What Are Your Favorite VINTAGE Song Lyrics?

[Julian]

In my opinion, perhaps one of the best "torch" songs ever recorded.

Billie Hollidays "Lover Man"

I don't know why but I'm feeling so sad
I long to try something I never had
Never had no kissin'
Oh, what I've been missin'
Lover man, oh, where can you be?

The night is cold and I'm so alone
I'd give my soul just to call you my own
Got a moon above me
But no one to love me
Lover man, oh, where can you be?

I've heard it said
That the thrill of romance
Can be like a heavenly dream

I go to bed with a prayer
That you'll make love to me
Strange as it seems

Someday we'll meet
And you'll dry all my tears
Then whisper sweet
Little things in my ear
Hugging and a-kissing
Oh, what I've been missing
Lover man, oh, where can you be?

 

[Kevin Noel Olso]

Pistol Packin' Papa by Jimmie Rodgers:

I'm a pistol packin' papa and when I walk down the streets
You can hear those mamas shouting don't turn your gun on me
Now girls I'm just a good guy and I'm going to have my fun
And if you don't want to smell my smoke don't monkey with my gun.

Like a hobo when he's hungry like a drunkman when he's full
I'm a pistol packin' papa and I know how to shoot the bull
The hold-up men all know me and they sure leave me be
I'm a pistol packin' papa and I ramble where I please.

When I have that funny feeling that luring rambles call
I swing aboard of some freight train and I shoot my pistol off
Sometimes one shot will do me sometimes takes four or five
Sometimes I shoot all around before I'm satisfied.

When you hear my pistol poppin' you better hide yourself someplace
'Cause I ain't made for stoppin' and I come for a shootin' race
My sweetheart understands me she says I'm her big shot
I'm her pistol packin' daddy and I know I got to drop.

You can hear my new sport roadster you can take my hardboiled hat :fedora:
But you can never take from me my silver mounted gat
I'm a pistol packin' papa and I'm going to have my fun
Just follow me and you will hear the barking of my gun...

:eusa_booh

 

[deadpandiva]

Speak Low

Writer(s): Nash/Weill


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 wherever I go that 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, ev'rything ends too soon, too soon
I wait, darling, I wait
Will you speak low to me, speak love to me and soon

 

[nubsnubs]

Call me simple.. I am always in a better mood after hearing "Wonderful World" by Loius Armstrong.

 

[Blackjack]

And now the purple dusk of twilight time
Steals across the meadows of my heart
High up in the sky the little stars climb
Always reminding me that were apart

You wander down the lane and far away
Leaving me a song that will not die
Love is now the stardust of yesterday
The music of the years gone by

Sometimes I wonder why I spend
The lonely night dreaming of a song
The melody haunts my reverie
And I am once again with you
When our love was new
And each kiss an inspiration
But that was long ago
Now my consolation
Is in the stardust of a song

Beside a garden wall
When stars are bright
You are in my arms
The nightingale tells his fairy tale
A paradise where roses bloom
Though I dream in vain
In my heart it will remain
My stardust melody
The memory of loves refrain


Just friggin beautiful

 

[nyx]

Lush Life by Billy Strayhorn is one of my favorite songs ever. I love the lyrical gymnastics he does in this. I'm amazed that anyone could have managed to write it.

I used to visit all the very gay places
Those come what may places
Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
To get the feel of life...
From jazz and cocktails.

The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces
With distant gay traces
That used to be there you could see where theyd been washed away
By too many through the day...
Twelve oclock tales.

Then you came along with your siren of song
To tempt me to madness!
I thought for a while that your poignant smile was tinged with the sadness
Of a great love for me.

Ah yes! I was wrong...
Again,
I was wrong.

Life is lonely again,
And only last year everything seemed so sure.
Now life is awful again,
A troughful of hearts could only be a bore.
A week in paris will ease the bite of it,
All I care is to smile in spite of it.

Ill forget you, I will
While yet you are still burning inside my brain.
Romance is mush,
Stifling those who strive.
Ill live a lush life in some small dive...
And there Ill be, while I rot
With the rest of those whose lives are lonely, too..

 

[Sarge]

THERE IS NOTHIN' LIKE A DAME
(Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers)
From the musical South Pacific (1949)

Sailors, Seabees and Marines:
We got sunlight on the sand,
We got moonlight on the sea,
We got mangoes and bananas
You can pick right off the tree,
We got volleyball and ping-pong
And a lot of dandy games!
What ain't we got?
We ain't got dames!

We get packages from home,
We get movies, we get shows,
We get speeches from our skipper
And advice from Tokyo Rose,
We get letters doused with perfume
We get dizzy from the smell!
What don't we get?
You know darn well!

We have nothin' to put on a clean white suit for
What we need is what there ain't no substitute for...

There is nothin' like a dame,
Nothin' in the world,
There is nothin' you can name
That is anythin' like a dame!

We feel restless, we feel blue,
We feel lonely and in grief,
We feel ev'ry kind of feelin',
But the feelin' of relief
We feel hungry as the wolf felt
When he met Red Hiding-hood
What don't we feel?
We don't feel good!

Lots of things in life are beautiful, but brother,
There is one particular thing that is nothin' whatsoever
In any way, shape or form like any other.

There is nothin' like a dame,
Nothin' in the world,
There is nothin' you can name
That is anythin' like a dame!

Nothin' else was built the same,
Nothin' in the world
As the soft and wavy frame
Like the silhouette of a dame!

There is absolutely nothin' like a frame of a dame.

So suppose that dame and bride
Are completely free from flaws,
Or as faithful as a bird dog,
Or as kind as Santa Claus,
It's a waste of time to worry
Over things that they have not,
We're thankful for the things they got!

There is nothin' you can name
That is anythin' like a dame!

There are no books like a dame,
And nothin' looks like a dame.
There are no drinks like a dame,
And nothin' thinks like a dame,
Nothin' acts like a dame,
Or attracts like a dame.
There ain't a thing that's wrong with any man here
That can't be cured by pullin' him near
A girly, womanly, female, feminine dame!

 

[HadleyH]

Which (1928)


Which is the right life,
The simple or the night life?
When, pray, should one rise,
At sunset or at sunrise?
Which should be upper,
My breakfast or my supper?
Which is the right life,
Which?

If the wood nymph left the park,
Would Park Avenue exite her?
Would the glow-worm trade her spark
For the latest Dunhill lighter?
Here is a question I would pose,
Tell me which the sweeter smell makes,
The aroma of a rose
Or the perfume that Chanel makes?

Which land is dreamier,
Arcadia or Bohemia?
Who'll tell the answer,
The daisy or the dancer?
Which life is for me,
The peaceful or the stormy?
Which is the right man,
Walt Whitman or Paul Whiteman,
Which?

Should I read Euripides or continue with the Graphic?
Hear the murmur of the breeze or the roaring of the traffic?
Should I make one man my choice
And regard divorce as treason,
Or should I like Peggy Joyce,
get a new one ev'ry season?

Which is the right life,
The simple or the night life?
When pray, should one rise,
At sunset or at sunrise?
Which should be the upper,
My breakfast or my supper?
Which is the right life,
Which!

 

[steviebee74]

There's nothing like the lyrics of this song to conjure images of hope and peacetime. This guy's telling his sweetheart not to worry and he'll be home safely after the fighting. Modern tunes have no soul anymore.

Think of that great scene in the lesser-known Richard Gere movie "Yanks" when on New Year's Eve, Gere's character is spinning his English girlfriend around a packed dancefloor...

For me it has to be this one...

I'll be seeing you
In all the old familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces
All day through.

In that small cafe;
The park across the way;
The children's carousel;
The chestnut trees;
The wishin' well.

I'll be seeing you
In every lovely summer's day;
In every thing that's light and gay.
I'll always think of you that way.

I'll find you
In the morning sun
And when the night is new.
I'll be looking at the moon,
But I'll be seeing you.

I'll be seeing you
In every lovely summer's day;
In every thing that's light and gay.
I'll always think of you that way.

I'll find you
In the morning sun
And when the night is new.
I'll be looking at the moon,
But I'll be seeing you.

 

[Kitty_Sheridan]

Normally when I buy 78s I stick to 30s or wartime music but I bought this by Jo Stafford the other day and wow....such a lovely song! :cry:

See the pyramids along the Nile
See the sunrise on a tropic isle
Just remember darlin' all the while
You belong to me

See the market place in Old Algiers
Send me photographs and souvenirs
Just remember when a dream appears
You belong to me

I'll be so alone without you
Maybe you'll be lonesome too, and blue

Fly the ocean in a silver plane
See the jungle when it's wet with rain
Just remember 'til you're home again
You belong to me

Fly the ocean in a silver plane
See the jungle when it's wet with rain
Just remember 'til you're home again
You belong to me

 

[A.R. McVintage]

Johnny Mercer:

Gather 'round me, everybody
Gather 'round me while I'm preachin'
Feel a sermon comin' on me
The topic will be sin and that's what I'm ag'in'
If you wanna hear my story
The settle back and just sit tight
While I start reviewin'
The attitude of doin' right

You've got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between

You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium's
Liable to walk upon the scene

To illustrate my last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they do just when everything looked so dark?

(Man, they said "We'd better accentuate the positive")
("Eliminate the negative")
("And latch on to the affirmative")
Don't mess with Mister In-Between (No!)
Don't mess with Mister In-Between

(Ya got to spread joy up to the maximum)

(Bring gloom down to the minimum)

(Have faith or pandemonium's)
(Liable to walk upon the scene)

You got to ac (yes, yes) -cent-tchu-ate the positive
Eliminate (yes, yes) the negative
And latch (yes, yes) on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
No, don't mess with Mister In-Between

 

[Mayor La Trivia]

Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Lead us lest too far we wander
Love's sweet voice is callin' yonder
Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Hey, there don't get dimmer, dimmer
Light the path below, above
And lead us on to love

Glow little glow-worm, fly of fire
Glow like an incandescent wire
Glow for the female of the species
Turn on the AC and the DC
This night could use a little brightnin'
Light up you little ol' bug of lightnin'
When you gotta glow, you gotta glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow

Glow little glow-worm, glow and glimmer
Swim through the sea of night, little swimmer
Thou aeronautical boll weevil
Illuminate yon woods primeval
See how the shadows deep and darken
You and your chick should get to sparkin'
I got a gal that I love so
Glow little glow-worm, glow

Glow little glow-worm, turn the key on
You are equipped with taillight neon
You got a cute vest-pocket *Mazda*
Which you can make both slow and faster
I don't know who you took the shine to
Or who you're out to make a sign to
I got a gal that I love so
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow

 

[Camille]

My softspots are:

Embraceable you - George/Ira Gershwin

Embrace me,
My sweet embraceable you.
Embrace me,
You irreplaceable you.
Just one look at you - my heart grew tipsy in me.
You and you alone bring out the gypsy in me.
I love all
The many charms about you;
Above all,
I want my arms about you.
Don't be a naughty baby,
Come to papa - come to papa - do!
My sweet embraceable you.

I love all
The many charms about you;
Above all,
I want my arms about you.
Don't be a naughty baby,
Come to papa - come to papa - do!
My sweet embraceable you.

And also, not very vintage since the song is from 1956, but I consider the artist vintage.

Non, je ne regrette rien - Édith Piaf

Non, rien de rien
Non, je ne regrette rien
Ni le bien qu'on m'a fait, ni le mal
Tout ça m'est bien égal

Non, rien de rien
Non, je ne regrette rien
C'est payé, balayé, oublié
Je me fous du passé

Avec mes souvenirs
J'ai allumé le feu
Mes chagrins, mes plaisirs
Je n'ai plus besoin d'eux

Balayés les amours
Et tous leurs trémolos
Balayés pour toujours
Je repars à zéro

Non, rien de rien
Non, je ne regrette rien
Ni le bien, qu'on m'a fait, ni le mal
Tout ça m'est bien égal

Non, rien de rien
Non, je ne regrette rien
Car ma vie, car mes joies
Aujourd'hui, ça commence avec toi

(In english)

No, nothing.
No, I regret nothing.
Neither the good done to me, nor the bad;
to me, they're all the same.

No, nothing at all.
No, I regret nothing.
It's all paid for, swept away, forgotten;
I don't care about the past.

With my memories,
I've lit a fire.
My sorrows, my pleasures,
I need them no more.

Swept away are my loves
and all their tremors.
Swept away forever.
I start from scratch.

No, nothing really.
No, I have no regrets.
Neither the good done to me, nor the bad;
to me, they're all the same.

No, nothing.
No, I regret nothing.
Because my life, because my joys,
today, begin with you.

 

[deadpandiva]

Say That We’re Sweethearts Again

Life used to be a gay thing
A filled with happiness night and day thing
It was something to have and to hold
But it seems your love grew cold

I never know that our romance had ended
Until you poisoned my food
And I thought it was a lark
When you kicked me in the park
But now I think it was rude

I never knew that you and I were finished
Until that bottle hit my head
Though I tried to be aloof
When you pushed me off the roof
I feel our romance is dead

It wouldn’t have been so bad if you told me
If you told me that some one had suddenly taken my place
But no you didn’t even scold me
You just tried to disfigure my face

You’ll never know how this heart of mine is breaking
It looks so hopeless but then
Our love could still be sweet and placid
If you just put down that acid
And say we’re sweethearts again

You’ll never know how this heart of mine is breaking
It looks so hopeless but then
Our love is great, no love can match it
Darling please put down that hatchet
And say that we’re sweethearts again.

 

[sweetfrancaise]

This song isn't one of my absolute-favorite-favorites, but it's an awful lot of fun to sing:

"Jinga, Jangle, Jingle"
Kay Kyser

I got spurs that jingle, jangle, jingle
As I go ridin' merrily along
And they sing, "Oh, ain't you glad you're single"
And that song ain't so very far from wrong

Oh, Lillie Belle
Oh, Lillie Belle
Though I may have done some foolin'
This is why I never fell

I got spurs that jingle, jangle, jingle
As I go ridin' merrily along
And they sing, "Oh, ain't you glad you're single"
And that song ain't so very far from wrong

Oh, Mary Ann
Oh, Mary Ann
Though we done some moonlight walkin'
This is why I up and ran

I got spurs that jingle, jangle, jingle
As I go ridin' merrily along
And they sing, "Oh, ain't you glad you're single"
And that song ain't so very far from wrong

So I'll jingle on along

 

[skyvue]

I enjoyed these lyrics, which are from a song called "Gather Lip Rouge While You May" that was featured in the 1933 Fox movie musical MY WEAKNESS, starring Charles Butterworth and Lilian Harvey, a British comedienne.

Gather lip rouge while you may
You'll never feel much younger
Why not appease that hunger
While you may?

Let yourself be led astray
While you are still worth leading
So many lips are pleading
Night and day

Buzz around
As a busy bee does
Cover ground
Work as hard as he does
Time will fly, wait and see
Someday you won't be the bee that you used to be

When the right one comes your way
She'll never let you waver
You'll have to like one flavor
Gather lip rouge while you may​

You can listen to a Real Audio stream of the song here.

 

[RondoHatton]

Say That We’re Sweethearts Again

"...Life used to be a gay thing
A filled with happiness night and day thing
It was something to have and to hold
But it seems your love grew cold..."

On that note:
YOU’RE A BUILDER-UPPER
(Arlen / Ira Gershwin / Harburg
Harold Arlen - 1934

When you want to
You are able to make me feel that I’m Clark Gable
Then next minute you make me feel
I’m something from the zoo
First you warm up, then you’re distant
Never knew a girl so inconsistent
I’m a big-shot at half past one
A so-and-so by two
Heaven forgive you for your sins
Keeping me on meaner than him

You’re a builder-upper, a breaker-downer
A holder-outer, and I’m a giver-inner
Sad but true, I’m a sapper or two
Taking it from a big rover like you
Don’t know where I’m atter
I’m just a this-er, then I’m a that-er
A taker on the chin-er
My, my, my, what a weakie am I
To love you as I do

Just when I’m ready to sob
You hand me a throb
And everything is hunky-dory
And that’s my story
Open your arms and I’m a stooge for your charms
You’re a builder-upper, a breaker-downer
A holder-outer and I’m a giver-inner
Sad but true, I love it I do
Being broken by a builder-upper like you

Sad but true, I love it I do
Being broken by a builder-upper like you

 

[Lenah]

Lili Marleen

German:

Lili Marleen
Vor der Kaserne
Vor dem großen Tor
Stand eine Laterne
Und steht sie noch davor
So woll'n wir uns da wieder seh'n
Bei der Laterne wollen wir steh'n
Wie einst Lili Marleen.

Unsere beide Schatten
Sah'n wie einer aus
Daß wir so lieb uns hatten
Das sah man gleich daraus
Und alle Leute soll'n es seh'n
Wenn wir bei der Laterne steh'n
|Wie einst Lili Marleen.

Schon rief der Posten,
Sie blasen Zapfenstreich
Das kann drei Tage kosten
Kam'rad, ich komm sogleich
Da sagten wir auf Wiedersehen
Wie gerne wollt ich mit dir geh'n
Mit dir Lili Marleen.

Deine Schritte kennt sie,
Deinen zieren Gang
Alle Abend brennt sie,
Doch mich vergaß sie lang
Und sollte mir ein Leids gescheh'n
Wer wird bei der Laterne stehen
|Mit dir Lili Marleen

Aus dem stillen Raume,
Aus der Erde Grund
Hebt mich wie im Traume
Dein verliebter Mund
Wenn sich die späten Nebel drehn
Werd' ich bei der Laterne steh'n
Wie einst Lili Marleen.
Sung by Marlene Dietrich:http://bian.ca/refer/marlened.MP3

I prefer the german version, there is that something that gets lost in translation. The intense yearning and romantic melancholy. Dietrich's voice is just so amazing singing this.

English:

Lilli Marlene
Underneath the lantern,
By the barrack gate
Darling I remember
The way you used to wait
T'was there that you whispered tenderly,
That you loved me,
You'd always be,
My Lilli of the Lamplight,
My own Lilli Marlene

Time would come for roll call,
Time for us to part,
Darling I'd caress you
And press you to my heart,
And there 'neath that far-off lantern light,
I'd hold you tight ,
We'd kiss good night,
My Lilli of the Lamplight,
My own Lilli Marlene

Orders came for sailing,
Somewhere over there
All confined to barracks
was more than I could bear
I knew you were waiting in the street
I heard your feet,
But could not meet,
My Lilly of the Lamplight,
my own Lilly Marlene

Resting in our billets,
Just behind the lines
Even tho' we're parted,
Your lips are close to mine
You wait where that lantern softly gleams,
Your sweet face seems
To haunt my dreams
My Lilly of the Lamplight,
My own Lilly Marlene
Sung by Anne Shelton: http://bian.ca/refer/AnneShelton1944.MP3

 

[julia]

The internet has failed me, but I remember some of the lyrics:
"Little Yellow Bird"
Goodbye little yellow bird,
I'd gladly mate with you,
I love you little yellow bird,
but I love my freedom too,
so goodbye little yellow bird,
I'd rather brave the cold,
In a leafless tree, than a prisoner be,
In a cage of gold.

My grandpa used to play that for me. It was like our special song. We would also listen to "Don't go in the lion's cage tonight" but I forget the lyrics.

 

[Miss Sis]

Lyrics that never fail to make me smile:

from 'THEY CAN'T BLACKOUT THE MOON' 1939

When we go strolling in the park at night
Oh the darkness is a boon
Who cares if we're without a light?
They can't blackout the moon

I see you smiling in the cigarette glow
Though the picture fades too soon
But I see all I want to know
They can't blackout the moon

We don't grumble
We don't worry 'bout alot
When you stumble
You stumble right into my arms

And when you kiss me don't you realise?
That my heart's like a big balloon
And like the lovelight in your eyes
They can't blackout the moon

I especially like the bit about the 'cigarette glow'!