Tom's Diner

The lyrics describe an ordinary rainy morning in a diner, where the speaker notices small events around them: coffee being poured, two people greeting each other, and a woman looking through the window. At first, the speaker seems detached, quietly observing rather than joining in. Near the end, the bells and rain bring back a memory of a midnight picnic and “your voice,” giving the scene a more personal, wistful feeling.

Several details suggest how attention shifts from one thing to another. The woman outside sees “her own reflection,” not the speaker, which may imply that people can look toward one another without truly noticing one another. The newspaper story about an unfamiliar actor’s death is quickly set aside for the horoscope and comics, showing the speaker’s passing, casual attention. Rain continues through the morning, while the remembered picnic belongs to a time “before the rain began”; the contrast may connect the weather with a change in the speaker’s feelings or relationship.

The song does not explain who “you” is or what happened between them. The memory may be comforting, painful, or both, and the speaker’s calm observations leave their emotions partly hidden. The repeated nonsense syllables add a musical refrain without spelling out a clear meaning. The ending, with coffee finished and a train to catch, returns the speaker to ordinary routine, even as the memory lingers.