Monday, August 27, 2018

Music Monday ~ All There Is ?

I've invented a new verse to Leiber & Stoller's great old song, "Is that all there is?" Best known rendition of the original is by Peggy Lee.




My new verse - to be sung (if I could sing, which I cannot) just before the last verse of the original:

And then I got married and came with my husband to the USA
Much to see and lots to do,
Political argument about a guy called "Dubya".
But the years passed, and I watched political shows on TV, read political columns on the net.
And soon it was 2016,and a guy called Trump was elected President.
Now all I see on TV, and all I read on the net, is Trump, Trump, Trump, and Russia Russia Russia
And I say to myself:
Is THAT all there is?
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
Let's break out the booze and have a ball,
If that's all there is...
If That All There Is.


Original:
I remember when I was a very little girl, our house caught on fire
I'll never forget the look on my father's face as he gathered me up
in his arms and raced through the burning building out to the pavement
I stood there shivering in my pajamas and watched the whole world go up in flames
And when it was all over I said to myself, is that all there is to a fire
Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
If that's all there is

And when I was twelve years old, my father took me to a circus, the greatest show on earth
There were clowns and elephants and dancing bears
And a beautiful lady in pink tights flew high above our heads
And so I sat there watching the marvelous spectacle
I had the feeling that something was missing
I don't know what, but when it was over
I said to myself, "is that all there is to a circus?
Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
If that's all there is

Then I fell in love, head over heels in love, with the most wonderful boy in the world
We would take long walks by the river or just sit for hours gazing into each other's eyes
We were so very much in love
Then one day he went away and I thought I'd die, but I didn't
and when I didn't I said to myself, is that all there is to love?
Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing

I know what you must be saying to yourselves
if that's the way she feels about it why doesn't she just end it all?
Oh, no, not me I'm in no hurry for that final disappointment
for I know just as well as I'm standing here talking to you
when that final moment comes and I'm breathing my last breath, I'll be saying to myself
Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
If that's all there is.

Songwriters: Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller





No comments: