Night & Day
Leo Reisman Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Like the beat beat beat of the tom-tom
When the jungle shadows fall
Like the tick tick tock of the stately clock
As it stands against the wall
Like the drip drip drip of the raindrops
When the summer shower is through
So a voice within me keeps repeating you, you, you
Night and day, you are the one
Only you beneath the moon or under the sun
Whether near to me, or far
It's no matter darling where you are
I think of you

Day and night, night and day, why is it so
That this longing for you follows wherever I go
In the roaring traffic's boom
In the silence of my lonely room
I think of you

Day and night, night and day
Under the hide of me
There's an oh such a hungry yearning burning inside of me
And this torment won't be through
Until you let me spend my life making love to you





Day and night, night and day

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Leo Reisman and His Orchestra's song Night and Day are about an intense desire that the singer has for a particular person, who they cannot get out of their mind. They compare this longing to a range of sensations and experiences such as the beat of a tom-tom in the jungle, the ticking of a clock on the wall, and the sound of raindrops after a summer shower. The singer states that no matter where they are, whether in the midst of roaring traffic or in the silence of their own room, they are always thinking of this individual who consumes their thoughts day and night. There is a burning desire within them that won't be quenched until this person reciprocates their feelings and allows them to spend their life making love to them.


The lyrics of Night and Day could be interpreted as a representation of the overwhelming nature of love and desire that becomes all-consuming when we experience it. When we are in love, our thoughts are almost constantly focused on the person we desire, and we can feel like we are being driven mad with longing. This song captures that feeling of being helplessly in love with someone, with a passion that can never be sated. The repetition of 'day and night, night and day' emphasizes the all-encompassing nature of the singer's obsession with their love interest.


Line by Line Meaning

Like the beat beat beat of the tom-tom
The insistent, constant pounding of a drum in the jungle


When the jungle shadows fall
In the darkness of the jungle when everything else is quiet


Like the tick tick tock of the stately clock
The unwavering, reliable ticking of a clock on the wall


As it stands against the wall
An unchanging force in the background


Like the drip drip drip of the raindrops
The gentle, rhythmic sound of rain that persists even after a storm has passed


When the summer shower is through
After the storm has ended and the rain has slowed down


So a voice within me keeps repeating you, you, you
My inner voice echoes the name of my beloved, reminding me of them constantly


Night and day, you are the one
My beloved is the one who occupies my thoughts always, whether it is day or night


Only you beneath the moon or under the sun
No one else can rival the beloved's place in my mind, whether it is night or day


Whether near to me, or far
It does not matter the physical distance between us, my love for you stays the same


It's no matter darling where you are
Whether you have gone far away or are right beside me, you stay in my thoughts


I think of you
I am always thinking about you


Day and night, night and day, why is it so
My constant longing for my beloved keeps persists, day and night, and I cannot help but wonder why


That this longing for you follows wherever I go
Wherever I go, the feeling of wanting my beloved stays with me


In the roaring traffic's boom
Even when I am surrounded by the sound of traffic and the chaos of a busy city


In the silence of my lonely room
Even in the quiet stillness of my own room when I am alone, my thoughts go back to my beloved


I think of you
I am always thinking about you


Day and night, night and day
My longing for my beloved does not stop, it continues both day and night, never-ending


Under the hide of me
Deep inside of me, where no one else can see


There's an oh such a hungry yearning burning inside of me
A passionate, intense desire for my beloved that cannot be denied


And this torment won't be through
The unease I feel will not go away


Until you let me spend my life making love to you
The only way to quench this desire is to have the beloved's love returned, and to be able to spend my life loving them completely




Lyrics © Red Brick Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@HMinot

Lovely transfer!

@swingman5635

Fred's "Regular Joe",quality of voice,made him the top seller of song with many of the top songwriters of the day.

@williamfox5685

I remember this old song from the movie Gay Divorcee. Another great orchestra led by Leo Reisman and the well know vocalist Fred Astaire.

@fromthesidelines

Yes, it was originally introduced in the 1932 Broadway version of "The Gay Divorce" {the extra "e" was added for the 1934 movie at the insistence of the Hollywood Production Code}. The song was SO popular, people referred to it as "The 'Night and Day' Show".

@haddadthemaestro2856

Lovely.

@OLD_SOUL1900

Ahhhh💖😚

More Versions