Thanks For The Memories
Bob Hope Lyrics
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Of sentimental verse
Nothing in my purse
And chuckles
When the preacher said
For better or for worse
How lovely it was
Of Schubert's Serenade
Little things of jade
And traffic jams
And anagrams
And bills we never paid
How lovely it was
We who could laugh over big things
Were parted by only a slight thing
I wonder if we did the right thing
Oh, well, that's life, I guess
I love your dress
Thanks for the memory
Of faults that you forgave
Of rainbows on a wave
And stockings in the basin
When a fellow needs a shave
Thank you so much
Thanks for the memory
Of tinkling temple bells
Alma mater yells
And Cuban rum
And towels from
The very best hotels
Oh how lovely it was
Thanks for the memory
Of cushions on the floor
Hash with Dinty Moore
That pair of gay pajamas
That you bought
And never wore
We said goodbye with a highball
Then I got as high as a steeple
But we were intelligent people
No tears, no fuss
Hooray for us
Strictly entre nous
Darling, how are you?
And how are all
Those little dreams
That never did come true?
Awfully glad I met you
Cheerio and toodle-oo
Thank you
Thank you so much
In Bob Hope's iconic song "Thanks for the Memory," he expresses his gratitude for the many memories he has shared with a past lover. The lyrics are filled with ironic twist and clever wordplay; nothing in "my purse and chuckles," thank you for "bills we never paid." Hope showcased his humor and wits as he fondly looks back at the relationship. He also mentions serious issues such as the "preacher said for better or for worse," and it is evident that they parted under understandable circumstances.
Further on, Hope sings about the "faults that you forgave" and the "rainbows on a wave," which was a metaphor for the sweet moments they shared. The song then takes a nostalgic turn, where he speaks of "tinkling temple bells," "Alma mater yells," and even exotic Cuban rum. The line "Oh how lovely it was" runs through the song as an afterthought, reminiscing about those moments.
In the final verse, Hope reveals that they said goodbye without tears or fuss, ending their relationship on a cheerful note. He then shares his feelings of appreciation: "awfully glad I met you, Cheerio and toodle-oo, thank you so much." Overall, the song is a mixture of humor, nostalgia, and gratitude expressed by Hope for his memories.
Line by Line Meaning
Thanks for the memory
Thank you for the reminiscence
Of sentimental verse
For the emotional poetry
Nothing in my purse
When I was broke
And chuckles
And laughter
When the preacher said
During the wedding ceremony
For better or for worse
Implied the ups and downs of life
How lovely it was
How beautiful those memories are
Of Schubert's Serenade
For the music of Schubert's Serenade
Little things of jade
The small, delicate things such as jade
And traffic jams
And the chaos of traffic jams
And anagrams
And the game of anagrams
And bills we never paid
And the bills that remain unsettled
How lovely it was
How beautiful those memories are
We who could laugh over big things
We who laughed together over significant events
Were parted by only a slight thing
Were separated by a minor occurrence
I wonder if we did the right thing
I question if we made the correct decision
Oh, well, that's life, I guess
Accepting that's how things go sometimes
I love your dress
Complimenting on attire
Of faults that you forgave
For forgiving my mistakes
Of rainbows on a wave
For the colorful views of life
And stockings in the basin
And for doing household chores
When a fellow needs a shave
When a man must shave
Thank you so much
Grateful for your kindness
Of tinkling temple bells
For the sounds of temple bells
Alma mater yells
For chanting the university's cheer
And Cuban rum
For the taste of Cuban rum
And towels from
For obtaining towels from
The very best hotels
The finest accommodations
Oh how lovely it was
How beautiful those memories are
Of cushions on the floor
For sitting on cushions on the floor
Hash with Dinty Moore
Sharing a meal of canned beef hash
That pair of gay pajamas
Those brightly colored pajamas
That you bought
That you purchased
And never wore
But never got to use
We said goodbye with a highball
We parted over drinks
Then I got as high as a steeple
I became excessively inebriated
But we were intelligent people
We were smart individuals
No tears, no fuss
Leaving amicably without emotions
Hooray for us
Celebrating our accomplishments
Strictly entre nous
Strictly between us
Darling, how are you?
My dear, how are you?
And how are all
And how are all of
Those little dreams
Those small aspirations
That never did come true?
That were never able to come to fruition?
Awfully glad I met you
Very happy I met you
Cheerio and toodle-oo
Goodbye and Good luck
Thank you
Grateful for everything
Thank you so much
Truly thankful
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Leo Robin, Ralph Rainger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kenhallermd8897
If you're younger than 40 - maybe even 50 Gulp! - you probably don't know who Bob Hope was. Well, Bob hope was a very big deal. For baby boomers, he was a perennial performer on television, and especially on NBC. He hosted frequent variety specials between 1950 and the 1970s and hosted the Oscars a record 19 times. Before my time he was a radio performer as well as a primarily musical and comedic actor on Broadway and in the movies.
Over the years, his signature tune became "Thanks for the Memory" often with special lyrics when he'd perform it at the end of a special to reflect both events in the show and in the world. This is where he first performed it, in his very first film, the Paramount musical, "The Big Broadcast of 1938." At this point in the film, Hope's character runs into his ex-wife, played by Shirley Ross, and they reminisce about their relationship.
I looked this song up because I'm thinking about it for a future cabaret show. Having heard it with protean lyrics for decades, I wanted to get to the source, and I had never heard its original iteration. What a revelation! First of all, Hope: Having known him for decades exclusively as an outright comedian and sketch artist, I am so impressed by his subtlety and vulnerability in this song. And the song itself is claver and sweet and tart and funny and wistful. While their contemporaries, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, have quite rightly been celebrated for performances for romantic ballads like "They Can't Take That Away from Me" and "The Way You Look Tonight," Hope and Ross and "Thanks for the Memory" match and even, I daresay, exceed them in the emotional arc of this scene.
Because it is a scene, not just a song. Unlike so many songs of this period, it's not just a musical number, but rather a scene where the characters discover things about themselves and each other, where they move emotionally from one place to another. In fact the lyrics are so evocative that one could imagine Ross and Hope performing this scene without the music. Still, the music, slightly upbeat and with a gentle swing, adds a subtle poignancy, especially in the final bridge:
Ross: We said goodbye with a highball
Hope: And I got as high as a steeple
Ross [interjecting, spoken]: Did you?
Hope: But we were intelligent people.
Ross: No tears, no fuss
Both [clinking glasses, wistful]: Hooray for us.
No wonder "Thanks for the Memory" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1938 for Ralph Rainger (music) snf Leo Robin (lyrics) and in 2004 was listed No. 63 on the America Film Institute's "100 Years...100 Songs" survey of top tunes in American cinema.
So to Bob and Shirley and Ralph and Leo, as you all say so often in this song, "Thank you so much."
@bibianaguadalupeislasherre9880
Lyrics:
Thanks for the memory
Of rainy afternoons, swingy Harlem tunes
Motor trips and burning lips and burning toast and prunes
How lovely it was
Thanks for the memory
Of candlelight and wine, castles on the Rhine
The Parthenon, and moments on the Hudson River line
How lovely it was
Many's the time that we feasted
And many's the time that we fasted
Oh well, it was swell while it lasted
We did have fun, and no harm done
So thanks for the memory
Of crap games on the floor, nights in Singapore
You might have been a headache, but you never were a bore
I thank you so much
Thanks for the memory
Of China's funny walls, transatlantic calls
That weekend at Niagara when we hardly saw the falls
How lovely that was
Thanks for the memory
Of lunch from twelve to four, sunburn at the shore
That pair of gay pajamas that you bought and never wore
Say, by the way, what did happen to those pajamas?
Letters with sweet little secrets
That couldn't be put in a day wire
Too bad it all had to go haywire
That's life, I guess, I love your dress
Do you?
Thanks for the memory
Of faults that you forgave, rainbows on a wave
And stockings in the basin when a fellow needs a shave
I thank you so much
Thanks for the memory
Of Gardens at Versailles, and beef and kidney pie
The night you worked and then came home with lipstick on your tie
How lovely that was
Thanks for the memory
Of lingerie with lace, and Pilsner by the case
And how I jumped the day you trumped my one and only ace
How lovely that was
We said goodbye with a highball
And I got as high as a steeple
But we were intelligent people
No tears, no fuss, hooray for us
Strictly entre nous, darling, how are you?
And how are all those little dreams that never did come true?
Awfully glad I met you, cheerio, tootle-oo
Thank you, thank you
@tombrown1898
The commission for this song was to have Bob Hope and Shirley Ross say "I still love you" without actually saying it. The legend is that when Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin, the songwriters, performed it for the studio brass, these though, cigar chomping businessmen all had to wipe the tears off their cheeks.
@jamesdunn7186
"No tears, no fuss - hurray for us!" - so moving. And didn't she look elegant.
@viridityxnyctophillic
Thanks for the memories to someone who will never see this 🤎….
@dariowiter3078
A movie tune that quickly turned into an iconic theme song for Bob Hope, thanks to this film, Big Broadcast Of 1938. 😊😊😊😊😊
@jorgerobles9484
The 1930s is a so underrated decade for music, so many great songs, most of them written for the musical movies of the era
@memyself7413
As I write, my eyes are a blur.
There is something about this song, and the way it is being sung.
It is so beautifully moving.
The emotion on the faces of Shirley Ross, and Bob Hope, sums up everything.
@suevis
ya
@Blacky474
Ah
@carloscharmy
Captivating nostalgia. Bob Hope's heartfelt vocals. Unforgettable melody. Emotionally resonant lyrics. Timeless classic.
@bandini22221
They’re speaking of a world, and a way of life, that doesn’t exist anymore. At 70 now, I’m old enough to remember the tail end of it. I’d love to back to 1933 and spend d a couple of weeks!