| Composer | Kurt Weill |
| Lyricist | Ogden Nash |
| Year Written | 1943 |
About This Song
“Speak Low” was written for the 1943 musical One Touch of Venus, starring Mary Martin. The song became a popular jazz standard, with recordings by Billie Holiday, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Chet Baker, and Ella Fitzgerald, among others.
View the lyrics
Speak low when you speak love
Our summer day withers away
Too soon, too soon
Speak low when you speak love
Our moment is swift like ships adrift
We’re swept apart, too soon
Speak low, darling speak low
Love is a spark lost in the dark
Too soon, too soon
I feel that wherever I go
Tomorrow is near, tomorrow is here
And always too soon
Time is so old and love so brief
Love is pure gold and time a thief
We’re late, darling we’re late
The curtain descends, everything ends
Too soon, too soon
I wait, darling I wait
Will you speak low to me
Speak love to me and soon
Recordings
1959
Tony Bennett recorded “Speak Low” on November 11, 1959. Frank DeVol wrote the arrangement.
CO 63979
Release History
| 1960 | Columbia LP 12″: CS 8226 — To My Wonderful One |
| 1960 | Columbia LP 12″ (Mono): CL 1429 — To My Wonderful One |
| 1960 | CBS EP: 6071 — Till |
| 2011 | Columbia: The Complete Collection — Disc 16 — To My Wonderful One |
1962-1
Tony Bennett recorded “Speak Low” on March 13, 1962. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.
CO 69513
| 1962 | Columbia LP 12″: CS 8613 — On The Glory Road (intended) |
| 1962 | Columbia LP 12″ (Mono): CL 1813 — On The Glory Road (intended) |
| 2011 | Columbia: The Complete Collection — Disc 22 — On the Glory Road |
1962-2
Tony Bennett recorded “Speak Low” live on June 9, 1962, at Carnegie Hall. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.
Release History
| 1997 | Columbia C2K 64609 — Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall: The Complete Concert |
| 2011 | Columbia: The Complete Collection — Discs 24 and 25 — Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall |
1964
Tony Bennett recorded “Speak Low” on March 26, 1964. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement and led The Ralph Sharon Trio.
CO 63979
Release History
| 1964 | Columbia LP 12″: CS 8975 — When Lights Are Low |
| 1964 | Columbia LP 12″ (Mono): CL 2175 — When Lights Are Low |
| 1975 | Columbia LP 12″: KG 33376 — Let’s Fall In Love With The Songs Of Harold Arlen And Cy Coleman |
| 1990 | CBS/Sony CD: CSCS-5242 — When Lights Are Low [Japan] |
| 2006 | RPM/Columbia/Legacy CD: 69699 85807 2 — When Lights Are Low |
| 2011 | Columbia: The Complete Collection — Disc 29 — When Lights Are Low |