Loewe was born in Berlin to Viennese parents Edmond and Rosa Loewe. His father Edmond was a noted Jewish operetta star who traveled considerably, to North and South America and throughout much of Europe. Fritz grew up in Berlin and attended a Prussian cadet school from the age of five until he was thirteen.
At an early age Loewe learned to play piano by ear and helped his father rehearse. He eventually attended a music conservatory in Berlin, one year behind virtuoso Claudio Arrau. Both won the coveted Hollander Medal awarded by the school, and Fritz gave performances as a concert pianist while still in Germany.
In 1925, his father received an offer to appear in New York, and Loewe traveled there with him, determined to write for Broadway. This proved to be difficult, and he found work playing piano in German clubs in Yorkville and in movie theaters as the accompanist for silent pictures.
Loewe began to visit The Lambs Club, a hangout for theater performers, producers, managers, and directors. It was here that he met Alan J. Lerner in 1942. Their first collaboration was a musical adaptation of Barry Connor's farce The Patsy called Life of the Party for a Detroit stock company. It enjoyed a nine-week run and encouraged the duo to join forces with Arthur Pierson for What's Up?, which opened on Broadway in 1943. It ran for 63 performances and was followed two years later by The Day Before Spring. One of Broadway's most successful partnerships had been established.
Their first hit was Brigadoon (1947), a romantic fantasy set in a mystical Scottish village, directed by Robert Lewis. It was followed in 1951 by the less successful Gold Rush story Paint Your Wagon.
In 1956 Lerner and Loewe unveiled My Fair Lady. Their adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion retained his social commentary and added unusually appropriate songs for the characters of Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins, played originally by Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison. It was hugely popular and set box-office records in New York and London. Together with Lerner, he won the Tony Award for Best Musical. With My Fair Lady a smash hit, MGM took notice, and commissioned them to write the 1958 film musical Gigi, which won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Their next Broadway production, Camelot, received mediocre reviews when it opened. The director and producer arranged for stars Richard Burton, Julie Andrews, and Robert Goulet to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show and sing a few numbers from the musical, along with an appearance by Lerner and Loewe. The following morning the box office was swamped with requests, and Camelot became a huge hit.
Loewe then decided to retire to Palm Springs, California, not writing anything until he was approached by Lerner to augment the Gigi film score with additional tunes for a 1973 stage adaptation, which won him his second Tony, this time for Best Original Score. The following year they collaborated on a musical film version of The Little Prince, based on the classic children's tale by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. This film was a critical and box office failure, but has become a cult favorite, with the soundtrack recording and the film itself back in print (on CD and DVD) after many years of being unavailable.
Loewe was inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame in 1972. He remained in Palm Springs until his death.
Just You Wait
Frederick Loewe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
TITLE: Just You Wait
Lyrics and Chords
[My Fair Lady]
Just you wait, 'enry 'iggins, just you wait
You'll be broke and I'll have money
Will I help you, don't be funny
Just you wait, 'enry 'iggins, just you wait
/ Am - - - / - - E - / Dm7 G7 / G G7 / - - C - /
Just you wait, 'enry 'iggins 'till you're sick
And you screams to fetch a doctor double quick
I'll be off a second later
And go straight to the theater
Oh oh oh, 'enry 'iggins, just you wait
/ Cm - - - / - - G7 - / Dm7 G7 / G G7 / F#7 - C C7 /
Ooh, 'enry 'iggins
Just you wait until we're swimming in the sea
Ooh, 'enry 'iggins
And you get a cramp a little way from me
When you yell you're going to drown
I'll get dressed and go to town
Oh oh oh, 'enry 'iggins, oh oh oh, 'enry 'iggins
Just you wait
/ Ab - Eb7 - / Ab - - - / G7 - - - / Cm - G - /
/ Cm G7 / Cm - / - - C# - / G7sus4 G7 C - /
One day I'll be famous, I'll be proper and prim
Go to St. James so often I will call it St. Jim
One evening the King will say Eliza, old thing
I want all of England your praises to sing
Next week on the 20th of May
I proclaim Eliza Doolittle Day
All the people will celebrate the glory of you
And whatever you wish and want I gladly will do
Thanks a lot, King, says I, in a manner well bred
But all I want is 'enry 'iggins' 'ead
/ Bb - F7 - / - - Bb - / - - Cm - / Gm C7 F - / F7 - F - /
/ C# C7 F7 - / Bb - F7 - / - - Bb - / - - F - / Gm C7 F - /
Done, says the king with stroke
Guard, run and bring in the bloke
Then they'll march you, 'enry 'iggins, to the wall
And the king will tell Eliza, sound the call
As they lift their rifles higher
I'll shout ready, aim, fire
Oh oh oh, 'enry 'iggins
Down you'll go, 'enry 'iggins
Just you wait
/ G - - B7 / E - - A / - - - - / - - E - / DF#7 Bm /
/ DC#7 F#mE / E - / F7 - / Esus4 E7 A - /
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The song “Just You Wait” from the musical My Fair Lady is sung by Eliza Doolittle as a warning to Professor Henry Higgins that she will have her revenge on him. The lyrics are full of clever and biting comebacks that Eliza has been rehearsing in her head. In the first verse, Eliza warns Higgins that he will be sorry for underestimating her, and laughs at the idea that he will ever get help from her. The chorus repeats the phrase “Just you wait” in a haunting melody, emphasizing the theme of Eliza’s revenge. In the second verse, Eliza imagines Higgins getting into trouble and calling for her help, but she instead goes off to the theatre, leaving him to deal with his problems alone. In the final verse, Eliza imagines herself becoming famous and celebrated by the King of England, but then reveals that all she really wants is Higgins’ head on a platter.
Throughout the song, Eliza’s character is portrayed as fierce, confident, and smart. She has her own agenda and is not intimidated by Higgins’ condescension or dismissive attitude. The song’s lyrics are full of clever wordplay and double entendres, showcasing Eliza’s wit and intelligence. Overall, “Just You Wait” is a standout moment in My Fair Lady that captures the spirit and determination of its protagonist.
Line by Line Meaning
Just you wait, 'enry 'iggins, just you wait
I'm warning you, Henry Higgins, that you'll regret your actions in the future
You'll be sorry but your tears will be too late
You'll feel remorse but it will be too late to fix the damage you've caused
You'll be broke and I'll have money
You'll be poor while I'll be rich
Will I help you, don't be funny
I won't help you, don't be foolish for thinking I will
Just you wait, 'enry 'iggins, just you wait
I'm warning you again, Henry Higgins
Just you wait, 'enry 'iggins 'till you're sick
You'll suffer until you're sick, Henry Higgins
And you screams to fetch a doctor double quick
You'll cry out for a doctor to come quickly to help you
I'll be off a second later
I'll leave you alone and won't help you
And go straight to the theater
I'll go straight to the theater instead
Oh oh oh, 'enry 'iggins, just you wait
I'm warning you again, Henry Higgins
Ooh, 'enry 'iggins just you wait until we're swimming in the sea
You'll regret your actions someday when we're swimming in the ocean, Henry Higgins
Ooh, 'enry 'iggins and you get a cramp a little way from me
You'll get a muscle cramp and I won't help you
When you yell you're going to drown
When you scream that you're drowning
I'll get dressed and go to town
I won't help you, instead I'll go out to town
Oh oh oh, 'enry 'iggins, oh oh oh, 'enry 'iggins just you wait
I'm warning you again, Henry Higgins
One day I'll be famous, I'll be proper and prim
I will become famous and sophisticated one day
Go to St. James so often I will call it St. Jim
I'll go to St. James so often that I'll call it St. Jim as if it's my own personal place
One evening the King will say Eliza, old thing
The King will recognize me and say 'Eliza, old thing'
I want all of England your praises to sing
The King will request England to praise and appreciate me
Next week on the 20th of May
On the 20th of May next week
I proclaim Eliza Doolittle Day
I am declaring a day in my honor
All the people will celebrate the glory of you
Everyone will celebrate and honor me
And whatever you wish and want I gladly will do
The King will offer me any desire and I'll accept it
Thanks a lot, King, says I, in a manner well bred
I'll thank the King politely
But all I want is 'enry 'iggins' 'ead
But what I really want is Henry Higgins' head
Done, says the king with stroke
The King agrees and gives a signal
Guard, run and bring in the bloke
The guard goes to get Henry Higgins
Then they'll march you, 'enry 'iggins, to the wall
They'll escort you, Henry Higgins, to the wall
And the king will tell Eliza, sound the call
The King will order me to sound the signal
As they lift their rifles higher
As they aim their rifles towards Henry Higgins
I'll shout ready, aim, fire
I'll give the command to shoot
Oh oh oh, 'enry 'iggins
I'm warning you one last time, Henry Higgins
Down you'll go, 'enry 'iggins
You'll go down, Henry Higgins
Just you wait
Just you wait
Contributed by Kayla W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.