1. |
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Once I met a cloak-and-suiter
Never was a suitor cuter
My wardrobe grew more ample with each sample
And that’s how I got my start
Then I met a famous flyer
Goodness, was that guy a liar
He loved me like a brother (ha)
That’s another
But that’s how I got my start
Nobody has a string on me
Let people talk as they do
Nobody has a thing on me
Except mink and a bracelet or two
Prove it by my rich old banker
How I made that banker hanker
So let this be a lesson
Keep ’em guessin’
’Cause that’s how I got my start
Prove it by my rich old banker
How I made that banker lanker
So let this be a lesson
Keep ’em guessin’
’Cause that’s how I got my start
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2. |
Necessary Evil
04:07
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So you try hard to be good
And do the things you should
You give up everything that you enjoy
But if you slip a bit
And your heart says, “This is it”
That’s a necessary evil, my boy
All your friends say you’re a fool
And you won’t break any rules
With all the saintly virtues you employ
But if the slightest fling
Makes your soul begin to sing
That’s a necessary evil, my boy
Well a man sometimes has to sip of the grape
Cast his eye on a lovely shape
And sometime a wager desire
If a man says he don’t, he’s not a man, he’s a liar
So don’t let yourself be sad
If what looks good is bad
Reach out, accept the things that bring you joy
And when you feel inclined
It’ll help to keep in mind
That’s a necessary evil, my boy
Well a man sometimes has to sip of the grape
Cast his eye on a lovely shape
And sometime a wager desire
If a man says he don’t, he’s not a man, he’s a liar
So don’t let yourself be sad
If what looks good is bad
Reach out, accept the things that bring you joy
A man has got to live
Even steel is made to give
That’s a necessary evil
A necessary evil, my boy!
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3. |
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A handsome hunk o’ fellow with the sharpest clothes
A sunny disposition and a smile that glows
That’s the kind of guy I dream of
You should see the kind that I get
He never runs around with any gal but me
He doesn’t give a hoot about variety
That’s the kind of guy I dream of
You should see the kind that I get
If they’re not “dese, dem, and dose”-ers
They’re financially in the red
They’re broad-shouldered brutes
But in their bathing suits…
I shoulda stood in bed
A trip to Catalina on a moonlit deck
He wines me and he dines me and he pays the check
That’s the kind of guy I dream of
You should see the kind that I get
A man who comes a-courtin’ in a limousine
Who doesn’t want me chipping in for gasoline
That’s the kind of guy I dream of
You should see the kind that I get
He shows up on the minute when we have a date
Of course I’m never ready but he loves to wait
That’s the kind of guy I dream of
You should see the kind that I get
Got a guy, says he’s a jockey
Took me to see his thoroughbred
You guessed it, of course
He looks just like his horse
I shoulda stood in bed
He tells me that he’s faithful, never fools around
So naturally I trust him when he’s out of town
That’s the kind of guy I dream of
You should see the goons, the looney tunes
The geeks, the freaks, the weak physiques
The losers, the mooks, the flukes and the kooks
You should see
The guys that I get
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4. |
The Gentleman Is A Dope
04:19
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The boss gets on my nerves
I’ve got a good mind to quit
I’ve taken all I can
It’s time to get up and “git”
And move to another job
Or maybe another town
The gentleman burns me up
The gentleman gets me down
The gentleman is a dope, a man of many faults
A clumsy Joe who wouldn’t know a rhumba from a waltz
The gentleman is a dope and not my cup of tea
Why do I get in a dither? He doesn’t belong to me
The gentleman isn’t bright, he doesn’t know the score
A cake will come, he’ll take a crumb and never ask for more
The gentleman’s eyes are blue, and little do they see
Why am I beating my brains out? He doesn’t belong to me
He’s somebody else’s problem, she’s welcome to the guy
She’ll never understand him half as well as I
The gentleman is a dope, he isn’t very smart
He’s just a lug you’d like to hug and hold against your heart
The gentleman doesn’t know how happy he could be
Look at me crying my eyes out, as if he belonged to me
He’s somebody else’s problem, she’s welcome to the guy
She’ll never understand him half as well, half as well as I
The gentleman is a dope, he isn’t very smart
He’s just a lug you’d like to hug and hold against your heart
The gentleman doesn’t know how happy he could be
Look at me crying my eyes out, as if he belonged to me
He’ll never, no never belong to me
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5. |
Love For Sale
04:27
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When the only sound in the empty street
Is the heavy tread of the heavy feet
That belong to a lonesome cop
I open shop
When the moon so long has been gazing down
On the wayward ways of this wayward town
That her smile becomes a smirk
I go to work
Love for sale
Appetizing young love for sale
Love that’s fresh and still unspoiled
Love that’s only slightly soiled
Love for sale
Who will buy?
Who would like to sample my supply?
Who’s prepared to pay the price
For a trip to paradise?
Love for sale
Let the poets pipe of love
In their childish way
I know every type of love
Better far than they
If you want the thrill of love
I’ve been through the mill of love
Old love, new love
Every love but true love
Love for sale
Appetizing young love for sale
If you want to buy my wares
Follow me and climb the stairs
Love for sale
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6. |
Skylark
02:16
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Skylark
Have you anything to say to me?
Can you tell me where my love can be?
Is there a meadow in the mist
Where someone’s waiting to be kissed?
Oh, Skylark
Have you seen a valley green with spring
Where my heart can go a-journeying
Over the shadows and the rain
To a blossom-covered lane?
And in your lonely flight
Haven’t you heard the music in the night?
Wonderful music
Faint as a will o’ the wisp
Crazy as a loon
Sad as a gypsy serenading the moon
Skylark
I don’t know if you can find these things
But my heart is riding on your wings
So if you see them anywhere
Won’t you lead me there?
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7. |
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Long ago and far away
I dreamed a dream one day
And now that dream is here beside me
Long the skies were overcast
But now the clouds have passed
You’re here at last
Chills run up and down my spine
Aladdin’s lamp is mine
The dream I dreamed was not denied me
Just one look and then I knew
That all I longed for long ago was you
You stepped out of a dream
You were too wonderful to be what you seem
Could there be eyes like yours?
Could there be lips like yours?
Could there be smiles like yours, honest and truly?
*
You stepped out of a cloud
I want to take you away, away from the crowd
And have you all to myself, alone and apart
Out of a dream, safe in my heart
(repeat from *)
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8. |
An Occasional Man
02:49
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I got an island in the Pacific
And everything about it is terrific
I’ve got the sun to tan me, palms to fan me and…
An occasional man
I love my island, it’s very lazy
If I should ever leave it, I’d be crazy
I’ve got papayas, peaches, sandy beaches and…
An occasional man
When I go swimmin’
I am always dressed in style
‘Cause I go swimmin’
Wearin’ just a great big smile
My little island was made for pleasure
And in the cool of evening, it’s a treasure
And when the hour grows later, what is greater than
An occasional man?
When I go swimmin’
I am always dressed in style
‘Cause I go swimmin’
Wearin’ just a great big smile
My little island is such a beauty
You may forget to heed the call of duty
But if you give a slip to your ship
Miss the trip
Take a tip and play
An occasional day
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9. |
Out Of This World
05:23
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You’re clear out of this world
When I’m looking at you
I hear, out of this world
The music that no mortal ever knew
You’re right out of a book
The fairy tale I read when I was so high
No armored knight out of a book
Could find a more enchanted Lorelei than I
*
After waiting so long for the right time
After reaching so long for a star
All at once, in the long and lonely nighttime
And despite time, here you are
I’d cry out of this world
If you said we were through
So let me fly out of this world
And spend the next eternity or two with you
(repeat from *)
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10. |
Hooray For Love
03:19
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Here’s to my best romance
Here’s to my worst romance
Here’s to my first romance, ages ago
Here’s to the men I’ve kissed
And to complete the list
Here’s to the boys who said, “No”
Love, love, hooray for love
Who was ever too blasé for love
Make this a night for love
If we have to fight, let’s fight for love
Some sigh and cry for love
Ah, but in Paris they die for love
Some waste away for love
Just the same, hooray for love
It gets you high, it gets you low
But once you get that glow...
Some beat their brains for love
Other fellas miss their trains for love
Screen stars emote for love
Even politicians vote for love
Kings lose their thrones for love
Lovers disconnect their phones for love
There’s more to say for love
But for now, hooray, hooray for love
Some trust to fate for love,
Others have to take off weight for love
Some go berserk for love
Loafers even go to work for love
Sad songs are sobbed for love
People have their noses bobbed for love
Some say we pay for love
Just the same, hooray, hooray for love
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11. |
Personality
03:27
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Mary Smith had a college education
Sally Jones had a scientific streak
Susie Brown used to lecture on ancient architecture
Josie Green spoke Latin and Greek
Just forgotten girls with forgotten brains
While history explains…
When Madame Pompadour was on the ballroom floor
Said all the gentlemen, “Obviously,
The Madame has the cutest personality”
And think of all the books about DuBarry’s looks
What was it made her the toast of Paris?
She has a well-developed personality
What did Romeo see in Juliet
Or Figaro in Figarette
Or Jupiter in Juno?
You know…
And when Salome danced and had the boys entranced
No doubt it must have been easy to see
That she knew how to use her personality
A girl can learn to spell and take dictation well
And never sit on the boss’s settee
Unless she’s got a perfect personality
A girl can get somewhere in spite of stringy hair
Or even just a bit bowed at the knee
If she can show a faultless personality
Why are certain girls offered certain things
Like sable coats and wedding rings
By men who wear their spats right?
That’s right…
So don’t you say I’m smart and have the kindest heart
Or what a wonderful sister I’d be
Just tell me how you like my personality
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12. |
My Foolish Heart
04:36
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The night is like a lovely tune
Beware, my foolish heart
How white the ever constant moon
Take care, my foolish heart
There’s a line between love and fascination
That’s hard to see on an evening such as this
For they both give the very same sensation
When you’re locked in the magic of a kiss
*
Your lips are much too close to mine
Beware my foolish heart
But should our eager lips combine
Then let the fire start
For this time it isn’t fascination
Or a dream that could fade and fall apart
It’s love
This time it’s love, my foolish heart
(repeat from *)
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13. |
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Stars shinin’ bright above you
Night breezes seem to whisper, “I love you”
Birds singin’ in the sycamore tree
Dream a little dream of me
Say “nighty night” and kiss me
Just hold me tight and tell me you miss me
While I’m alone and blue as can be
Dream a little dream of me
*
Stars fading, but I linger on, dear
Still craving your kiss
I’m longin’ to linger ‘til dawn, dear
Just saying this
Sweet dreams ’til sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams, whatever they be
Dream a little dream of me
(repeat from *)
Dream a little dream of me
Dream a little dream of me
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Laura Ainsworth Dallas, Texas
American retro jazz singer Laura Ainsworth breathes new life into songs from the Great American Songbook
era.
Laura has released four studio albums and one compilation album to date.
She has been featured in Down Beat (USA), Broadway World (USA), Jazz Critique (Japan) and other important international jazz publications.
... more
Laura Ainsworth recommends:
Dark Passages
by Hollywood Film Noirchestra
Stunning new recordings of 1950s/1960s FILM NOIR themes from "The Twilight Zone," "The Hustler," "Touch of Evil", and more.
go to albumIf you like Laura Ainsworth, you may also like:
The Danish instrumental trio offer intimate ballads and funky grooves on this ambitious release.
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featured on Bandcamp Radio May 24, 2016
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featured on Bandcamp Radio Sep 1, 2020
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Puttin' In Time On Planet Earth
by Ben Sidran
featured on Bandcamp Radio Mar 12, 2024
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Below Dawn
by Bryony Jarman-Pinto
featured on Bandcamp Radio Feb 27, 2024
go to album
