Take The "A" Train
Piero Umiliani and His Orchestra Lyrics
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I hate to see that evening sun go down,
'Cause my lovin' baby done left this town.
If I feel tomorrow, like I feel today,
If I feel tomorrow, like I feel today,
I'm gonna pack my trunk and make my getaway.
She pulls my man around by her apron strings.
And if it wasn't for powder and her store-bought hair,
Oh, that man of mine wouldn't go nowhere.
I got those St. Louis blues, just as blue as I can be,
Oh, my man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea,
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me.
I love my man like a schoolboy loves his pie,
Like a Kentucky colonel loves his rocker and rye
I'll love my man until the day I die, Lord, Lord.
I got the St. Louis blues, just as blue as I can be, Lord, Lord!
That man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea,
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me.
I got those St. Louis blues, I got the blues, I got the blues, I got the blues,
My man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea,
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me, Lord, Lord!
The lyrics to Piero Umiliani and His Orchestra's song Take The "A" Train reflect the pain and heartbreak of a woman who has been left by her lover. The opening lines, "I hate to see that evening sun go down, / I hate to see that evening sun go down, / 'Cause my lovin' baby done left this town," convey the singer's sense of loss and sorrow. She is lamenting the fact that her lover has gone and that she is left alone in a world that feels unkind and unforgiving.
The following lines reinforce this sense of abandonment: "If I feel tomorrow, like I feel today, / If I feel tomorrow, like I feel today, / I'm gonna pack my trunk and make my getaway." The singer is so devastated by her lover's departure that she is considering leaving town altogether. She cannot bear the thought of staying in a place where she is reminded of her heartbreak every day.
The final stanza of the song shows the depth of the singer's love. She compares her love for her man to a schoolboy's love for pie or a Kentucky colonel's love for his rocker and rye. She declares that she will love him until the day she dies, despite knowing that he has a heart as hard as a rock cast in the sea. The repetition of the line "I got those St. Louis blues" throughout the song drives home the fact that, for the singer, the pain of losing her lover is a constant presence in her life.
Line by Line Meaning
I hate to see that evening sun go down,
I feel sad to see the setting sun as my lover has left me and gone away from the town.
If I feel tomorrow, like I feel today,
If I am still feeling miserable tomorrow, I'll pack my bags and leave this place.
Oh that St. Louis woman, with her diamond rings,
I am jealous of the woman in St. Louis who has diamonds and has taken my man away from me.
She pulls my man around by her apron strings,
She has control over my man, and he follows her every command.
And if it wasn't for powder and her store-bought hair,
If she didn't have makeup and fake hair, my man would not be interested in her.
Oh, that man of mine wouldn't go nowhere.
Without that woman's manipulation, my man would stay with me.
I got those St. Louis blues, just as blue as I can be,
I am feeling very sad about my situation and it's making me feel blue.
Oh my man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea,
My lover has a hard and unyielding heart like a rock in the ocean.
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me.
If he cared about me more, he wouldn't have left me behind and gone far away.
I love my man like a schoolboy loves his pie,
I love my man with pure and innocent love like a schoolboy loves his favorite sweet pie.
Like a Kentucky colonel loves his rocker and rye
I love him with a deep and unbreakable bond, like a Kentucky colonel loves his favorite drink and chair.
I'll love my man until the day I die, Lord, Lord.
I will love my man forever, until my last breath, come what may.
I got the St. Louis blues, just as blue as I can be, Lord, Lord!
I am feeling incredibly sad and depressed, like the blues music that originated in St. Louis.
That man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea,
My man's heart is hard and unchanging, like a rock thrown and fixed in the sea.
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me, Lord, Lord!
If he truly loved me, he wouldn't have left me behind and gone so far away.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Reservoir One Music
Written by: BILLY STRAYHORN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind