Go West Young Man
Groucho Marx Lyrics
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I'm sure that you agree with me that Greeley was no fool
What he is getting at is that Mr Greeley was no fool
Boy The wisdom of the man can be denied by none
For he's the one that said
Before you go to Buffalo to Baltimore or Borneo
To Eastern Pennsylvania or Japan
If you go to that land, sonny
You will have a lot of money
If you bring the money with you when you come
To the lone prairie, yippi-yi, yippi-yi
Yippi-yi-yi-yi!
Yippi-yi, yippi-yi, yippi-yi
Before you read a travel ad
And scamper off to Trinidad
Too often in New York and Yucatan
Go West! Young Man
In the East they live on doughnuts
In the West the natives grow up
And I guarantee you go nuts if you come
To the lone prairie, yippi-yay, yippi-yay
Yippi-yay-yay-yay!
Yippi-yi, yippi-yi, yippi-yi
A cowboy's gal is a real true pal
She will stick to him right or wrong
Right or wrong
She don't say nothing
And she don't do nothing
And she don't know nothing
And she don't want nothing but a horse
And a cowboy, for she's just keeps rolling along
Go West! Young Man
Go where the airport's tearing the chest, young man
You can ride a bucking bronco or a pony
You can cut a calf in half and make baloney
Go West! Young Man
Go right up there and give 'em the very best you can
Don't go east, don't go south, don't go north, have a care
Don't go up, don't go down, don't go here, don't go there
If it's true what they say about Dixie
Go West! Young Man
Go out and till the soil there
Dig for gold and you'll find oil there
Where the crow flies, where the snow flies, go, there's no "no"!
If you are fond of hunting there's no place that can compare
You may not bag a lion or a tiger or a bear
But if you want a jack-ass there are plenty of them there
Go West! Young Man
The judges there are very fair, they always are of course!
A cowboy and his Mrs went to court for a divorce
The cowboy got the children and the Mrs got the horse
All Go West! Young Man
Yi-hi!
The song "Go West Young Man" by Groucho Marx is a humorous take on the famous Horace Greeley quote, "Go West, young man." Groucho sets up the song by emphasizing Greeley's intelligence and wisdom before launching into a series of comical comparisons between the East and West, and extolling the virtues of heading West. He sings about the potential for financial gain, the freedom of cowboy life, and the loyal companionship of a cowboy's gal. He even throws in a jab at the legal system with the story of a cowboy and his Mrs. going to court for a divorce.
The lyrics of the song are meant to be entertaining and light-hearted, but they also capture the spirit of the American West during a time when the frontier was still being explored and settled. The idea of heading West in search of adventure, opportunity, and a better life was deeply ingrained in the American psyche. By using humor and playful language, Groucho Marx was able to celebrate that spirit while also poking fun at it.
Line by Line Meaning
Mr Horace Greeley was no fool
I'm sure that you agree with me that Greeley was no fool
The wisdom of the man can be denied by none
What he is getting at is that Mr Greeley was no fool
For he's the one that said
Before you go to Buffalo to Baltimore or Borneo
If you're planning to head to Buffalo, Baltimore, or say, Borneo
To Eastern Pennsylvania or Japan
Or if you're thinking of exploring Eastern Pennsylvania or Japan
Go West! Young Man
It's best to go out west, young man
If you go to that land, sonny
If you decide to head out west, young man
You will have a lot of money
You might make a fortune along the way
If you bring the money with you when you come
Just make sure you bring it all back with you
To the lone prairie, yippi-yi, yippi-yi
To the vast and open plains, yippi-yi, yippi-yi
Before you read a travel ad
Before you get swayed by a fancy travel advertisement
And scamper off to Trinidad
Trying to decide between Trinidad or Tobago?
Too often in New York and Yucatan
Don't make the common mistake of heading to New York or Yucatan
In the East they live on doughnuts
People in the East are known for their love of doughnuts
In the West the natives grow up
But in the West, people grow up differently
And I guarantee you go nuts if you come
And I promise you'll be pleasantly surprised if you come out west
To the lone prairie, yippi-yay, yippi-yay
To the vast and open plains, yippi-yay, yippi-yay
A cowboy's gal is a real true pal
If you're looking for a loyal companion, look no further than a cowboy's gal
She will stick to him right or wrong
She'll stay by his side no matter what happens
Right or wrong
She don't say nothing
She might not say much
And she don't do nothing
She might not do much either
And she don't know nothing
She might not know much either
And she don't want nothing but a horse
But she's content with just a horse by her side
And a cowboy, for she's just keeps rolling along
And a cowboy, because life with him is just one big adventure
Go where the airport's tearing the chest, young man
Head to the place where the airport is thriving, young man
You can ride a bucking bronco or a pony
You can try your hand at riding a bucking bronco, or even a pony
You can cut a calf in half and make baloney
Or try your hand at butchering some calf, and turn it into baloney
Go right up there and give 'em the very best you can
So get out there and give it your all
Don't go east, don't go south, don't go north, have a care
But whatever you do, don't go east, south or north, be careful with your choices
Don't go up, don't go down, don't go here, don't go there
And don't even consider going up or down, or any here or there
If it's true what they say about Dixie
And if what they say about Dixie is true
Go out and till the soil there
Then go ahead and work the land there
Dig for gold and you'll find oil there
Or try your hand at finding some gold, and who knows, you might even find oil
Where the crow flies, where the snow flies, go, there's no "no"!
Wherever the winds may take you, wherever the snow may blow, go for it, there are no limitations
If you are fond of hunting there's no place that can compare
And if you're a fan of hunting, there's no better place to be
You may not bag a lion or a tiger or a bear
You might not catch a lion, tiger or bear
But if you want a jack-ass there are plenty of them there
But if you're looking for a jack-ass, there's an abundance of them to be found out west
The judges there are very fair, they always are of course!
And if you happen to run into any legal trouble out west, fear not, the judges are fair and just
A cowboy and his Mrs went to court for a divorce
For instance, a cowboy and his wife once went to court for a divorce
The cowboy got the children and the Mrs got the horse
And wouldn't you know it, the cowboy got custody of the kids, while Mrs got the horse
All Go West! Young Man
So it's settled, young man. All signs point west
Yi-hi!
Yi-hi!
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BERT KALMAR, HARRY RUBY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Barry I. Grauman
This number, by Kalmar & Ruby, was originally written for "The Marx Brothers Go West" (1940), but MGM decided NOT to use it. It took seven years before Groucho was finally able to perform it on film {and agreed to wear his greasepaint moustache and frock coat for this number only}.
Texas Mimi
Why was he in such a yank about performing this awful song and act? I could not make it through the 5+ minutes without muting.
Jim Zielinski
@Texas Mimi he was concerned idiots wouldn't appreciate it.
Otto Baron
The story I've heard is before Irving Thalberg died, there were plans to make "Go West', but instead of a period western, it would have taken place in contemporary times. This song was written for that version. When it was decided to actually make "Go West", it was decided to set the film in the 19th century, this song would not have worked. Since the song was already written, it was performed as a song separately from the film, and finally performed on the big screen, in this film.
Russell Thompson
Funniest man that's ever lived. 😂
Paul Christman
On a radio version of this song, "... If you can't get a seat on a subway, go west young man!" at 4:04 was instead "If it's true what they say about Dixie, go west young man!" (A popular song at the time was "Is It True What They Say About Dixie?") This song's one of the highlights of a movie that wasn't too memorable. It was, I think, the first one Groucho did without Chico and Harpo.
Barry I. Grauman
The reference to "Japan" was also altered to "Sudan".
Texas Mimi
He on his own like this was awful.
Paul Christman
@Texas Mimi Better Groucho on his own than Chico or Harpo, who tended to be a duo in Marx Brothers pictures. But you're right. Groucho didn't pair up with Carmen Miranda especially well, and Chico and Harpo were sorely missed in this first non-Brothers film. This number was the best in Copacabana. The others were very forgettable.
Barry I. Grauman
The SONG was cut from the movie. Groucho wanted to perform this so much in "Copacabana", he agreed to don the frock coat and greasepaint moustache ONE MORE TIME for the movie.