Silverstein's passion for music was clear early on as he studied for a while at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. As a songwriter, Silverstein kept a low profile but cast a long shadow. He tended to shun publicity and even photographers. Nonetheless, his musical output included many songs which were hits for other artists. Most notably, he wrote the music and lyrics for "A Boy Named Sue" that was performed by Johnny Cash (for which he won a Grammy in 1970); "One's on the Way" (which was a hit for Loretta Lynn), and "The Unicorn Song" which, despite having nothing to do with Ireland nor Irish culture, became the signature piece for The Irish Rovers in 1968 and is popular in pubs all over the world to this day. He wrote the lyrics and music for most of the Dr. Hook songs, including "Cover of the Rolling Stone", "Freakin' at the Freakers' Ball", "Sylvia's Mother", and the cautionary song about VD, "Don't Give a Dose to the One You Love Most". He also wrote many of the songs performed by Bobby Bare, including "Marie Laveau", "Rosalie's Good Eats Cafe", "The Mermaid", "The Winner", and "Tequila Sheila". The song "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan",] recorded in 1979 by Marianne Faithfull and later featured in the films Montenegro and Thelma & Louise, was also by Silverstein.
Have Another Espresso
Shel Silverstein Lyrics
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I have myself and espresso
And then I kinda sit back and like dig the scene
And maybe have myself another espresso
And there's a chick in the coffee shop who's caught my eye
But she never talks to me when I walk by
So I sit there and I cool it and I'm oh so sly
And I have myself another espresso
Well last night I decided to do the thing
As I had myself another espresso
So I asked that chick, would she care to swing
As I had myself another espresso
And she said, "Baby, that's uh cool with me
But like I can't split until half past three
So why don't you just sit there and cool it and like wait for me
And maybe have yourself another espresso."
Well I never cared much for formal dates
I just sit and have myself an espresso
Man ya know but when a chick is a groove like baby you've gotta wait
And maybe have yourself another espresso
So I took off my coat and I hung up my hat
And for the next five hours right there I sat
You know that chick went home with some other cat
And so I had myself another espresso
The moral of the story I will tell you then
As I have myself another espresso
Is always follow the ways of Zen
And maybe have yourself another espresso
And whenever the world has got you way uptight
Why baby you just sit there and cool it until everything's right
'Cause you know I met another chick that very night
And we uh we
Well we just sat around and had us an espresso
The song Have Another Espresso by Shel Silverstein is a delightful song about how the singer deals with life's challenges by having espresso. He suggests that every time life is dark and difficult, people should have an espresso and relax. The singer talks about a chick at the coffee shop who has caught his eye, and he tries to impress her by sitting there and having espresso. After a while, he musters up the courage to ask her out, and she agrees. However, she gives him a time to meet, and he waits for her for hours until she leaves with another man. The singer concludes by saying that one should follow the ways of Zen and relax in difficult situations.
The song is more than just about having espresso; it's about finding ways to deal with stress and anxiety. The singer suggests that by having espresso, he is digging the scene and appreciating life's moments. The song is catchy, humorous, and makes you want to have another espresso. The lyrics are insightful and have a light-hearted tone that makes it enjoyable to listen to.
In terms of historical context, Have Another Espresso was released in 1962 by Atlantic Records. It was written by the legendary author Shel Silverstein, who was known for his poetry, cartoons, and music. Silverstein wrote many songs that were recorded by popular artists such as Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Dr. Hook. Moreover, Silverstein was a frequent contributor to Playboy magazine, where he wrote cartoons and columns.
Line by Line Meaning
Now whenever life is looking dark and mean
Whenever life seems tough and difficult to bear
I have myself an espresso
I make myself a cup of coffee
And then I kinda sit back and like dig the scene
Then I relax and enjoy the moment
And maybe have myself another espresso
And maybe make myself another cup of coffee
And there's a chick in the coffee shop who's caught my eye
And there's a woman in the coffee shop that I find attractive
But she never talks to me when I walk by
But she never acknowledges me when I'm around
So I sit there and I cool it and I'm oh so sly
So I relax and try to act cool and confident
And I have myself another espresso
And I make myself another cup of coffee
Well last night I decided to do the thing
Last night, I decided to take action
As I had myself another espresso
As I made myself another cup of coffee
So I asked that chick, would she care to swing
So I asked that woman if she wanted to hang out
As I had myself another espresso
As I made myself another cup of coffee
And she said, "Baby, that's uh cool with me
And she said, "Sure, that sounds good to me
But like I can't split until half past three
But I can't leave until 3:30
So why don't you just sit there and cool it and like wait for me
So why don't you just relax and wait for me
And maybe have yourself another espresso."
And maybe make yourself another cup of coffee."
Well I never cared much for formal dates
I never really liked the idea of formal dates
I just sit and have myself an espresso
I just relax and drink my coffee
Man ya know but when a chick is a groove like baby you've gotta wait
But when a woman is cool like that, you have to wait
And maybe have yourself another espresso
And maybe make yourself another cup of coffee
So I took off my coat and I hung up my hat
So I removed my coat and hat
And for the next five hours right there I sat
And I sat there for the next five hours
You know that chick went home with some other cat
You know that woman left with someone else
And so I had myself another espresso
And so I made myself another cup of coffee
The moral of the story I will tell you then
The lesson I learned is
As I have myself another espresso
As I make myself another cup of coffee
Is always follow the ways of Zen
Is to always be calm and relaxed
And maybe have yourself another espresso
And maybe make yourself another cup of coffee
And whenever the world has got you way uptight
And when the world is too stressful
Why baby you just sit there and cool it until everything's right
You just relax and wait for things to get better
'Cause you know I met another chick that very night
Because you know I met another woman that night
And we uh we
And we, well
Well we just sat around and had us an espresso
We just relaxed and had coffee
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: SHEL SILVERSTEIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind