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On Being Frank Lyrics

I had it all, or should I say I saw it all?
And it's a long way from the dustbin of New Jersey to the top
Who would have known?
Who would have known

I had a dream, but dreams had other plans for me
For 30 years I set the thermostat
Where Frank Sinatra liked it,
And pulled his girls and hung his hats
I never knew which one were mine
Now he's gone, and I'm alone

And I don't know where I might be going
I heard the wind, the wind stopped blowing
Set me on the roadside from the house
But home, for me was always someone else you know
That shadows always fall, when the sun goes down
I shook the hands of mafia dons and presidents
And though they always smile politely
With a measure of decorum
Still their eyes would scan beyond me
For a glimpse of something more
But now he's gone,
Now they're gone

And I don't know where I might be going
I heard the wind, the wind stopped blowing
Set me on the roadside from the house
But home, for me was always someone else you know
That shadows always fall, when the sun goes down

Alone, the shadow of a star, don't you know
That shadows always fall, yeah shadows always fall,
When the sun goes down

And I don't know where I might be going
I heard the wind, the wind stopped blowing
Set me on the roadside from the house
But home, for me was always someone else you know
Song Info
Submitted by
mike On Sep 14, 2012
3 Meanings

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Cover art for On Being Frank lyrics by Ben Folds Five

It's about Frank Sinatra's butler, when Sinatra died, the butler feels like he isn't his own person because "home was always someone else". He didn't have his own life, he just lived for somebody else.

It's aimed at people who live like this, whether it be a butler situation, or simply a person who lives for someone else (boyfriend/girlfriend). Quite moving.

Cover art for On Being Frank lyrics by Ben Folds Five

"And old his girl hands on his hats"

I think it's "pulled his girls and hung his hats".

"I shook the hands, a few dames and presidents"

It's "I shook the hands of mafia dons and presidents"

Cover art for On Being Frank lyrics by Ben Folds Five

According to Ben Folds the song is a metaphor for a couple who's been together so long that when they break up they don't know what they individually like anymore.

It's written from the perspective of Frank Sinatra's tour manager.

 
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