I wish I had the opportunity to have met my 2nd great uncle. However, my grandmother who is still alive today at 86 of age shared great memories with me about her Uncle Barnie growing up in New Orleans. Also, I have had to opportunity to speak with my 2nd great uncle eldest grandson who is named after is grandfather.

@Alffovinni

thanks for the awesome upload!!! God bless

@thendrjazz

Nice late small group swing. Issued on 78 by Keynote shown here. Mercury took over the label after it went bankrupt in 1948 and reissued this tune on various albums on Mercury and Emarcy.

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