Oh, Lady Be Good
Sweet and Lovely Desires: A Tale of Yearning in Duke Ellington's Melody
Lyrics
Listen to my tale of woe,
Expressing a sense of sorrow, inviting the listener to hear a sad story.
It's terribly sad but true,
Highlighting the genuine and sad nature of the story being told.
All dressed up, no place to go
Describing a situation of being well-dressed but having nowhere to go, indicating a sense of emptiness or loneliness.
Each evening I'm awfully blue.
Expressing a recurring feeling of sadness every evening.
I must win some handsome guy
Expressing a desire to attract a charming man.
Can't go on like this,
Feeling unable to continue the current way of life.
I could blossom out I know,
Expressing the potential for personal growth and blossoming with the right person.
With somebody just like you. So
Transitioning to a plea for someone like the listener to be that person.
Oh, sweet and lovely lady, be good
Addressing the listener as a sweet and lovely lady, requesting her to be good.
Oh, lady, be good to me
Reiterating the plea for the lady to be good to the speaker.
I am so awfully misunderstood
Expressing a feeling of being greatly misunderstood.
So lady, be good to me
Repeating the request for the lady to be good to the speaker.
Oh, please have some pity
Pleading for compassion, emphasizing being alone in a large city.
I'm all-alone in this big city
Describing a sense of isolation in the vast urban environment.
I tell you I'm just a lonesome babe in the wood,
Expressing a vulnerable state, comparing oneself to a lonesome babe in the wood.
So lady be good to me.
Repeating the plea for the lady to be good to the speaker.
Oh, please have some pity
Reiterating the plea for pity and emphasizing being alone in the city.
I'm all alone in this big city
Restating the sense of loneliness in the big city.
I tell you I'm just a lonesome babe in the wood,
Repeating the comparison of being a lonesome babe in the wood.
So lady be good to me.
Reiterating the plea for the lady to be good to the speaker.
Oh lady be good to me.
Final plea for the lady to be good to the speaker.
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