These Foolish Things
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics


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Oh! Will you never let me be?
Oh! Will you never set me free?
The ties that bound us
Are still around us
There's no escape that I can see
And still those little things remain
That bring me happiness or pain
A cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces
An airline ticket to romantic places
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
A fair ground's painted swings
These foolish things remind me of you
You came you saw you conquer'd me
When you did that to me
I knew somehow this had to be
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you

First daffodils and long excited cables
And candle lights on little corner tables
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it
The beauty that is Spring's
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you

Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The song that Crosby sings
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers




Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you

Overall Meaning

These Foolish Things is a song by Sammy Davis Jr. that talks about the things and memories that remind him of a past love. The song begins with a plea for freedom from the ties that still bind him to his past love. He lists the little things, such as a cigarette with lipstick traces, a romantic airline ticket, and stumbling words that express his love towards her, that still bring him happiness or pain. These things remind him of the love that he had, which he admits to having been conquered by. He then goes on to talk about other things that trigger memories of his past love, such as the winds of March that make his heart dance, the park in the evening, the beauty of spring, and the scent of smoldering leaves.


The song suggests that even though the relationship has ended, there's no escaping the remnants of love that are left behind. Despite this, Davis seems to find comfort in reminiscing about the love he once had. He finds it strange yet sweet to still feel close to his past love through the memories that he cherishes.


Line by Line Meaning

Oh! Will you never let me be?
Can you please leave me alone and let me move on?


Oh! Will you never set me free?
Can you please stop haunting me and let me go?


The ties that bound us
The emotional connection that we shared


Are still around us
Still exist and can be sensed


There's no escape that I can see
I cannot seem to move on from our past relationship


And still those little things remain
Even though time has passed, some things have not changed


That bring me happiness or pain
These remind me of both the good and bad times we had together


A cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces
A memory of the intimate moments we shared


An airline ticket to romantic places
Remembrance of the adventures we had together


And still my heart has wings
My heart still feels light and free when I think of you


These foolish things remind me of you
All these little things make me think of you


A tinkling piano in the next apartment
The sound of the piano reminds me of the times we spent together


Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
The times I tried to express my feelings to you


A fair ground's painted swings
The fun we had together, enjoying life's simple pleasures


You came you saw you conquer'd me
You won my heart effortlessly


When you did that to me
When you made me fall in love with you


I knew somehow this had to be
I knew that we were meant to be together


The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
The feeling of freedom and happiness that comes with springtime


A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
I still hope it's you calling me, even though I know it's not


The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The peacefulness and beauty of the park at dusk


The 'Ile de France' with all the gulls around it
The picturesque scenery that reminds me of our romantic travels


The beauty that is Spring's
The breathtaking beauty of the spring season


How strange how sweet to find you still
It's surprising and lovely to still be reminded of you


These things are dear to me
These memories are precious to me


They seem to bring you near to me
It feels like you're still with me when I remember these things


The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
Loneliness and longing at night, reminiscent of when we were apart


Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
The enchanting and seductive moments we shared


Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
The sweet scent of your perfume that lingers


Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
The joy of the simple, but meaningful things we shared


The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
The beauty and elegance that reminds me of you


The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The lively atmosphere of the night scene that brings back memories of us together


The song that Crosby sings
The music that takes me back to the moments we shared


The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
The sounds and smells of autumn that reminds me of you


Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Seeing other happy couples who remind me of us, who once walked hand in hand


Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
I can't seem to shake off the memory of you


These foolish things remind me of you
All these little things make me think of you




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOB STANLEY, PETER STEWART WIGGS, SARAH CRACKNELL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

iconaclastor

This song is a gem. I never heard it before but it has to be one of the best orchestrations from the past Crooner golden age and Sammy was a natural all round artist and is awesome here.

Paulo Nascimento

Este é o Sammy Jr. Imaginem o Senior!

jorge gonzalez

este señor si debio ser sir ..... sir sammy davis junior excelencia en alma y cuerpo

Philip Sheedy

Wow beautiful!

Mark O

Now, this IS Nat King Cole's song.... but Sammy is soooooo nice!

Paulo Nascimento

Este é o Junior

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