Tears for Two
Lester Young Lyrics


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Picture you upon my knee
Just tea for two
And two for tea
Just me for you
And you for me alone

Nobody near us to see us or hear us
No friends or relations
On weekend vacations
We won't have it known, dear
That we own a telephone, dear

Day will break and you'll awake
And start to bake a sugar cake
For me to take for all the boys to see
We will raise a family




A boy for you, a girl for me
Oh, can't you see how happy we would be

Overall Meaning

Lester Young's song "Tea For Two" is a classic love song that illustrates a perfect, romantic scene between two people in love. The first two lines of the song "Picture you upon my knee, just tea for two, and two for tea" give us a clue that the song is set in a cozy atmosphere, where two lovers are spending quality time with each other. The lyrics "Just me for you, and you for me alone" indicates that they have eyes for no one else and are completely focused on each other.


The following lines, "Nobody near us to see us or hear us, no friends or relations" show us that the couple wants to be away from everything and everyone and wants to enjoy their intimate moments without any interference. They even decide to go away on weekend vacations so that no one can disturb their peace. They do not want anyone to know that they own a telephone, which means that they want to be in their own world, without any external communication.


The last stanza of the song "Day will break and you'll awake, and start to bake a sugar cake. For me to take for all the boys to see. We will raise a family, a boy for you, a girl for me. Oh, can't you see how happy we would be" portrays the idea of a long-lasting relationship between the couple. They have plans for a happy future, where the woman will bake a sugar cake, and the man will make his friends envious. They have dreams of having a family together, a boy for the woman and a girl for the man, and look forward to a happy life together.


Line by Line Meaning

Picture you upon my knee
The thought of your presence close to me gives me joy


Just tea for two
An intimate gathering only meant for us two


And two for tea
An invitation for you to come join me and share some tea


Just me for you
I am devoted to only you


And you for me alone
My love for you is true


Nobody near us to see us or hear us
We are in a private space unaware of others


No friends or relations
No distractions from our love


On weekend vacations
We have time away from the busy week to enjoy life together


We won't have it known, dear
Our love is personal and we do not seek to publicize it


That we own a telephone, dear
We do not even need to have a phone in order to fully communicate


Day will break and you'll awake
The start of a bright new day


And start to bake a sugar cake
You will joyfully create something sweet


For me to take for all the boys to see
Something you prepared with love to proudly share with others


We will raise a family
Our love will grow in the form of a family


A boy for you, a girl for me
The fulfillment of a dream, a son and daughter to raise together


Oh, can't you see how happy we would be
The happiness and contentment our love will bring is all we could ask for




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IRVING CAESAR, VINCENT YOUMANS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Julie Rudder

Billie Holiday’s music 🎼 will last forever. Gone too soon but never forgotten ❤️❤️❤️.

Palmdale Slim

Pretty cool relationship they had. He nicknamed her "Lady Day" and she nicknamed him "Prez". Beautiful stuff.

Sonia Garcia

Maravilhosa AAA!

Raimundo Costa

Excelente! Isso sim é voz que vêm de dentro com suavidade , beleza e charme e com a genialidade do sax de Lester Young.

Jessy Kaiser

This is my kind of music to relax too, or listen to while driving down the road.

Debra Dorsey

Oooh yeah 😊

Eric Person

I keep a five-CD box set of Billie Holiday in my car AT ALL TIMES. I refer to them often : )

Roland Diaz

Same here. Hits different.

Debra Dorsey

Lady Day & Prez...absolutely priceless 🥰 and oooh sooo perfect!

Tiago Oliveira

Relaxante mesmo. Amo esse estilo.

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