… Read Full Bio ↴Blossom Dearie (1924-2009) was an American jazz singer and pianist.
Born on 28th April 1924 in East Durham, New York, of mixed Scottish and Norwegian ancestry, Dearie began her career in vocal groups in New York. In the early 1950s she moved to Paris, forming her own vocal group, The Blue Stars, later to become the Swingle Singers.
After signing to Verve, Dearie returned to the U.S. where, despite developing a successful career and achieving international fame, by 1974 the lack of interest from major labels led her to start her own label, Daffodil Records. She continued performing into her eighties.
Blossom Dearie died on 7th February 2009, at her apartment in Greenwich Village, New York City
To Keep My Love Alive
Blossom Dearie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"I'm never a bridesmaid, I'm always a bride"
I never divorced them, I hadn't the heart
Yet remember these sweet words, "`till death do us part"
I married many men, a ton of them
Because I was untrue to none of them
To keep my love alive
Sir Paul was frail, he looked a wreck to me
At night he was a horse's neck to me
So I performed an appendectomy
To keep my love alive
Sir Thomas had insomnia, he couldn't sleep at night
I bought a little arsenic, he's sleeping now all right
Sir Philip played the harp, I cussed the thing
I crowned him with his harp to bust the thing
And now he plays where harps are just the thing
To keep my love alive
To keep my love alive
I thought Sir George had possibilities
But his flirtations made me ill at ease
And when I'm ill at ease, I kill at ease
To keep my love alive
Sir Charles came from a sanitorium
And yelled for drinks in my emporium
I mixed one drink, he's in memorium
To keep my love alive
Sir Francis was a singing bird, a nightingale, that's why
I tossed him off my balcony, to see if he, could fly
Sir Atherton indulged in fratricide,
He killed his dad and that was patricide
One night I stabbed him by my mattress-side
To keep my love alive
To keep my love alive
To keep my love alive
Blossom Dearie’s song “To Keep My Love Alive” tells a humorous and darkly satirical tale of a woman who has been married to numerous men but cannot seem to stay faithful or keep them alive. The first two lines set the tone for the rest of the song, with the character expressing her disappointment in never being a bridesmaid but always a bride – indicating that marriage is something of a routine for her. She goes on to say that she never divorced any of her previous husbands, because she believes in the vow of “‘till death, do us part.” However, the listener soon learns that she is responsible for the death of all her husbands, and has used various methods such as murdering them, performing an appendectomy on them, slipping arsenic into their drinks, and even pushing them off a balcony.
Despite the dark subject matter of the song, Blossom Dearie’s playful delivery and theatrical mannerisms make it an entertaining listen. The lyrics suggest that the character has no self-awareness about the gravity of her actions and believes that she is doing everything in the name of love. It is an interesting commentary on the societal expectations placed upon women to be married and the lengths they may go to in order to maintain the façade of a happy marriage.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been married, and married, and often I've sighed
I have been married multiple times in my life, and I have often felt disheartened about it.
"I'm never a bridesmaid, I'm always a bride"
Despite being married many times, I have never been a bridesmaid for anyone else, always the bride.
I never divorced them, I hadn't the heart
I never divorced any of my husbands because I couldn't bring myself to do it.
Yet remember these sweet words, "`till death do us part"
Even though I never divorced any of my husbands, I still remember the promise that we made to each other to be together until death separated us.
I married many men, a ton of them
I married a lot of men.
Because I was untrue to none of them
Despite being married to several men, I was never unfaithful to any of them.
Because I bumped off every one of them
The reason I was never unfaithful to any of my husbands was because I killed all of them.
Sir Paul was frail, he looked a wreck to me
My husband Sir Paul looked unhealthy and unattractive to me.
At night he was a horse's neck to me
At night, he was even more unpleasant and unattractive to me.
So I performed an appendectomy
I killed him by performing an illegal surgery on him, in order to maintain my love life.
Sir Thomas had insomnia, he couldn't sleep at night
My husband Sir Thomas had trouble sleeping at night due to insomnia.
I bought a little arsenic, he's sleeping now all right
I killed him by poisoning him with arsenic, which now makes him sleep forever.
Sir Philip played the harp, I cussed the thing
My husband Sir Philip played the harp, which irritated me and made me angry.
I crowned him with his harp to bust the thing
I killed him by hitting him with his own harp, breaking it in the process.
And now he plays where harps are just the thing
Now he is dead, and the only place he can play the harp is in heaven.
I thought Sir George had possibilities
I initially thought Sir George was a good match for me.
But his flirtations made me ill at ease
However, his flirtations with others made me uncomfortable.
And when I'm ill at ease, I kill at ease
As a result of my discomfort, I killed him to ease my worries.
Sir Charles came from a sanitorium
My husband Sir Charles came from a hospital for the mentally ill.
And yelled for drinks in my emporium
He acted in an inappropriate manner, including yelling at me for drinks in my business.
I mixed one drink, he's in memorium
I killed him with a poisoned drink, and now he is remembered only in a memorial service.
Sir Francis was a singing bird, a nightingale, that's why
My husband Sir Francis was a talented singer like a nightingale.
I tossed him off my balcony, to see if he, could fly
But I killed him by throwing him off my balcony, as a joke to see if he could fly or not.
Sir Atherton indulged in fratricide,
My husband Sir Atherton killed his own brother.
He killed his dad and that was patricide
He also killed his own father, an act of patricide.
One night I stabbed him by my mattress-side
I stabbed him to death one night before going to bed.
To keep my love alive
I committed all these murders so that my love life could continue without interruption.
To keep my love alive
I killed everyone in order to maintain my love life.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., IMAGEM MUSIC INC
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Heather Collins
on Comment Allez Vous
(Parlez-vous Français?)
Mais oui, allons-y
(Parlez-vous chère madame?)
Comment allez vous? Fancy bumping into you
Comment allez vous? Tell me everything that's new
Are you happy are you sad?
Feeling good or feeling bad?
(and is there anything you're craving?)
(do you feel like misbehaving?)
Comment allez vous? Gee, it's nice to see you here
Comment allez vous? You look better every year
I was really on my way, but I had to stop and say:
Comment allez vous?
(Comment allez vous petit chou?)
Say it, it has 'savoir faire'
(Comment allez vous mon minou?)
Has a continental air
(once she heard it in the land, from a chinese laundry man)
Cloaks and suitors, by the oodles, say it to their cute french poodles
Comment allez vous?
Spaniards say it, so do Greeks
Comment allez vous?
In the desert, so do Sheiks
(show they know a thing or two)
(it's so easy, why can't you say?)
Comment?
Comment?
Comment allez vous?