Ethel Agnes Zimmerman was born in the third floor bedroom of her grandmother's house at 359 4th Avenue in Astoria, Queens. Growing up near Famous Players-Lasky's Astoria Studios, young Ethel often watched the silent movie stars drive by in their massive cars, and she dreamed of joining their ranks one day. Her powerful voice won attention when her family worshipped at Holy Redeemer Episcopal Church, and she began making local concert appearances. She also frequently attended vaudeville performances at The Palace Theater in Manhattan, watching great stars like Fanny Brice and Sophie Tucker.
Ethel's parents Edward (an accountant) and Agnes (a school teacher) understood Ethel's love of singing, but they did not see show business as a reliable career choice for a woman. They insisted that she get a solid education with thorough training in secretarial skills, so she would have something to fall back on if her dreams of stardom didn't pan out. After Ethel graduating William Cullen Bryant High School, she earned a respectable $28 a week as a stenographer for the owner of a local factory. She picked up extra money by singing at private parties and in night clubs. Ethel was so efficient that her indulgent boss (who only came in two days a week) overlooked her taking nap breaks at the office after late night performances. When Ethel's gigs multiplied, her parents accepted the inevitable and allowed her to give up the day job and sing full-time.
Just In Time
Ethel Merman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Life was serene, I knew where I was at
"There's no hope for him," my dearest friends would mutter
I was something dragged in by the cat. Then
Just in time, I found you just in time
Before you came my time was running low
I was lost, the losing dice were tossed
Now you're here and now I know just where I'm going
No more doubt or fear, I found my way
For love came just in time, you found me just in time
And changed my lonely life that lovely day
The opening lines of Ethel Merman's song Just In Time tell us that the singer is in a bad state, lying face down in the gutter. He seems resigned to his fate, as he knows where he is at and has accepted his life as it is. His friends even agree with him and hold no hope for him. The line "I was something dragged in by the cat" implies that the singer is not even worth the trouble of being rescued, as he is as insignificant as a stray cat's catch. However, just as he seems to have given up hope, he finds someone - the person he is singing to - just in time. This rescue comes just as his time was running low and he had nowhere to go. The singer feels that he was losing at life and had no hope of turning things around. The arrival of his savior changed his life that day, giving him a new sense of purpose and direction. The singer is grateful for this person's entrance into his life and now has no more doubt or fear about his future.
The song Just In Time was written by Adolph Green, Betty Comden, and Jule Styne for the 1956 musical Bells Are Ringing. Ethel Merman, who was known for her belting voice and commanding presence, originally sang the song as part of the stage production. The song has since been covered by various other artists, including Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, and Nina Simone. The song has become a standard in the Great American Songbook and is often performed at jazz clubs and cabarets.
Line by Line Meaning
I was resting comfortably, face down in the gutter
I was content and at peace with being hopeless, already resigned to my fate and position in life
Life was serene, I knew where I was at
Despite being in a desperate place, I was comforted by the familiarity and predictability of my struggles
"There's no hope for him," my dearest friends would mutter
The people who knew me best saw my situation as irreversible and believed I was a lost cause
I was something dragged in by the cat.
I was like a discarded item that had been brought in by a stray animal, left to rot in the gutter without anyone to care for me
Just in time, I found you just in time
At the last possible moment, I found someone who could change my life for the better
Before you came my time was running low
Without you, my life was coming to an end - I had no hope of escaping my struggles and turning things around
I was lost, the losing dice were tossed
I was completely defeated, as if I had rolled a losing number in a game of dice - unable to change the trajectory of my life
My bridges all were crossed, nowhere to go
I had burned all my bridges and had hit a dead end, with no more options or opportunities left in my life
Now you're here and now I know just where I'm going
Your presence in my life has given me direction and purpose, and I am now confident in where my life is headed
No more doubt or fear, I found my way
Because of you, I no longer feel the uncertainty and dread that once consumed me - I have found a new path forward
For love came just in time, you found me just in time
It was your love that saved me when I was at rock bottom, and your arrival couldn't have been any more perfectly timed
And changed my lonely life that lovely day
On that fateful day when our paths crossed, my entire existence was transformed for the better into something filled with love and happiness
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FRANK NOVAK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
August Sixty
I hardly know what to write...this is musical theater singing at its ultimate achievement. Doesn't take an expert to hear the genuine fondness and fun between the two. Would that they were both still around and on stage.
njplr
Absolutely delicious. The arrangement just swings, Ethel's brass, it just rings. Nice job.
Tom S.
Hard to fathom that this song wasn't in the original score but was added during tryouts in New Haven. This part of the "story" needed some strengthening, it was felt and Ethel Merman asked Irving Berlin to write a duet for her and "the kid". Miss Merman was not overly generous sharing the stage & really preferred solo numbers for herself, but she was genuinely fond of her co-star Russell Nype and so requested the duet. Berlin obliged and reportedly OVERNIGHT in his hotel room wrote this wonderful counterpoint duet, arguably the best musical number in the entire show! It's definitely my favorite!
Alana Ronald
+Tom S. thanks so much, Tom, for that: amazing song. One of my faves, actually.
Star Sky
Yes, YOU'RE JUST IN LOVE is a fantastic number - a fantastic number in a terrific score.
Mary Menatti
Really? Cool. What a vehicle for her magnificence.
Bill Brimmer
I saw Russell Nye in a revival at the NY City Center in 1967. He has a great voice on this recording. The story is that Ethel said it would stop the show, and she was right!
David Benson
Phenomenal - so good to hear this in a live theatre setting.
Star Sky
How wonderful it is to have Ethel singing with Russell Nype as an indication of what the original cast album might have sounded like. I like to original cast album and I like the Decca album but both fail to achieve what the album would have been had either Decca or RCA bit the bullet and put together the right combination of talent.
Russell Wright
I’m in musical heaven! Thanks for posting this. I prefer the version with Dinah Shore (blasphemy I know) because it hues closer to the Broadway arrangements. Or simply is. Don’t get me wrong I am a supreme la Merm fan. Now I have this! I’m so happy! Russell Nype. What a dream! He seems far more urgent and there I say a bit on the improvisatory side then another recording record of him. Anyway he’s