Life Is So Peculiar
Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters Lyrics


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Oh life (is so peculiar)
(you get so wet in the rain),
You know it too? (mm-hm).
You get so warm in the sunshine, (Get my sun tan)
(It doesn't pay to complain)
I never compain.

When I get up each morning, there's nothing to breathe but air, (Yeah)
(And when I look in the mirror, there's nothing to comb but hair),
And when I sit down to breakfast, there's nothing to eat but food,
{Life is so peculiar but you can't stay home and brood}.
Oh, life(Tell 'em about it pops) is so peculiar,
the desert has only got sand, (And that's grand).

The oceans only got water,
(And you can't drink it all up)
you never know where you stand.
(When I get out to dinner, there's nothing to wear but clothes),
(Whenever I get sleepy, there's nothing to do but doze), Yeah
(Whenever I get thirsty, there's nothing to do but drink),
{Life is no peculiar that it makes you stop and think},
Yes, life (boop-a-doo-wa-boo-waa), is so peculiar, (It sure is).

A fork belongs with the knife (It sure does)
(Corn beef is lost without cabbage)
I love cabbage, a husband should have a wife,
(Yes), {life is so peculiar, but as everybody says}.
{That's life}.

(Life), Yes life (it's so peculiar)
a-hugh
(a bird can usually sing).
A bird, I do too.
(A pearl is made by an oyster)
New Orleans? (Rampart Street)
(You can't be sure of a thing)
When I get tired of restin' there's nothing to do but walk
(walk it off pop).
And when I don't care to listen there's nothing to do but talk
(keep you big mouth shut).
When I'm up in the airplane there's nothing to do but fly (mm-hm)
{Life is so peculiar but I often wonder why}
Oh, life, {boop-a-doo-wa-boo-waa}, is so peculiar, (sure is),
A fork belongs with a knife you know, (mm-mm)
(Corn beef is lost without cabbage), leftover cabbage? (Yeah).
A husband should have a wife.
(Yeah), {life is so peculiar,
but what everybody says that's life}.
One more for me Jim {that's life}.




Let me hear it one time â?¦ {that's life}.
All together {That's life}, yeah.

Overall Meaning

The song "Life Is So Peculiar" by Bing Crosby talks about the strange and unpredictable nature of life. The lyrics point out the contradictions and paradoxes of life, such as getting wet in the rain but warm in the sunshine. It also refers to the mundaneness of everyday life, such as breathing air and combing hair, and finding pleasure in simple things, like getting a tan. Despite the unpredictability and mundane aspects of life, the song encourages us to accept it as it is, and not to complain or brood over it.


The song highlights how people often find themselves in mundane situations where there is nothing to do but talk, walk, eat, or drink, but it's up to them to make the most of it. Life is unpredictable, like a bird can usually sing or not, and at times, it's difficult to know what to expect, like in New Orleans on Rampart Street. Lastly, the song emphasizes that while life may be peculiar, it's still worth living, and we need to appreciate the small things and make the most of what we have.


Line by Line Meaning

Oh life (is so peculiar)
Life is very strange.


(you get so wet in the rain)
You get drenched in the rain sometimes.


You know it too? (mm-hm)
Do you agree with me? Yes, I agree.


You get so warm in the sunshine, (Get my sun tan)
You can get a sun tan in the sunshine.


(It doesn't pay to complain)
There's no benefit in complaining.


I never complain.
I never whine or complain.


When I get up each morning, there's nothing to breathe but air, (Yeah)
Every morning I just breathe air.


(And when I look in the mirror, there's nothing to comb but hair)
There's only my hair to groom when I look in the mirror.


And when I sit down to breakfast, there's nothing to eat but food,
For breakfast, there's only food to eat.


{Life is so peculiar but you can't stay home and brood}.
Life may be strange, but you can't just stay home and worry about it.


Oh, life(Tell 'em about it pops) is so peculiar,
Life is inexplicably strange.


the desert has only got sand, (And that's grand).
The desert is just made of sand, and that's great.


The oceans only got water,
The ocean is just made of water.


(And you can't drink it all up)
You can't drink up all the water in the ocean.


you never know where you stand.
Uncertainty makes life unpredictable.


(When I get out to dinner, there's nothing to wear but clothes)
When I go out to dinner, I'll only wear clothes.


(Whenever I get sleepy, there's nothing to do but doze), Yeah
When I feel tired, nothing to do but sleep.


(Whenever I get thirsty, there's nothing to do but drink),
When I get parched, there's only drinking to quench the thirst.


{Life is no peculiar that it makes you stop and think},
Life is so strange it makes you pause and contemplate it.


Yes, life (boop-a-doo-wa-boo-waa), is so peculiar, (It sure is).
Yes, life is undoubtedly strange.


A fork belongs with the knife (It sure does)
A fork and knife are supposed to be together


(Corn beef is lost without cabbage)
Corn beef should always be accompanied by cabbage.


I love cabbage, a husband should have a wife,
Cabbage is my favorite vegetable, and a husband should have a wife.


(Yes), {life is so peculiar, but as everybody says}.
Life is indeed strange, as everyone says.


{That's life}.
That's just how life is.


(Life), Yes life (it's so peculiar)
Life is definitely peculiar.


a-hugh
An exclamation of agreement and gravitas.


(a bird can usually sing).
Birds can sing quite often.


A bird, I do too.
I like singing like a bird.


(A pearl is made by an oyster)
Oysters can produce pearls.


New Orleans? (Rampart Street)
A question about the location of Rampart Street in New Orleans.


(You can't be sure of a thing)
You can't trust anything without question.


When I get tired of resting there's nothing to do but walk (walk it off pop).
When I'm tired of resting, I walk and shake it off.


And when I don't care to listen there's nothing to do but talk
If I don't want to listen, I talk instead.


(keep you big mouth shut).
Keep your mouth shut if you don't have anything nice to say.


When I'm up in the airplane there's nothing to do but fly (mm-hm)
When I'm on the airplane, the only option is to fly.


{Life is so peculiar but I often wonder why}
Life is so odd, and I wonder why.


A fork belongs with a knife you know, (mm-mm)
A fork belongs with a knife; that's a fact.


(Corn beef is lost without cabbage), leftover cabbage? (Yeah).
Corn beef is incomplete without cabbage remains.


A husband should have a wife.
A husband is incomplete without his wife.


(Yeah), {life is so peculiar, but what everybody says that's life}.
Life is strange, but we must take it as it comes.


One more for me Jim {that's life}.
Another signature line about life.


Let me hear it one time â?¦ {that's life}.
Expressing a desire to hear another chorus of the song.


All together {That's life}, yeah.
A call for everyone to join in and sing the song.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMES VAN HEUSEN, JOHNNY BURKE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Bugleboy 452

This song is one of my favourites by Bing & The Andrews Sisters, their voices really compliment each other. Its a fun light hearted novelty song with some really nice piano work.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

I have a nice version by Louis Armstrong too.

taddyd1

Bing always adds the perfect
touch to any song

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