What Are Your Favorite VINTAGE Song Lyrics?

[Rafter]

Tenderly (The words of Jack Lawrence say it all!)


The evening breeze caressed the trees tenderly.
The trembling trees embraced the breeze tenderly.
Then you and I came wandering by,
and lost in a sigh were we.
The shore was kissed by sea and mist tenderly.

I can't forget how two hearts met breathlessly.
Your arms opened wide and closed me inside.
You took my lips, you took my love so tenderly.

Your arms opened wide and closed me inside.
You took my lips, you took my love so tenderly.

 

[GregK]

It's fun to see so many of my favorite songs here. Say, does anyone know of the lyrics (and maybe music) for "He wore a Blue Fedora", and/or the "Close Your Eyes Waltz"? Thanks.

 

[JazzBaby]

There's one line from Chuck Berry's 'Maybelline' that always makes me smile:

"As I was motivatin' over the hill
I saw Maybelline in a Coup Deville"

It's just the way he sings it, it cracks me up...lol

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Jesus Christ was a man
That travelled through the land
A hard working man and brave.

He said to the rich to give to the poor
So they laid Jesus Christ in his grave.

Yes, Jesus was a man
A carpenter by hand
his followers true and brave.

But one dirty coward, called Judas Escariot
Has laid poor Jesus in his grave.

He went to the preacher,
He went to the Sherriff.
Told them all the same:

Sell all of your jewellery,
And give it to the poor
So they laid Jesus Christ in his grave.

When Jesus come to town,
The workin' folks around
Believed what he did say.

The bankers and the preachers,
they nailed him on a cross.
And they laid Jesus Christ in his grave.

Now the workin' people
followed him around,
Singin', shouted gay.

But the cops and soldiers
They nailed him in the air.
And they laid Jesus Christ in his grave

Well the people held their breath,
When they heard about his death.
Everybody wondered Why?

It was the landlord
And the soldiers that he hired,
That nailed Jesus Christ in the sky.

This song was made
In New York City,
Of a rich man's and preachers and slaves

If Jesus was to preach
Like he preached in Galilee,
They would lay Jesus Christ in his grave.

Yes, Jesus was a man
A carpenter by hand,
His followers true and brave.

And one dirty coward
Called Judas Esariot
Has laid Jesus Christ in his grave

Jesus Christ Woody Guthrie, Winter 1940.

I wrote this song looking out of a rooming house window in New York City in the winter of 1940. I saw how the poor folks lived, and then i saw how the rich folks lived, and the poor folks down and out and cold and hungry, and the rich ones out drinking good whiskey and celebrating and wasting handfuls money at gambling and women, and i got to thinking about what Jesus said, and what if He was to walk into New York City and preach like he use to. They'd lock Him back in Jail as sure as you're reading this. "Even as you've done it unto the least of these little ones, you have done it unto me".

bk

 

[Technonut]

I consider 1953 as "close enough" vintage....


Train Kept A-Rollin'....Tiny Bradshaw, 1953

I caught the train, I met a dame,
She was a hipster, well and a real cool dame,
She was pretty, from New York City,
Well and we trucked on down in that old Fairlane.
With a heave, and a ho,
And I just couldn't let her go,
Get along, sweet little woman, get along,
Better be on your way,
Get along, sweet little woman, get along,
Better be on your way,
With a heave, and a ho,
I just couldn't let her go,
No.

Yeah, the train kept a-rollin', all night long,
The train kept a-rollin', all night long,
The train kept a-rollin', all night long,
The train kept a-rollin', all night long,
With a heave, and a ho,
Just couldn't let her go,
No.

We made a stop at Albuquerque,
She must have thought I was a real gone jerk,
We got out the train in El Paso,
Lookin' so good, that I couldn't let 'er go.
With a heave, and a ho,
I just couldn't let her go,
Get along, sweet little woman get along,
Better be on your way,
Get along, sweet little woman get along,
Be on your way,
With a heave, and a ho,
I just couldn't let her go,
No.

I DO prefer the Aerosmith version FYI.....

 

[Technonut]

To stay on topic , I am fond of this vintage song...


Come Rain or Come Shine.... Johnny Mercer/Harold Arlen, 1946

I'm gonna love you like nobody's loved you
Come rain or come shine
High as a mountain and deep as a river
Come rain or come shine

I guess when you met me
It was just one of those things
But don't ever bet me
'Cause I'm gonna be true if you let me

You're gonna love me like nobody's loved me
Come rain or come shine
Happy together, unhappy together
And wouldn't it be fine

Days may be cloudy or sunny
We're in or we're out of the money
But I'm with you always
I'm with you rain or shine

 

[JazzBaby]

I'm a big Gershwin fan, and this one is my favourite:

Do It Again

Oh, do it again
I may say no, no, no
But do it again

My lips just ache to have you take
The kiss that's waiting for you
You know if you do you won't regret it
Come and get it

Oh, no-one is near
I may say oh, oh, oh
But no-one can hear

Mama may scold me cause she told me
It was naughty but then
Oh do it again
Please do it again, and again, and again

Oh turn out the light
And hold me close in your arms
All through the night

I know tomorrow morning you may say
"Goodbye and amen!"
But until then - please do it again

Have a rare live Judy Garland recording of it which is especially beautiful.

 

[Ellie]

Hello Baby, yeah, this is the Big Bopper speaking
Oh you sweet thing
Do I what
Will I what
Oh baby you know what I like

Chantilly lace and a pretty face
And a pony tail hanging down
That wiggle in the walk and giggle in the talk
Makes the world go round
There ain't nothing in the world like a big eyed girl
That makes me act so funny, make me spend my money
Make me feel real loose like a long necked goose
Like a girl, Oh baby that's what I like......

"chantilly lace" the big bopper

 

[Rafter]

AFTER THE LIGHTS GO DOWN LOW
(Alan White & Leroy Lovett)

After the lights go down low, baby, you know
there'll be no reason for teasin' me so.
And when the dancin' is thru and folks will be few
I'll be here sittin' with no one but you
and I'll be needin you so after the lights go down low.

I wanna hold you, squeeze you as tight as I can,
I'd like to kiss you, please you and make you understand
and when you thrill me, you fill me with love so divine.
Together we can have a good time.

After the lights go down low, baby, you know
there'll be no reason for teasin' me so.
And we can cuddle up near wihout any fear
'cause I've got some sweet talk that you want to hear
and I'll be needin' you so after the lights go down low.

After the lights go down low, baby, you know
there'll be no reason for teasin' me so.
And when the dancin' is thru and folks will be few
I'll be here sittin' with no one but you
and I'll be needin' you so after the lights go down low.

I wanna hold you, squeeze you as tight as I can,
I'd like to kiss you, please you and m ake you understand
and when you thrill me, you fill me with love so divine.
Together we can have a good time.

After the lights go down low, baby, you know
there'll be no reason for teasin' me so.
And we can cuddle up near without any fear
'cause I've got some sweet talk that you want to hear
and I'll be needin' you so after the lights go down low.

 

[Flivver]

My Cutey's Due At Two-To-Two Today...1926

This was recorded by many artists but, my favorite is by Ted Weems and His Orchestra. It was recorded on 7-19-26 on Victor 20120A:

Hey there taxi, do your stuff,
Why I can't get there fast enough,
Take me to that train from way out west.
Why I'm just jumping in my shoes,
'Cause there ain't no time to loose,
Got a date, 1:58, with the one that I love best.

My cutey's due at two-to-two,
She's comin' through on a big choo-choo,
She's been away for months,
But I haven't cheated once,
Stayed home nights, didn't dance,
Wasn't taking any chance,
Didn't flirt, though it hurt,
Just couldn't do my cutey dirt.

My days were blue and my nights were black,
But I just knew that she'd come back,
For I love her and she loves me, and say,
Don't think there ain't no Santa Claus,
I know darn well there is because,
My cutey's due at two-to-two today!

 

[MudInYerEye]

No contest.

Chuck Berry's "My Ding-A-Ling-A-Ling" (big top 40 hit in it's day):

When I was a little biddy boy
My grandma bought me a cute little toy
Two Silver bells on a string
She told me it was my ding-a-ling-a-ling

My Ding-A-Ling My Ding-A-Ling won't you play with My Ding-A-Ling
My Ding-A-Ling My Ding-A-Ling won't you play with My Ding-A-Ling

When I was little boy In Grammar school
Always went by the very best rule
But Evertime the bell would ring
You'd catch me playing with my ding-a-ling

Once while climbing the garden wall,
Slipped and fell had a very bad fall
I fell so hard I heard birds sing,
But I held on to My ding-a-ling

Once while swimming cross turtle creek
Man them snappers right at my feet
Sure was hard swimming cross that thing
with both hands holding my dingaling

Now this here song it ain't so bad
Prettiest little song that you ever had
And those of you who will not sing
must be playing with your on Ding-a-ling.

 

[blacklagoon]

Guy Marks - Loving You Has Made Me Bananas

Guy Marks recorded a satyre type song of a 20's - 30's type song.until recently,i really thought it was a genuine early 20's - 30's recording,it was so good.I managed to find a video of it,so i will post it here.it conjures up so many images to me,of early laurel and hardy era songs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh5oaxyMt0I

The song was written in the seventies,but captured all the fun of the 20's and 30's so beautifully.R.I.P Guy Marks,god bless.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Road to Morocco

I've always, for some bizarre reason, felt one little bit from Hope & Crosby's Road to Morocco was just the funniest, cleverest line ever:

"Like Webster's Dictionary, we're Morocco-bound"

 

[KilroyCD]

Since most of my favourites were already listed...

I'll chime in with the lyrics from one of my favourite songs of the '60s, "Waterloo Sunset" by the Kinks.

Dirty old river, must you keep rolling
Flowing into the night
People so busy, makes me feel dizzy
Taxi light shines so bright
But I dont need no friends
As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset
I am in paradise

Every day I look at the world from my window
But chilly, chilly is the evening time
Waterloo sunsets fine

Terry meets Julie, Waterloo station
Every Friday night
But I am so lazy, dont want to wander
I stay at home at night
But I dont feel afraid
As long as I gaze on waterloo sunset
I am in paradise

Every day I look at the world from my window
But chilly, chilly is the evening time
Waterloo sunsets fine

Millions of people swarming like flies round Waterloo underground
But Terry and Julie cross over the river
Where they feel safe and sound
And the dont need no friends
As long as they gaze on Waterloo sunset
They are in paradise

 

[TraderRic]

More favorites

Here's a peppy one that always makes me smile.

ELMER'S TUNE

Why are the stars always winkin' and blinkin' above?
What makes a fellow start thinkin' of fallin' in love?
It's not the season, the reason is plain as the moon
It's just Elmer's Tune

What makes a lady of eighty go out on the loose?
Why does a gander meander in search of a goose?
What puts the kick in a chicken, the magic in June?
It's just Elmer's Tune

Listen
Listen
There's a lot you're liable to be missin'
Sing it
Swing it
Any old way and any old time

The hurdy-gurdies, the birdies, the cop on the beat
The candy maker, the baker, the man on the street
The city charmer, the farmer, the man in the moon
All sing Elmer's Tune

This one says it all.

MY PRAYER

My prayer is to linger with you
At the end of the day
In a dream that's divine...

My prayer is a rapture in blue
With the world far away
And your lips close to mine.

Tonight, while our hearts are aglow,
Oh, tell me the words that I'm longing to know...

My prayer and the answer you give,
May they still be the same for as long as we live,
That you'll always be there
At the end of my prayer!

 

[HadleyH]

...and yet another song from my favorite ever... in my eyes one of the greatest lyricist-composer of them all, Cole Porter. This one is very silly but fun... His lyrics always make me laugh.

'Pilot Me' (1928)

(verse)

I've got an aeroplane,
Entirely new,
A cosy narrow plane,
Just built for two.
I'll let you drive it, dear,
and when you do,
Up where it's private dear,
we'll bill and coo.


(refrain)

Pilot me,
Pilot me,
Be the pilot I need.
Please give my ship
A maiden trip
And we'll get the prize for speed.
So cast away your fears,
Let me carry you through.
And when afraid you are
Of going too far,
Then I'll
Just pil-
-Ot you.

 

[zaika]

A Chicken Ain't Nothing But a Bird
Cab Calloway

Chicken!
Nice fried chicken!
Barbecued chicken!
Won't you send it down the line.

Say!
Everyone's talking 'bout chicken;
Chicken's a popular word;
Anywhere you go, you're bound to find,
A chicken ain't nothin' but a bird.

Some people call it a fowl,
That's the story I heard,
But let 'em call it this and let 'em call it that,
A chicken ain't nothin' but a bird.

You can boil it, roast it, broil it,
Cook it in a pan or a pot,
Eat it with potatoes, rice or tomatoes,
But chicken's still what you got, boy!

It was a dish for old Caesar,
Also King Henry the Third,
But Columbus was smart, said 'You can't fool me,
A chicken ain't nothin' but a bird.'

 

[dhermann1]

Serenade in Blue

When I hear that serenade in blue,
I'm somewhere in another land, alone with you,
Sharing all the joys we used to know,
Many moons ago.
Once again your face comes back to me,
The just like the theme from some forgotten melody
In the album of my memory,
Serenade in blue.
It seems like only yesterday,
A small cafe, a crowded floor,
And as we danced the night away,
I hear you say forever more,
And then the song became a sigh,
Forever more became goodbye,
But you remained in my heart, so
Tell me darling, is there still a spark?
Or only lonely ashes of the flames we knew?
Should I go on whistling in the dark, serenade in blue?

 

[dhermann1]

Oh, hay. If you wanna talk about Cab, how about Nagasaki, Hoy Hoy, Everybody Eats When They come to My House (a personal favorite), 15 Minute Intermission, 2 Blocks Down, Turn to the Left, on the Right Hand Side of the Street. So many others. The dude was the king of the novelty song.

 

[zaika]

Oh, hay. If you wanna talk about Cab, how about Nagasaki, Hoy Hoy, Everybody Eats When They come to My House (a personal favorite), 15 Minute Intermission, 2 Blocks Down, Turn to the Left, on the Right Hand Side of the Street. So many others. The dude was the king of the novelty song.

#1. i LOVE serenade in blue. beautiful lyrics.

#2. calloway was especially entertaining in the betty boop cartoons!