Que Sera Sera
Helen Morgan Lyrics
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I asked my mother, "What will I be?
Will I be pretty, will I be rich?"
Here's what she said to me
"Que Sera, Sera, Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours to see Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be"
When I grew up, and fell in love
I asked my sweetheart, "What lies ahead?
Will we have rainbows, day after day?"
Here's what my sweetheart said
"Que Sera, Sera
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be"
Now I have children of my own
They ask their mother, "What will I be
Will I be handsome, will I be rich?"
I tell them tenderly
"Que Sera, Sera
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be
Que Sera, Sera"
The song Que Sera Sera by Helen Morgan is a timeless classic that tells the story of life's journey and its various uncertainties. The lyrics are reflective of a young girl asking her mother about her future, her aspirations, and what she will become. The mother's response is a philosophical one, that the future is not ours to see, and whatever will be, will be.
As the young girl grows up and falls in love, she again asks about the future, wondering if she and her lover will have a happy and prosperous life. To this, her lover gives the same response that the future is unpredictable, and we cannot predict what will happen.
In the final verse, the singer has children of her own who ask her about their future. She responds with the same words that her mother had told her years ago, "Que Sera, Sera" - whatever will be, will be.
This song shows how life is unpredictable and uncertain, and although we may have plans and aspirations, we cannot control the future. It is a lesson about acceptance and surrendering to the mystery of life.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was just a little girl
When I was young and inexperienced
I asked my mother, "What will I be?
I asked my mother about my future
Will I be pretty, will I be rich?"
I asked if I would be wealthy and attractive
Here's what she said to me
My mother responded in the following way
"Que Sera, Sera, Whatever will be, will be
"Whatever will happen, will happen"
The future's not ours to see Que Sera, Sera
The future is unpredictable
What will be, will be"
"Things will unfold as they are meant to"
When I grew up, and fell in love
As an adult when I fell in love
I asked my sweetheart, "What lies ahead?
I asked my partner about the future
Will we have rainbows, day after day?"
We wondered if life would be constantly good
Here's what my sweetheart said
My partner responded with the following
"Que Sera, Sera
"What will happen, will happen"
Whatever will be, will be
"The future is unknown"
The future's not ours, to see
We can't predict what is going to happen
Que Sera, Sera
"Whatever will be, will be"
Now I have children of my own
As a parent now, with children of my own
They ask their mother, "What will I be
My children ask the same questions about their future
Will I be handsome, will I be rich?"
They wonder if they will be seen as attractive and successful
I tell them tenderly
I respond lovingly
"Que Sera, Sera
"What will be, will be"
Whatever will be, will be
"The future is not certain"
The future's not ours, to see
We can't predict what will happen
Que Sera, Sera
"Whatever will be, will be"
Contributed by Jasmine K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
bigcity233
Beautiful performance! Great song! Too bad there isn't more of Helen Morgan on film - she performed mostly on stage and in night clubs. Thanks for posting.
unclealand
A perfect example of how fortunate we are that someone filmed a legend. Helen Morgan would otherwise only be a name we heard about and a voice with an amazingly sad vibrato on a scratchy 78 RPM. White female singers morphed over the decades (Morgan to Connie Boswell to Jo Stafford to Streisand etc. I'm leaving out many, but just making an example.) Thanks to YouTube we can spend an hour reviewing them for the sake of history. And our enjoyment.
butchfoot
I think its grand and the world would be better off and better adjusted if we listen to more of it. Thanks ever so much.
bonfid
She has a tear in her voice. so pretty.
Roger York
I'm surprised that she doesn't get the same amount of attention as other great singers of the era. There's very little currently available of her.
Wayne Brasler
This was one of her most famous songs and, as with all her music, she presents it gorgeously and with deepest following. The gown Polly Bergen wears on the cover of her Helen Morgan album is similar to the one seen here.
Chuck Turner
Old-fashioned is new to a lot of kids today. I'm and old-fashioned singer and always get thumbs up when I sing...! I love most of everything by practically ALL of the old stuff!
Bossmanrocks
Helen Morgan had such a tragic life - a really sad, sad, life. Her biography is done beautifully in the movie The Helen Morgan Story, staring Ann Blythe as Helen Morgan and Paul Newman at his handsomeness best. Singing of Morgan was done by the incomparable Gogi Grant. Grant's singing is unbelievable - youtube it. Listen to her redition of the Morgan standard, The Man I love. It will make you swoon.
X X
she was absolutely lovely !
harrywarrenfan
For the curious, this is a clip from "Sweet Music," a 1935 film released by WB.