Black Coffee Black Coffee
Peggy Lee Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm feelin' mighty lonesome
Haven't slept a wink
I walk the floor and watch the door
And in between I drink
Black coffee
Love's a hand-me-down brew
I'll never know a Sunday
In this weekday room

I'm talkin' to the shadows
One o'clock 'til four
And Lord, how slow the moments go
When all I do is pour
Black coffee
Since the blues caught my eye
I'm hangin' out on Monday
My Sunday dreams to dry

Now man was born to go a lovin'
But was a woman born to weep and fret
To stay at home and tend her oven
And down her past regrets
In coffee and cigarettes

I'm moonin' all the mornin'
Moanin' all the night
And in between it's nicotine
And not much heart to fight
Black coffee
Feelin' low as the ground
It's drivin' me crazy





This waitin' for my baby
To maybe come around

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Peggy Lee's song "Black Coffee" depict the emotions of a woman who is feeling lonely and is dealing with heartbreak. She is unable to sleep and spends her time pacing and drinking black coffee. The lyrics suggest that she suffers from a case of the blues and feels that she is stuck in a weekday room unable to experience the joys of a Sunday.


The woman talks to shadows and spends her time pouring black coffee which symbolizes her sadness and inability to move on from her past trauma. She is caught up in the blues and her Sunday dreams regularly get shattered by the reality that is life. The lyrics also highlight the difference between men and women's experiences of love. While men are born to go out there and love, women are born to weep and fret. They are expected to stay at home and tend to their ovens and deal with their past regrets through coffee and cigarettes.


Line by Line Meaning

I'm feelin' mighty lonesome
I am experiencing intense loneliness.


Haven't slept a wink
I haven't slept at all.


I walk the floor and watch the door
I am pacing and keeping an eye on the door.


And in between I drink
To pass the time, I drink something.


Black coffee
The drink I am consuming is black coffee.


Love's a hand-me-down brew
Love is something I inherited from others.


I'll never know a Sunday
I will never experience a relaxing, carefree Sunday.


In this weekday room
I am trapped in this room on an ordinary day.


I'm talkin' to the shadows
I am having conversations with the shadows on the wall.


One o'clock 'til four
I am talking to the shadows from 1am until 4am.


And Lord, how slow the moments go
I feel like time is passing slowly.


When all I do is pour
I am only pouring myself more coffee.


Since the blues caught my eye
Ever since I became sad, I have been doing this.


I'm hangin' out on Monday
I am spending my boring weekday doing this.


My Sunday dreams to dry
I am waiting for my unfulfilled weekend desires to wither away.


Now man was born to go a lovin'
Men were made to experience love.


But was a woman born to weep and fret
Is it a woman's destiny to cry and worry?


To stay at home and tend her oven
Is it necessary for a woman to be a homemaker?


And down her past regrets
And to continue to dwell on her mistakes from the past.


In coffee and cigarettes
All while consuming coffee and cigarettes.


I'm moonin' all the mornin'
I'm spending my mornings brooding.


Moanin' all the night
And my nights are filled with groaning.


And in between it's nicotine
During the in-between times, I am smoking cigarettes.


And not much heart to fight
I lack the motivation to put up a fight.


Feelin' low as the ground
I am feeling extremely down.


It's drivin' me crazy
This feeling is causing me to lose my sanity.


This waitin' for my baby
I am waiting for my loved one to arrive.


To maybe come around
To possibly return to me.




Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Francis Joseph Burke, Paul Francis Webster

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
Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@schmumu

@@greeneyedsoutherngirl6468 Bruh it's even in the lyrics.

But was a woman born to weep and fret

And stay at home and tend her oven
And down her past regrets
In coffee and cigarettes

You would've liked to live during that era?



All comments from YouTube:

@MrDarkMagnus

I was just actually skipping around Peggy's greatest hits last night - and now I come upon this masterpiece. I was going to state that Ms. Lee should be considered a national treasure. I think we would be shorting the rest of the globe. national

@o-vg1fs

Fabulous song.
I have been singing this Black Coffee for 20years hence this has a very special meaning in my life.

@ojshilinski8358

This lady knew how to deliver - I just had to hear this particular song right now -- thanks for keeping it available - YouTube is GREAT!

@a.a.a.8365

The beautiful vocals of the legendary Miss Peggy Lee...🎼🎤🎶❤💋

@linzieloo1

And the great horn and other musicians

@johnkirk5312

Love this 1953 blue-eyed soul music. Peggy at her very best.

@Richard-me2pq

I love her brass ensemble in the background. That trumpet is fat and sassy!

@royfeduniw9328

I love this rendition so much that it is my alarm to wake up in the morning, this way my day always starts off right. Fantastic !👏👍

@liamdavis4835

a great lady with a heavy passionate voice ... thank you Ms. Lee

@jessicagregg6584

This song is absolutely amazing. Its so full of soul and it really has the full jazz flavour imbedded in the lyrics. Peggy is such a talented women, one of the greats in the jazz world. Right up there with Ella Fitzgerald.

More Comments

More Versions