The Marvelettes Songs - Please Mr. Postman
The Marvelettes - Please Mr. Postman


The Marvelettes - Please Mr. Postman Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos
Album: Please Mr. Postman
Released: 1961

Please Mr. Postman Lyrics


(Wait) Oh yes, wait a minute Mister Postman (Wait)
Wait Mister Postman

(Please Mister Postman, look and see) Oh yeah
(Is there a letter in your bag for me) Please, Please Mister Postman
(Why's it been a very long time) Oh yeah
(Since I heard from this boyfriend of mine)

There must be some word today
From my boyfriend so far away
Please Mister Postman, look and see
Is there a letter, a letter for me

I've been standin' here waitin' Mister Postman
So patiently, for just a card, or just a letter
Sayin' he's returnin' home to me

Please Mister Postman (Mister Postman, look and see) Oh yeah
(Is there a letter in your bag for me?) Please Please Mister Postman
(Why's it been a very long time) Oh yeah
(Since I heard from this boyfriend of mine)

So many days you passed me by
You saw the tears standin' in my eye
You wouldn't stop to make me feel better
By leavin' me a card or a letter

Please Mister Postman look and see (Postman postman)
Is there a letter oh yeah in your bag for me? (Postman postman)
You know its been so long (Postman postman)
Yes since I heard from this boyfriend of mine (Postman postman)

You better wait a minute, wait a minute
Oh you better wait a minute
Please please Mister Postman (Wait a minute Mister Postman)
Please check and see just one more time for me
You better wait, wait a minute
Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute
Please Mister Postman
Deliver de letter the sooner de better
Wait a minute, wait a minute
Wait a minute, please Mister Postman
Wait a minute, wait a minute oh oh

Writer/s: BATEMAN, ROBERT / GORMAN, FREDDIE / HOLLAND, BRIAN / GARRETT, WILLIAM / DOBBINS, GEORGIA
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Please Mr. Postman Song Chart
  • William Garrett, a songwriter friend of group member Georgia Dobbins, offered this to The Marvelettes when she asked if he had anything for them to sing. He wrote it as a Blues song, but Dobbins completely rewrote it (she saved only the title) and taught it to lead singer Gladys Horton. Before The Marvelettes recorded it, Dobbins left the group to care for her mother. Motown producers Robert Bateman and Brian Holland worked on the song with The Marvelettes and crafted it into a hit. Holland, along with his brother Eddie and Lamont Dozier, went on to write many other Motown classics.
  • Marvin Gaye played drums on this song. He was 22 at the time and trying to break into the business.
  • Part of this song was written by a postman who helped Dobbins complete the lyrics. His name was Freddie Gorman and his mail route included Brewster public housing where members of The Supremes lived. Gorman also sang with Motown group The Originals. He passed away in 2006. (thanks, hal - atlanta, GA)
  • The Marvelettes were five teenage girls from Inkster, Michigan. This was their first single and their only #1. They went through many member changes before breaking up in 1969.
  • Waiting for a letter and other mail-related storylines were common in songs of this era, when the postal service provided a primary means of communication ("Return To Sender" was a hit for Elvis the following year). This song describes a woman awaiting a letter from her lover - something unlikely to happen in the internet age.
  • This was the first #1 hit for Motown Records. Motown soon flourished into a legendary label with hundreds of hits.
  • The Marvelettes' follow-up single "Twistin' Postman" (a #34 American hit) tried to capitalize on the dance craze and also continued the story of the woman who waits for a letter from her boyfriend. In the continuing story, the woman begins to lose hope on ever receiving a letter and then finally receives one. (thanks, Jerro - New Alexandria, PA)
  • This was #1 US hit for the Carpenters, who covered it on their 1975 album Horizon. Featuring Karen Carpenter on drums and a guitar solo by Tony Peluso, it was their biggest hit ever worldwide, reaching #1 in the US, Australia, Germany, Japan and several other countries, as well as reaching #2 in the UK and Canada. Richard Carpenter later said that he wished they never did the song, as by that stage of their career, they should not have been covering oldies.
  • The Beatles recorded this in 1963. Sung by John Lennon, they played it at many of their early concerts. The song was one of three Motown cuts, along with "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" and "Money (That's What I Want)" that The Beatles released on The Beatles' Second Album. Motown head Berry Gordy agreed to a lower rate for use of the songs, as he was thrilled to have The Beatles recording tracks from his roster.
  • The songwriting credits on this track are a bit murky. The copyright lists Georgia Dobbins, Brian Holland, Freddie Gorman and Robert Bateman, but the music publishing agencies (the ones who send the checks), list just Holland, Bateman and Gorman. William Garrett is listed as one of the writers in some publications.