Allan Sherman was a pioneer of the comedy-rock scene. Although not much to… Read Full Bio ↴Allan Sherman was a pioneer of the comedy-rock scene. Although not much to look at, the overweight, balding, short, Jewish man gained popularity and became quite the star because of his witty infusion of satirical comedy into very well orchestrated renditions of classic tunes and songs. A song would usually have a lyric, perhaps a name or phrase, that has very little to do with what the original song was about, but the words would sound similar. His albums had nothing to hide, either, as each one was recorded live, and all the laughter, and occasionally a lack thereof, could be heard.

Sherman was just a television producer, most famous for the quiz show "I've Got a Secret," not at all known as a comedian or performer, and it shocked everyone in the know when songs from his album My Son, The Folk Singer became popular. In fact, president John F. Kennedy was heard singing the song Sarah Jackman. Sherman's overnight popularity suddenly ended when the nation's attention focused on Kennedy's assassination, and the nation was too sad for such up-beat musical offerings.

Sherman then slipped back into his longtime depression, and died, quietly, at the young age of 48.

Skin
Allan Sherman Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You gotta have skin
All you really need is skin
Skin's the thing that if you got it outside,
It helps keep your insides in

It covers your nose,
And it's wrapped around your toes
And inside it you put lemon meringue,

And outside ya hang your clothes

Skin is what you feel at home in
And without it, furthermore,
Both your liver and abdomen
Would keep falling on the floor

(And you'd be dressed in your intestine)

A Siamese twin
Needs an extra set of skin
When the doctor knows that you're feeling sick
Where does he stick his needle in?
In the end of your skin

All your friends and all your kinfolks,
Whether poor or whether rich,
They have all got lots of skin, folks,
It's convenient when they itch

(Nothing can match it when ya scratch it)

It fits perfectly
Yours fits you, and mine fits me
When you're sitting down, it folds and looks grand
And then when you stand, it's where it's been
Ain't you glad you've got skin!

When you were just a little baby, why your skin fit fine
And it still is gonna fit you when you're six foot nine

So whether you're fat, tall, big, small, chubby or thin,
Ain't you glad you've got skin!

Overall Meaning

The song "Skin" by Allan Sherman is a lighthearted celebration of the human body's largest organ - the skin! The opening lines declare that all you need is skin because it serves as a protective barrier for your inner organs. It also covers your entire body, from your nose to your toes. It's so versatile, it can be used to hold meringue inside, and clothes outside. Without skin, the organs inside the body would be exposed and fall to the floor.

The song also features the humorous idea of a Siamese twin needing an extra set of skin, and when a doctor needs to inject a patient, the needle goes into the end of the skin. Yet no matter who you are, we all have skin that fits each of us perfectly, no matter our size, shape or age. As babies, our skin fits us fine and continues to do so throughout our lives.

The chorus of the song emphasizes the importance of skin and its convenience when we need to scratch an itch, fold when we sit, and stretch when we stand. In conclusion, the song celebrates the wonders of skin and all the amazing things it does for the human body.

Line by Line Meaning

You gotta have skin
Skin is essential for our body

All you really need is skin
The most important thing for our body is having skin

Skin's the thing that if you got it outside, It helps keep your insides in
Skin acts as a barrier that protects and holds our organs inside the body

It covers your nose, And it's wrapped around your toes And inside it you put lemon meringue, And outside ya hang your clothes
Skin wraps up and hides our body parts and we use it to store food inside and to hang clothes outside

Skin is what you feel at home in And without it, furthermore, Both your liver and abdomen Would keep falling on the floor (And you'd be dressed in your intestine)
Skin gives a comfortable feeling, also holds our organs together, without which they may fall out and create an awkward situation

A Siamese twin Needs an extra set of skin When the doctor knows that you're feeling sick Where does he stick his needle in? In the end of your skin
In the case of Siamese twins, an extra layer of skin protects both and needles are injected into the end of the skin

All your friends and all your kinfolks, Whether poor or whether rich, They have all got lots of skin, folks, It's convenient when they itch (Nothing can match it when ya scratch it)
Skin is common to everyone, rich or poor and is helpful when we itch and scratching it is an unparalleled experience

It fits perfectly Yours fits you, and mine fits me When you're sitting down, it folds and looks grand And then when you stand, it's where it's been Ain't you glad you've got skin!
Skin is a perfect fit for everyone and it looks grand when we sit, and it stays where it should be when we stand. We should be grateful to have skin

When you were just a little baby, why your skin fit fine And it still is gonna fit you when you're six foot nine So whether you're fat, tall, big, small, chubby or thin, Ain't you glad you've got skin!
Our skin fits when we are babies and it will continue to fit, no matter how big or small we are. It doesn't matter what shape or size we are, we should be glad to have skin

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EPHRAIM LEWIS, JON QUARMBY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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