It's Cold Outside
The Choir Lyrics


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Well, my world used to be sunny
and jokes used to be funny,
but now you're gone
and everything's turned around.

Well, my world used to be warm
and there never was a storm,
but now you're gone and
everything's turned upside down.

And now it's cold outside
and the rain is pouring down
and the leaves are turning brown.
Can't you see
that now it's cold outside
and it's all because of you




'cause there's nothing I can do
to make you love me?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Choir's song "It's Cold Outside" convey a sense of loss and desperation. The singer talks about how their world used to be bright and sunny, but since their loved one left, everything has become bleak and meaningless. The personification of the weather, with the rain pouring down and leaves turning brown, adds to the sense of despair that the singer is feeling. They are in anguish over the fact that the other person no longer loves them, and they are powerless to change the situation.


The repetition of the phrase "everything's turned around/upside down" emphasizes the singer's disorientation and confusion. They are struggling to come to terms with the fact that the relationship is over, and they feel like they have lost their sense of direction. The line "there never was a storm" suggests that the relationship was once stable and happy, but now it has been shattered by the other person's departure. The last line, "there's nothing I can do to make you love me," is a heartbreaking admission of helplessness.


Overall, the lyrics to "It's Cold Outside" are a poignant expression of heartbreak and despair. The singer is struggling to cope with the loss of their loved one, and the bleak weather reflects their emotional state.


Line by Line Meaning

Well, my world used to be sunny
My life was bright and cheerful before you left me.


and jokes used to be funny,
I used to find humor in everything, but now I can't appreciate anything.


but now you're gone
After you left, nothing has been the same.


and everything's turned around.
My life has completely changed and not for the better.


Well, my world used to be warm
Previously, my life was comfortable and pleasant.


and there never was a storm,
There never used to be any chaos and drama in my life.


but now you're gone and
But since you left me,


everything's turned upside down.
Everything is chaotic and disorienting.


And now it's cold outside
My emotional state reflects the coldness of the outside weather.


and the rain is pouring down
The rain represents my tears pouring down, unable to stop the sadness.


and the leaves are turning brown.
The changing color of the leaves symbolizes the loss and decay I'm experiencing.


Can't you see
Do you not understand


that now it's cold outside
That the external weather has become a reflection of my internal emotional state.


and it's all because of you
You are the reason for my pain and suffering.


'Cause there's nothing I can do
There is nothing I can do to change how I feel.


to make you love me?
I can't force you to love me, no matter how hard I try.




Contributed by Grayson I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@stevieray56

"It's Cold Outside" is one of the best-known, and from certain angles more successful, '60s garage rock singles. Though it enjoys a high reputation among garage enthusiasts, the song (though not at all to its detriment) was poppier and more Beatlesque than the rawer, bluesier records that have come to be associated with garage rock.

As performed by Cleveland group the Choir, "It's Cold Outside" was something like Merseybeat on amphetamines, a raw teenage take on the simple fast love songs that the Beatles and some other early British Invasion groups were doing in 1963 and 1964.

Opening with a low hooky drum pattern, declarative major guitar chords quickly enter in what can now be recognized as a sort of antecedent to power pop. Like many early British Invasion songs, although the lyrics of "It's Cold Outside" are a somewhat sad recounting of a failed love affair, these are in fact delivered with such unrelenting sunny cheer that the effect is one of joyousness rather than mourning. That's particularly true when the basic, catchy verses give way to the harmonized chorus, where the record becomes most Beatles-like.

In the fast rhythm guitar attack of the verses and the instrumental break, it owes just a little to the early Who, though the Who would probably have never done songs as avowedly lightweight.

After another pass through the chorus following the instrumental break, a brief pensive series of chords is rejoined by a sudden upward shift of keys for the final verse.

The inherent sadness of the song -- not only did his girl leave him, but it's cold and rainy outside, mirroring his internal state -- is drawn out in the final bars, when the last line is repeated a few times for emphasis, and the band harmonizes on a brief series of minor chords not heard elsewhere in the song.

A very dynamic and likable performance, "It's Cold Outside" was a mammoth hit in Cleveland, topping the local charts for several consecutive weeks in 1967, but made only number 68 in the national listings. Perhaps it was just a little too late, sounding more suitable for the innocent times of 1964 than for the increasingly complicated culture and music scene of 1967.



@bipinpoudel6808

Well My World Used To Be Sunny
And Jokes Used To Be Funny
But Now You're Gone
And Everything's Turned Around
Well My World Used To Be Warm
And There Never Was A Storm
But Now You're Gone
And Everything‘s Turned Upside Down

And Now It's Cold Outside
And The Rain Is Pouring Down
And The Leaves Are Turning Brown
Can't You See?
That Now It's Cold Outside
And It's All Because Of You
'Cause There's Nothing I Can Do
To Make You Love Me

Well My World Used To Be Sunny
And Jokes Used To Be Funny
But Now You're Gone
And Everything's Turned Around
Well My World Used To Be Warm
And There Never Was A Storm
But Now You're Gone
And Everything‘s Turned Upside Down

And Now It's Cold Outside
And The Rain Is Pouring Down
And The Leaves Are Turning Brown
Can't You See?
That Now It's Cold Outside
And It's All Because Of You
'Cause There's Nothing I Can Do
To Make You Love Me

And Now It's Cold Outside
And The Rain Is Pouring Down
And The Leaves Are Turning Brown
Can't You See?
That Now It's Cold Outside
And It's All Because Of You
'Cause There's Nothing I Can Do
To Make You Love Me


To Make You Love Me
To Make You Love Me
To Make You Love Me



All comments from YouTube:

@danielcorbeille

This is the first record I ever bought. I was 11 years old. Still one of my favorite songs. Still own the 45rpm record.

@angelaandradeus6290

Song Ok but band didn't do anything by the looks of it.

@Caligari...

It was a big hit , they played it over and over in Cleveland@@angelaandradeus6290

@mynameisdave1302

⁠@@angelaandradeus6290 https://youtu.be/8KN7RiF9k10?si=7IkhwRTUVEryQiEr It’s Cold Outside was a number 1 in Cleveland woohoo…and together with another band they later transformed into The Raspberries who had a fair degree of success in the early seventies. This is my favourite song by The Choir, it’s a well crafted pop song, I suppose…

@kennybobby9397

Love this song! ❤️

@Caligari...

I'm from Cleveland , i remember this song when i was 12 years old but i didn't know they were from Cleveland ! Great song !

@skip4343

OUTSTANDING SONG!!! I met my future wife at the painesville armory in 1967 and we married in 1971. This group brought us together and we have been married 52 years. A big thank you to the CHOIR. She was from Mentor, Ohio and I Brecksville, Ohio. I love playing this song least once per week for the great memories forever!!!!!!!!!!!

@jaamesanderson4253

I truly wish this was played on the radio airwaves nowadays ,...the world needs a good song to dance to

@kerrybaylor3619

You can dance to youtube 😉

@ChrisHansonCanada

The majority of oldies stations really suck. We get the British invasion, Motown, and all the hits with almost nothing obscure.

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