There'll Come A Time
Frank Trumbauer and His Orchestra Lyrics


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There'll be a hot time in the town of Berlin
When the Yanks go marching in
I wanna be there boy and spread some joy
When they take old Berlin

There'll be a hot time in the town of Berlin
When the Brooklyn boys begin
To take the joint apart and tear it down
When they take old Berlin

They're gonna start a row and show them how
We paint the town back in Kokomo
They're gonna take a hike through Hitler's Reich,
And change the "Heil" to "Whatcha-know-Joe"

There'll be a hot time in the town of Berlin
When the Yanks go marching in
You could never keep `em happy down on the farm
After they take Berlin.

There'll be a hot time in the town of Berlin
When the Yanks go marching in
Oh what a Jubilee there's gonna be
When they take old Berlin

There'll be a hot time in the town of Berlin
When the Brooklyn boys begin
To take the joint apart and tear it down
When they take old Berlin

They're gonna start a row and show them how
We paint the town back in Michigan
They're gonna take a hike through Hitler's Reich,
And change the "Heil" to "Gimme some skin"

There'll be a hot time in the town of Berlin
When the Yanks go marching in




You could never keep `em happy down on the farm
After they take Berlin.

Overall Meaning

The song "There'll come a time" by Frank Trumbauer and His Orchestra is a World War II-themed song that celebrates the victory of the Allied forces, mainly the American army, over Germany. The chorus celebrates the destruction of Berlin and the jubilation that will come after the Yanks go marching in the town. The first stanza refers to a soldier's desire to be present in Berlin after the defeat of Germany to spread joy and happiness. It emphasizes the massive impact the victory would have on soldiers who have been fighting for years and have probably lost many fellow soldiers. The song also expresses the satisfaction and triumph of the soldiers in taking Berlin, with the line "When they take old Berlin."


The second and third stanzas of the song offer a more assertive description of what the soldiers will do when they win the war. They will show "them" (the Germans) how to paint the town and tear it down. The third stanza goes ahead to glorify the destruction of the Nazis' regime, as they will take a hike through Hitler's Reich and change the "Heil" to "Whatcha-know-Joe" or "Gimme some skin." The use of these terms is meant to signify the dominance of the American army over the Germans and symbolizes a new beginning for Europe after World War II.


Overall, the song captures the aggressive and retaliatory mood of the Allied forces during World War II. Its lyrics express a deep desire to destroy the Germans and a sense of victory, which is shared worldwide. The mention of Brooklyn and Kokomo is in relation to the American cities where significant numbers of soldiers came from.


Line by Line Meaning

There'll be a hot time in the town of Berlin
There will be a great celebration when the Yanks conquer Berlin


When the Yanks go marching in
When the American troops finally enter Berlin


I wanna be there boy and spread some joy
I wish to be present there and spread happiness


When they take old Berlin
When Berlin is finally conquered and taken by the Yanks


When the Brooklyn boys begin
When the Brooklyn soldiers start capturing Berlin


To take the joint apart and tear it down
To begin the destruction of the enemy territory


They're gonna start a row and show them how
They're going to create chaos and demonstrate their power


We paint the town back in Kokomo
In Kokomo, we had a tradition of painting the town to celebrate


They're gonna take a hike through Hitler's Reich,
They plan to walk through enemy territory, Hitler's realm


And change the Heil to Whatcha-know-Joe
They will replace the Nazi greeting with something friendly and American


Oh what a Jubilee there's gonna be
The celebrations will be grand and joyful


When they take old Berlin
The happiness will be immense when they capture Berlin


They're gonna show them how
They'll demonstrate their superiority over the enemy


We paint the town back in Michigan
A similarity drawn to Kokomo, we have a tradition of painting town in Michigan.


And change the Heil to Gimme some skin
They plan to replace the Nazi greeting with a friendly, informal American phrase


You could never keep 'em happy down on the farm
After experiencing the excitement and victory of capturing Berlin, they won't be content with staying on the farm


When the Yanks go marching in
Again referring to the entry of American soldiers into Berlin




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Johnny Devries, Joe Bushkin

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@randyknight00

Martin, what a great selection from Frankie! And those great pics of Bix, most of him in the younger years......Great video.....and yes,.............Bix lives!!!!!!!!

@formbyuke181

Randy Knight Yes I think your right on that one.Bix is alive and well and is still making music in his latest incarnation as C W Stoneking and Jungle Lulaby.I saw him play this live in Liverpool and the resemblence is uncanny along with the music that sounds eirily like Bix himself !

@mrjimmienoone2130

Best Trumbauer solo I know, apart from 'Singin' the Blues'. And a great solo by Bix, as usual.

@ABrandsma

There is also a quite remarkable solo on San, 1924 with the Mound City Blue Blowers.

@msjazzmeblues

Wonderful collection of photos!

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