Tom's Diner

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!

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."

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.

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.

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

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"

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 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!

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.

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.