Tom Diner's by SUZANNE VEGA

FACTS

The song was written by Suzanne Vega and appeared in her 1987 album Solitude Standing.

Tom’s Diner refers to Tom’s Restaurant in NYC where she used to be a frequent patron when she was a student at the university.

In this article from the archive of Vega’s official website you can read more facts about the composition of the song including the identity of the dead actor appearing in the newspaper.

⇨ The Exact Day Of The Composition Of The Song

But Tom’s Restaurant would later become famous for being the location for the exterior scenes of Monk’s Café, the place where a group of friends in the popular 90’s sitcom Seinfeld would meet for a coffee or a meal.

In this scene the friends are sitting at the counter waiting for a free booth:

This is a short documentary about the location:

LANGUAGE:

The Present Continuous

Very often, this song is used by teachers to explain the present continuous tense.

One of the main uses of this tense is to express actions happening at the time of speaking and it is also common when we want to describe the setting of an event.

You can revise and practice the use of this tense here:

⇨https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/present-continuous-basic

British and American English

George Bernard Shaw once said: “The United States and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language.”

This is true to some extent. The former British colonists brought the language to the country, but these settlers mingled with migrants from other places speaking different languages. This melting pot created a language of their own with different grammar structures and a different accent and intonation.

Watch this Voanews video to check the main differences:

⇨ Voanews: 6 differences between British and American English

But the most outstanding difference is found in the vocabulary. American and British English speakers need some time to adapt to the language when they move from one country to the other. Most words belong to the lexical fields of food, transport, shopping or clothes, which are related to common everyday activities.

In the song we can find the following examples:

Diner: in the US, a small informal and inexpensive restaurant, often (but not always) at the side of the road. British would say “café” or “restaurant.”

The funnies: drawings, especially in a newspaper or magazine, that tell a joke or make a humorous criticism. In British English they prefer to say “cartoons.”

Gotten: another form of the past participle of “get” with the meaning of “become” as in: “her hair has gotten wet”. In the British Islands it’s more common to hear: “her hair has got wet.”

You will find more examples of the differences between British and American English here:

⇨ British Vs American English: 100+ Differences Illustrated

MEANING AND DEBATE

The “Observer”

Nighthawks by Edward Hopper

In the song, the narrator observes the people at the diner; the bartender, the customers, a woman outside the window, etc. She also listens to or overhears a conversation.

To overhear means to listen just by chance, without an intention. When you listen on purpose and secretly, for example behind a door, you eavesdrop.

• Have you ever sat at a café and just observe or "overhear" the people around you?
• What are they doing? Are they chatting? What are they thinking? How do they feel? Do they have any problems?
• Who are they? What are their pleasures and concerns?
• And you, what do you usually do when you sit alone at a café?