Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo

Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo

Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo

Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo

I am sitting in the morning
At the diner on the corner
I am waiting at the counter
For the man to pour the coffee

And he fills it only halfway
And before I even argue
He is looking out the window
At somebody coming in

Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo

"It is always nice to see you"
Says the man behind the counter
To the woman who has come in
She is shaking her umbrella

And I look the other way
As they are kissing their hellos
And I'm pretending not to see them
And instead I pour the milk

Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo

I open up the paper
There's a story of an actor
Who had died while he was drinking
It was no one I had heard of

And I'm turning to the horoscope
And looking for the funnies
When I'm feeling someone watching me
And so I raise my head

Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo

Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo

There's a woman on the outside
Looking inside, does she see me?
No she does not really see me
'Cause she sees her own reflection

And I'm trying not to notice
That she's hitching up her skirt
And while she's straightening her stockings
Her hair has gotten wet

Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo

Oh, this rain it will continue through the morning
As I'm listening to the bells of the cathedral

I am thinking of your voice

Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo

Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo

Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo

Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, duhdoodoo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doodoo-do

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Lyrics submitted by Novartza

Tom's Diner Lyrics as written by Suzanne Vega

Lyrics © Roba Music Verlag GMBH, BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Tom's Diner song meanings

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37 Comments

+7
General Comment
Wow. What a theory on this great tune. I have a much simplier one. It's about being lonely and focusing on everything going on around you to avoid thinking about how lonely you are. I think the lines "I am thinking Of your voice... And of the midnight picnic Once upon a time Before the rain began..." pretty much sum the whole thing up!

Wow. What a theory on this great tune. I have a much simplier one. It's about being lonely and focusing on everything going on around you to avoid thinking about how lonely you are. I think the lines "I am thinking Of your voice... And of the midnight picnic Once upon a time Before the rain began..." pretty much sum the whole thing up!

Reason:

neutro511on April 07, 2005 Link
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@neutro511
+5
General Comment
The song is written as a simple first person vignette of a man stopping at an unnamed diner for a cup of coffee. He notes the newspaper he is reading, and the women who come and go in the diner, outside in the rain. The ringing of bells at a nearby cathedral cause him to reminisce on an unnamed companion with whom he had picnicked previously. Finishing his coffee, he hurries from the diner to catch a train. Vega wrote the song based on a comment by her friend Brian Rose, a photographer, who mentioned that in his work, he sometimes felt as if "he saw his whole life through a pane of glass, and [...] like he was the witness to a lot of things, but was never really involved in them."

The song is written as a simple first person vignette of a man stopping at an unnamed diner for a cup of coffee. He notes the newspaper he is reading, and the women who come and go in the diner, outside in the rain. The ringing of bells at a nearby cathedral cause him to reminisce on an unnamed companion with whom he had picnicked previously. Finishing his coffee, he hurries from the diner to catch a train. Vega wrote the song based on a comment by her friend Brian Rose, a photographer, who mentioned that in his work, he sometimes felt as if "he saw his whole life through a pane of glass, and [...] like he was the witness to a lot of things, but was never really involved in them."

Reason:

Ryucotsaon February 19, 2006 Link
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@Ryucotsa

Perfect description of this song's tone. I have this feeling come over me sometimes: often it would happen at work, late in the day when most of my colleagues were leaving (I was always the last to leave, often alone for an hour or two).

Used to think, "I'm having that 'rat in a maze' feeling again." Turns out there's a term for this feeling: "depersonalization". The sense that one's life is unreal or dreamlike...of being a spectator rather than a participant in one's life...a fragile sense of self.

Although depersonalization as a primary, "standalone" symptom is believed to be unusual, it is one of three symptoms patients most often report to their therapists (the others being sadness and anxiety). People experiencing panic attacks often feel as if their hold on reality is slipping. It's also linked with disassociation, which is when you do not identify your self with your body (similar to an out-of-body experience, but the intensity of the sensation can vary tremendously).

foreverdroneon May 15, 2010
+3
General Comment
I also agree with bellevedette. This song has more levels than simply the plot - it symbolizes the feelings of lonely person in modern society. The structure of the song is also meaningful - for example, when she sais "Does she see me?" in the end of one verse, leaving hope that someone is actually looking for her, but immidiately afterwards denies that hope. Or when the man behind he counter says "it is always nice to see you", but only in the next verse we are dissapointed to find out he is really saying it to the woman who had come in.

I also agree with bellevedette. This song has more levels than simply the plot - it symbolizes the feelings of lonely person in modern society. The structure of the song is also meaningful - for example, when she sais "Does she see me?" in the end of one verse, leaving hope that someone is actually looking for her, but immidiately afterwards denies that hope. Or when the man behind he counter says "it is always nice to see you", but only in the next verse we are dissapointed to find out he is really saying it to the woman who had come in.

Reason:

bartoshekon April 09, 2005 Link
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@bartoshek
+3
My Interpretation
Strange, I've heard this song like a million times, but only when I stopped and read the lyrics (on one of the lyrics websites) did the start to make sense to me. My take: It's a snapshot of the speaker's feelings during a short morning scene at a cafe. She doesn't seem to be feeling great about herself. First, she's ignored by the waiter, who then goes on to show preferential treatment to another customer. She tries to turn to something else, the paper, but the news there is bad too - an actor who died while drinking. Perhaps the speaker is also an artist and can't help but identify with the actor - will her stumbling career end that way too? Okay, maybe that was a bit of a stretch - but at the very least, encountering that article seems to reflect and enhance the speaker's gloominess. "Turning to the horoscope" - equates to asking: and what will be of ME? And again, perhaps asking, how will my fate end up compared to that actor? "Looking for the funnies" - in hope of consolation, that she does not get to, once again, because she's interrupted by the feeling of being watched. Now, this being watched thing can be read at more than one level. Perhaps, as others suggested, this shows the disconnection between people (the other woman can't see her). But on another level, I'd say the other woman is the speaker as well. I mean, "on the outside, looking inside" is a perfect description of introspection. "Does she see me?" - do I understand myself? or, perhaps, does my external behavior reflect who I am? Can I see myself for who I truly am, or have I got caught up in my "reflection",i.e. the face I like to show to the world. "Hitching up her skirt…. and while she's straightening her stocking / her hair has gotten wet" The author is reflecting on how stressing (and perhaps using) her sexuality has worked out for her. Did she get damaged along the way ("her hair has gotten wet"). "Wet" seems to represents sadness - as is evidenced by the sigh "oh… this rain" - the gloomy period in the speaker's life isn't over yet. Perhaps it will continue as long as she's "listening to … the cathedral… thinking of your voice", that is, not over him.

Strange, I've heard this song like a million times, but only when I stopped and read the lyrics (on one of the lyrics websites) did the start to make sense to me. My take: It's a snapshot of the speaker's feelings during a short morning scene at a cafe. She doesn't seem to be feeling great about herself. First, she's ignored by the waiter, who then goes on to show preferential treatment to another customer. She tries to turn to something else, the paper, but the news there is bad too - an actor who died while drinking. Perhaps the speaker is also an artist and can't help but identify with the actor - will her stumbling career end that way too? Okay, maybe that was a bit of a stretch - but at the very least, encountering that article seems to reflect and enhance the speaker's gloominess. "Turning to the horoscope" - equates to asking: and what will be of ME? And again, perhaps asking, how will my fate end up compared to that actor? "Looking for the funnies" - in hope of consolation, that she does not get to, once again, because she's interrupted by the feeling of being watched. Now, this being watched thing can be read at more than one level. Perhaps, as others suggested, this shows the disconnection between people (the other woman can't see her). But on another level, I'd say the other woman is the speaker as well. I mean, "on the outside, looking inside" is a perfect description of introspection. "Does she see me?" - do I understand myself? or, perhaps, does my external behavior reflect who I am? Can I see myself for who I truly am, or have I got caught up in my "reflection",i.e. the face I like to show to the world. "Hitching up her skirt…. and while she's straightening her stocking / her hair has gotten wet" The author is reflecting on how stressing (and perhaps using) her sexuality has worked out for her. Did she get damaged along the way ("her hair has gotten wet"). "Wet" seems to represents sadness - as is evidenced by the sigh "oh… this rain" - the gloomy period in the speaker's life isn't over yet. Perhaps it will continue as long as she's "listening to … the cathedral… thinking of your voice", that is, not over him.

Reason:

sleepy1on June 30, 2010 Link
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@sleepy1
+2
General Comment
I had this song stuck in my head for, literally, seven years before finding out what it was.

I had this song stuck in my head for, literally, seven years before finding out what it was.

Reason:

katicuson August 07, 2002 Link
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@katicus

EXACTLY the same for me!!

vanessa100on October 23, 2014

EXACTLY the same for me!!

vanessa100on October 23, 2014
+2
General Comment
Ok enough of this "OMG!!! COOL Song!!! do-do-do-do-SHUT UP!" This song is apparently WAY too deep for any of you chillins to understand. Its pretty obvious, pretty simple, but pretty meaningful. She is simply talking about being lonely and invisible to the world. One of the first lines, "And he fills it only halfway/and before I even argue/he looking out the window at somebody coming in"---showing how the man didn't really notice her existance. They kiss hellos and she turns her head (a bit of irony, she tries not to notice them when they don't know she's alive) Second example; the actor in the paper is no one she has heard of, only fueling her alienation. Third example; the woman observing her reflection not noticing what's behind the window, again ignoring the existance of another and again, our narrator tries not to notice someone not noticing her. All examples of being nothing in a busy world, passed over without a second glance. Suzanne is attempting to show her pain of being "simply another face in the crowd"

Ok enough of this "OMG!!! COOL Song!!! do-do-do-do-SHUT UP!" This song is apparently WAY too deep for any of you chillins to understand. Its pretty obvious, pretty simple, but pretty meaningful. She is simply talking about being lonely and invisible to the world. One of the first lines, "And he fills it only halfway/and before I even argue/he looking out the window at somebody coming in"---showing how the man didn't really notice her existance. They kiss hellos and she turns her head (a bit of irony, she tries not to notice them when they don't know she's alive) Second example; the actor in the paper is no one she has heard of, only fueling her alienation. Third example; the woman observing her reflection not noticing what's behind the window, again ignoring the existance of another and again, our narrator tries not to notice someone not noticing her. All examples of being nothing in a busy world, passed over without a second glance. Suzanne is attempting to show her pain of being "simply another face in the crowd"

Reason:

bellevedetteon July 06, 2003 Link
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@bellevedette
+2
General Comment
I agree with bellevedette. I always sensed that somewhat existentialist view to the song about being all alone and alienated from everyone. I'm glad someone saw that besides me.

I agree with bellevedette. I always sensed that somewhat existentialist view to the song about being all alone and alienated from everyone. I'm glad someone saw that besides me.

Reason:

lollirot_queenon June 20, 2004 Link
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@lollirot_queen
+1
General Comment
I love this song. If you ever want to annoy someone, sing the "do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do's". It gets stuck in your head so easily!

I love this song. If you ever want to annoy someone, sing the "do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do's". It gets stuck in your head so easily!

Reason:

nietzsche_66on May 27, 2002 Link
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@nietzsche_66
+1
General Comment
Tom's diner is a Diner on the upper west side of New York that was popular shooting for the Tv show Seinfeld. Vega has admitted to writing this song while she was eating at the establishment. The song is just about her time spent in there. Thats all it means. I've also met Suzeanne Vega personally, and this song has gone through an interesting turn of events. It was bootlegged by DNA without her permssion, she originally wrote it as an acapella.

Tom's diner is a Diner on the upper west side of New York that was popular shooting for the Tv show Seinfeld. Vega has admitted to writing this song while she was eating at the establishment. The song is just about her time spent in there. Thats all it means. I've also met Suzeanne Vega personally, and this song has gone through an interesting turn of events. It was bootlegged by DNA without her permssion, she originally wrote it as an acapella.

Reason:

Necrophagus2Comingon September 08, 2005 Link
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@Necrophagus2Coming

Hey Knowitall - It's actually called Tom's Restaurant on 112th and Broadway in NYC. She used to eat there on her way to work in the mornings when she wasn't even a singer/songwriter and didn't write the song until many years later, using the restaurant as her inspiration. And it's not like DNA totally stole the song, they added the back beats and sent it to her and she liked it. So she had it released.

Jhiggyon September 18, 2009
+1
General Comment
The woman is lonely, but the last few verses ring of hope to me. The memories of her companion bring her comfort and a little bit of sunshine through the rain.

The woman is lonely, but the last few verses ring of hope to me. The memories of her companion bring her comfort and a little bit of sunshine through the rain.

Reason:

FilibusterManon March 20, 2006 Link
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@FilibusterMan

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Tom's Diner

Suzanne Vega

37 Comments

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