Lush Life
Julie London Lyrics


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I used to visit all the very gay places
Those come what may places
Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
To get the feel of life...
From jazz and cocktails.

The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces
With distant gay traces
That used to be there you could see where theyd been washed away
By too many through the day...
Twelve oclock tales.

Then you came along with your siren of song
To tempt me to madness!
I thought for a while that your poignant smile was tinged with the sadness
Of a great love for me.

Ah yes! I was wrong...
Again,
I was wrong.



Life is lonely again,
And only last year everything seemed so sure.
Now life is awful again,
A troughful of hearts could only be a bore.
A week in paris will ease the bite of it,
All I care is to smile in spite of it.

I'll forget you, I will
While yet you are still burning inside my brain.
Romance is mush,
Stifling those who strive.
I'll live a lush life in some small dive...




And there Ill be, while I rot
With the rest of those whose lives are lonely, too..

Overall Meaning

Julie London's song Lush Life is a poignant expression of the highs and lows of life from the perspective of someone who has experienced both the gayeties and loneliness of life. The first verse reminisces about the singer's past where they frequented "the very gay places" with lively music and cocktails to "get the feel of life". However, they also knew people with "sullen gray faces" who were jaded by the daily grind of life. The second verse is a lament for a lost love as the singer realizes that the love that once felt certain is no longer there. They express their desire to forget the love, but it still burns inside their brain. The singer then resigns themselves to live a "lush life" in some small dive and suffer with the other lonely souls.


The lyrics are a beautiful expression of the realities of life that everyone experiences at some point. The upbeat vibe of the song juxtaposed with the lyrics creates a sense of melancholy and longing. The lyrics capture the essence of what it means to live a "lush life" and the cost that comes with it. The lyrics also talk about the futility of love and how it is ephemeral and can be lost in a blink of an eye.


Line by Line Meaning

I used to visit all the very gay places
I used to go to all the lively places


Those come what may places
No matter what, people went there


Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
A place where one can catch a break while encountering different aspects of life


To get the feel of life...
To experience life


From jazz and cocktails.
Through listening to jazz and drinking cocktails


The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces
The girls I knew looked dull and unhappy


With distant gay traces
Although they looked distant, you could see they were once happy


That used to be there you could see where theyd been washed away
You could see that the traces have been erased by time and events


By too many through the day...
By too many events throughout the day that tire them out


Twelve o'clock tales.
Stories that people tell themselves at midnight


Then you came along with your siren of song
Then you came along singing a tempting siren song


To tempt me to madness!
To drive me crazy with desire


I thought for a while that your poignant smile was tinged with the sadness
I thought for a moment that your expressive smile conveyed sorrow


Of a great love for me.
Of your great love for me


Ah yes! I was wrong...
I was mistaken


Again,
Once more


I was wrong.
I was incorrect


Life is lonely again,
I feel lonely again


And only last year everything seemed so sure.
Only last year everything was definite


Now life is awful again,
Now life is dreadful again


A troughful of hearts could only be a bore.
Too many broken hearts can only be dull


A week in paris will ease the bite of it,
A week in Paris will help me forget


All I care is to smile in spite of it.
All I want to do is smile despite the pain


I'll forget you, I will
I will try to forget you


While yet you are still burning inside my brain.
While I still have strong memories of you


Romance is mush,
Romantic love is messy


Stifling those who strive.
Holding back those who want to succeed


I'll live a lush life in some small dive...
I'll live a luxurious lifestyle in a lowly place


And there Ill be, while I rot
And there I will be, while I slowly deteriorate


With the rest of those whose lives are lonely, too..
With other people who also have lonely lives




Lyrics © K SMITH MUSIC CO., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Billy Strayhorn

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

David Watkinson

I bought this album when it was first available and still listen to it often. Julie was never given the recognition she deserved.

Ralph Dratman

Performed without the verse. As a result this is easier to follow.

Dwayne McDowell

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I used to visit all the very gay places,
Those come-what-may places,
Where one relaxes on the axis,
Of the wheel of life,
To get the feel of life,
From jazz and cocktails.

The gals (girls) I knew had sad and sullen gray faces,
With distingué traces,
That used to be there.
You could see where,
They'd been washed away,
By too many through the day.
Twelve o'clock tales.

Then you came along,
With your siren song,
To tempt me to madness.
I thought for awhile,
That your poignant smile,
Was tinged with the sadness,
Of a great love for me.
I guess (Ah, yes, ) I was wrong.
Again, I was wrong.

Life is lonely again,
And only last year everything seemed so sure.
Now life is awful again.
A troughful of hearts could only be a bore.

A week in Paris might (will) ease the bite of it.
All I care is to smile in spite of it.
I'll forget you I will,
While yet you are still,
Burning inside my brain.

Romance is mush,
Stifling those who strive.
I'll live a lush life,
In some small dive.

And there I'll be,
While I rot with the rest,
Of those whose lives are lonely, too.
Lush life.