Just A Gigolo
Louis Armstrong & His Sebastian New Cotton Club Orchestra Lyrics
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People know the part I'm playing;
Paid for every dance, selling each romance
Every night some heart be-tray-ing.Was in a Paris cafe that first I found him
He was a Frenchman, a hero of the war
But war was over
And here's how peace had crowned him
A few cheap medals to wear and nothing more
And as he strolls by ladies hear him say
If you admire me, hire me
A gigolo who knew a better day
Just a gigolo, everywhere I go
People know the part I'm playing
Paid for every dance
Selling each romance
Every night some heart betraying
There will come a day
Youth will pass away
Then what will they say about me
When the end comes I know
They'll say just a gigolo
As life goes on without me
Just a gigolo, everywhere I go
People know the part I'm playing
Paid for every dance
Selling each romance
Every night some heart betraying
There will come a day
Youth will pass away
Then what will they say about me
When the end comes I know
They'll say just a gigolo
As life goes on without me
There will come a day youth will pass away
Then what will they say about me?
When the end comes, I know, they'll say, "Just a gigolo"
As life goes on without me.
Louis Armstrong's "Just a Gigolo" is a melancholic reflection of an aging man's past as a gigolo. The song reflects on how the man used to be popular with women, paid to dance and sell romance, but now, age has caught up with him, and the memories of his escapades haunt him. Through the lyrics, Armstrong highlights the fleeting nature of youth and the emptiness that comes with the passing of time.
The song's opening lines, "Just a gigolo, everywhere I go, people know the part I'm playing" set the tone for the entire track. The singer is well-known for his gigolo services, and it's no longer just a job; it has become a part of his identity. The reference to being "paid for every dance, selling each romance, every night some heart betraying" highlights the insincerity of his work and how it is driven by self-interest.
The man's reminiscence of his past starts in a Paris cafe where he met a war hero. The war was over, and the hero now is just a man with fake medals - a mere shadow of his former self. The gigolo's mentions in the song of how he is still present at the same cafe every night, despite being older, and how he still tries to attract women by saying, "If you admire me, hire me," suggests a sense of desperation and the fear of being forgotten.
Overall, "Just a Gigolo" portrays both the joys and the emptiness of life as a gigolo, emphasizing the fleeting nature of youth and the importance of cherishing meaningful connections.
Line by Line Meaning
Just a gigolo, everywhere I go
No matter where I go, people see me as a gigolo
People know the part I'm playing
Everyone knows that I'm playing the part of a gigolo
Paid for every dance, selling each romance
I get paid for every dance and sell the idea of romance to everyone
Every night some heart be-tray-ing
I break someone's heart every night
Was in a Paris cafe that first I found him
I met a Frenchman in a Parisian cafe once
He was a Frenchman, a hero of the war
The Frenchman I met was a hero of the war
But war was over
But the war had ended
And here's how peace had crowned him
Now that there was peace, he was living a mediocre life
A few cheap medals to wear and nothing more
All he had to show for his heroic deeds were a few cheap medals
Now every night in the same cafe he shows up
Nowadays, he comes to the same cafe every night
And as he strolls by ladies hear him say
And when he walks by, the ladies hear him say
If you admire me, hire me
If you like me, hire me as a gigolo
A gigolo who knew a better day
I'm a gigolo who was once better off
There will come a day
There will be a day in the future
Youth will pass away
My youth will fade away
Then what will they say about me
What will people say about me?
When the end comes I know
I know when my end is near
They'll say just a gigolo
They'll just call me a gigolo
As life goes on without me
As life goes on, I'll be forgotten
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Leonello Casucci, Julius Brammer, Irving Caesar
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind