Barbour was born in Long Island, New York started off as a banjoist with Adrian Rollini in 1933 and then Wingy Manone in 1934. He switched to guitar in the middle of the decade and played with Red Norvo in 1935-1936. He found much work as a studio musician and played in ensembles with Teddy Wilson and Billie Holiday (1937), Artie Shaw (1939), Lennie Hayton, Charlie Barnet (1945), Raymond Scott, Glenn Miller, Lou Holden, and Woody Herman (1949). He also recorded with André Previn in 1945.
He played with Benny Goodman in 1942, and while a member of Goodman's ensemble, he fell in love with lead singer Peggy Lee, and the pair quit the group to marry in 1943. Soon after they moved to Los Angeles, Johnny Mercer put them to work as a songwriting team, and they wrote a number of Lee's hits, such as "Mañana (Is Soon Enough for Me)" and "It's a Good Day". The couple had a daughter, Nicki, in 1943. Barbour was an alcoholic and had domestic troubles with Lee; this eventually split apart their marriage, which ended in 1951. Dave Barbour and His Orchestra had the best-selling version (USA) of the peppy song "Mambo Jambo."
Barbour's remaining career was far less successful than Lee's (who would marry three more times). His songwriting royalties sustained him, as the tunes he co-wrote with Lee were covered by many hitmakers of the 1950s. He acted in the films The Secret Fury and Mr. Music, and occasionally performed, including with Benny Carter in 1962. He died in 1965 in Malibu Beach, California, aged 53. He was survived by Peggy Lee, and their daughter Nicki Lee Foster.
Why Don't You Do Right
Dave Barbour and His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You let other women make a fool of you
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too?
You're sitting there wondering what it's all about
You ain't got no money, they will put you out
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
If you had prepared 20 years ago
You wouldn't be a-wanderin' out from door to door
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too
I fell for your jivin' and I took you in
Now all you got to offer me's a drink of gin
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Like some other men do
The lyrics to "Why Don't You Do Right" by Dave Barbour and His Orchestra convey a message about a woman's frustration with her lover's inability to provide for her financially. The song opens with a reference to the year 1922 and the man's previous wealth, which he has apparently lost due to allowing other women to deceive him. The woman then admonishes him to "do right" and start earning money as other men do. She tells him to leave and not come back until he has some money for her.
The chorus repeats this message, adding the suggestion that if the man had prepared earlier in life, he wouldn't be in this position of financial need. The woman goes on to express her disappointment in the man personally, saying that she fell for his flattery and took him in, only to be left with nothing more than a drink of gin. The chorus once again implores him to "do right" and start making money for the woman.
Overall, the song's lyrics reflect a common theme in blues and jazz music, which is the struggle for survival and the difficult relationships between men and women in times of economic hardship.
Line by Line Meaning
You had plenty money 1922
At one point in time, you had a lot of money in the year 1922.
You let other women make a fool of you
Other women took advantage of you and made you look foolish.
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Why don't you act right and do the things that responsible men usually do?
Get out of here and get me some money too?
Leave this place and come back only when you have brought me some money as well.
You're sitting there wondering what it's all about
You are clueless about what's happening around you and puzzled about the current situation.
You ain't got no money, they will put you out
Since you don't have money, you will soon be evicted from where you are staying.
If you had prepared 20 years ago
If you had made plans and arrangements two decades ago,
You wouldn't be a-wanderin' out from door to door
You wouldn't have to roam around from one place to another aimlessly.
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Why don't you act responsibly like other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too
Leave this place and come back only when you have brought me some money as well.
I fell for your jivin' and I took you in
I believed in your lies and deceitful words, and I gave you a place to stay.
Now all you got to offer me's a drink of gin
Now all you can offer me is alcohol.
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Why don't you act responsibly like other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too
Leave this place and come back only when you have brought me some money as well.
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Why don't you act responsibly like other men do?
Like some other men do
Like how other responsible men act.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Joe McCoy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@williamswindler105
Lyrics:
You had plenty money 1922
You let other women make a fool of you
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too?
You're sitting down, wondering what it's all about
You ain't got no money, they will put you out
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too?
If you had prepared 20 years ago
You wouldn't be a-wanderin' out from door to door
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too
I fell for your jivin' and I took you in
Now all you got to offer me's a drink of gin
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Like some other men do
@jeongeric6793
You had plenty money, 1922
You let other women make a fool of you
Why don't you do right, like some other men do
Get out of here and get me some money too
You're sittin' down and wonderin' what it's all about
You ain't got no money, they will put you out
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too
If you had prepared twenty years ago
You wouldn't be a-wanderin' now from door to door
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too
I fell for your jivin' and I took you in
Now all you got to offer me's a drink of gin
Why don't you do right, like some other men do
Get out of here and get me some money too
Why don't you do right, like some other men do
Like some other men do
@KrazyX777
"You had plenty money in 1922"
The Great Depression hit him hard I guess.
@eugenehomeier597
Sorry. The Great Depression wasn't until 1929......
@shirleyroseyflynn7433
😂😂😂
@cleverhardy5230
@Eugene Homeier "If you had prepared 20 years ago..."
That line implied he spent too much, and now he can't get it back unless he gets a job. He might have been reliant on stocks or something...
@bilguunsuvargakhairkhan5533
@Eugene Homeier That's the point...
@LuzMaria95
😂😂😂😂😂
@thamnosma
Smoky nightclub, hot date, mixed drinks, all dressed up....what an era.
@Lynxthejonin
Stephen Dreher Yeah, if you like milkshakes and racism
@sunflowersoldier4915
Don’t worry. We still have those
@jeffmunoz6192
Ikr looks like the best time to be in.