These Foolish Things
Stan Getz Quintet Lyrics

Oh! Will you never let me be?
Are you never going to give me my freedom?

Oh! Will you never set me free?
Will you always keep me trapped?

The ties that bound us
The connections between us

Are still around us
Still present and affecting us

There's no escape that I can see
I don't see a way out

And still those little things remain
But those small details still exist

That bring me happiness or pain
That remind me of both good and bad memories

A cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces
A cigarette with the marks of your lipstick

An airline ticket to romantic places
A ticket for flights to romantic destinations

And still my heart has wings
Yet my heart still feels buoyant

These foolish things remind me of you
These silly things bring you to my mind

A tinkling piano in the next apartment
A nearby piano playing softly

Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
The awkward words I used to convey my feelings to you

A fair ground's painted swings
The brightly colored swings at the carnival

You came you saw you conquer'd me
You succeeded in charming me completely

When you did that to me
When you won me over

I knew somehow this had to be
I had a feeling it was meant to happen

The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
The breezes of March that fill my heart with joy

A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
When the phone rings but I don't know who's calling

The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The park in the evening after the bell has rung

The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it
The "Ile de France" ship surrounded by seagulls

The beauty that is Spring's
The beauty of Spring

First daffodils and long excited cables
The first daffodils and long-distance phone calls filled with excitement

And candle lights on little corner tables
And candles flickering on small tables in corners

How strange how sweet to find you still
How odd but delightful to still feel close to you

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

They seem to bring you near to me
They make me feel like you're nearby

The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
The sound of trains passing in abandoned stations at midnight

Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Silk stockings replaced by invitations to dance

Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
Gardenia fragrance lingering on a pillow

Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
Wild strawberries priced at only seven francs per kilo

The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
The smile of Greta Garbo and the fragrance of roses

The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The waiters whistling when the bar is closing

The song that Crosby sings
The song that Bing Crosby is singing

The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
The aroma of burning leaves and the sound of steamboat whistles

Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Two lovers strolling down the street with an otherworldly quality

Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
Oh, how the memory of you persists!