Anything Goes
Howard Lanin & His Orchestra Lyrics
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And we've often rewound the clock
Since the Puritans got a shock
When they landed on Plymouth Rock.
If today
Any shock they should try to stem
'Stead of landing on Plymouth Rock,
Plymouth Rock would land on them.
In olden days, a glimpse of stocking
Was looked on as something shocking.
But now, God knows,
Anything goes.
Good authors too who once knew better words
Now only use four-letter words
Writing prose.
Anything goes.
If driving fast cars you like,
If low bars you like,
If old hymns you like,
If bare limbs you like,
If Mae West you like,
Or me undressed you like,
Why, nobody will oppose.
When ev'ry night the set that's smart is in-
Truding in nudist parties in
Studios.
Anything goes.
When Missus Ned McLean (God bless her)
Can get Russian reds to "yes" her,
Then I suppose
Anything goes.
When Rockefeller still can hoard en-
Ough money to let Max Gordon
Produce his shows,
Anything goes.
The world has gone mad today
And good's bad today,
And black's white today,
And day's night today,
And that gent today
You gave a cent today
Once had several chateaux.
When folks who still can ride in jitneys
Find out Vanderbilts and Whitneys
Lack baby clo'es,
Anything goes.
If Sam Goldwyn can with great conviction
Instruct Anna Sten in diction,
Then Anna shows
Anything goes.
When you hear that Lady Mendl standing up
Now turns a handspring landing up-
On her toes,
Anything goes.
Just think of those shocks you've got
And those knocks you've got
And those blues you've got
From that news you've got
And those pains you've got
(If any brains you've got)
From those little radios.
So Missus R., with all her trimmin's,
Can broadcast a bed from Simmons
'Cause Franklin knows
Anything goes.
The lyrics of Howard Lanin & His Orchestra's song "Anything Goes" symbolize how times have changed and how society's norms have evolved. The song starts by referencing the landing of Pilgrims in America and how if the same scenario were to happen today, it would be the opposite. The lyrics "Plymouth Rock would land on them" serve as an analogy that describes how the current society has progressed to the point that it would no longer be dictated to by their predecessors.
The song's chorus "Anything goes" signifies the freedom of expression and liberty that has marked the 20th century. It reflects a cultural shift regarding what is acceptable and what is not, ranging from clothing to language. Though the limits of acceptable behavior have shifted, the chorus "Anything goes" suggests that, to some extent, there will always be acceptable and unacceptable standards.
The final verse continues with the theme of societal change with references to popular figures of the time engaging in unexpected behavior such as Lady Mendl doing a handspring, Sam Goldwyn teaching diction to Anna Sten, and the Vanderbilts and Whitneys calling upon Sam Goldwyn to produce their shows. The lyrics' intended message is that it is a time of historical progression and nothing can be considered odd or unusual. The final lines of the song, "Anything goes," cement this message.
Line by Line Meaning
Times have changed
The world is a different place now
And we've often rewound the clock
We have frequently looked back to the past
Since the Puritans got a shock
Since the puritans became aware of new things
When they landed on Plymouth Rock.
When they first arrived in America at Plymouth Rock
If today
If, in the modern day
Any shock they should try to stem
If people tried to prevent anything that was unfamiliar to them
'Stead of landing on Plymouth Rock,
Instead of arriving on Plymouth Rock
Plymouth Rock would land on them.
It would be the unfamiliar things that would impact them instead of the other way around
In olden days, a glimpse of stocking
In the past, seeing women's stockings was considered scandalous
Was looked on as something shocking.
It was seen as improper behavior
But now, God knows,
But in modern times
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable
Good authors too who once knew better words
Even respected writers who were once eloquent
Now only use four-letter words
Now use simple, vulgar words
Writing prose.
When writing literature
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable
If driving fast cars you like,
If you enjoy driving fast cars
If low bars you like,
If you like seedy bars
If old hymns you like,
If you like outdated hymms
If bare limbs you like,
If you like seeing people naked
If Mae West you like,
If you like Mae West
Or me undressed you like,
Or if you want to see me naked
Why, nobody will oppose.
Then there's no problem with doing those things
When every night the set that's smart is intruding in-
When the fashionable crowd starts attending
Nudist parties in studios.
Nude parties in studios.
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable
When Missus Ned McLean (God bless her)
When Mrs. Ned McLean
Can get Russian reds to "yes" her,
Can convince Russians to agree with her
Then I suppose
Then it's likely
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable
When Rockefeller still can hoard enough money to let Max Gordon
When Rockefeller has enough money to sponsor Max Gordon's endeavors
Produce his shows,
Making it possible for him to produce shows
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable
The world has gone mad today
The world is insane today
And good's bad today,
What is considered good is bad
And black's white today,
What is black is white
And day's night today,
What is day is night time today
And that gent today
And that man today
You gave a cent today
You gave money today
Once had several chateaux.
Once owned several castles
When folks who still can ride in jitneys
When people who ride in jitneys (small buses)
Find out Vanderbilts and Whitneys
Realize that the wealthy Vanderbilts and Whitneys
Lack baby clothes,
Don't even have enough money to buy clothes for their babies
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable
If Sam Goldwyn can with great conviction
If Sam Goldwyn is able to do with great confidence
Instruct Anna Sten in diction,
Teach Anna Sten how to pronounce words well
Then Anna shows
Then Anna indicates
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable
When you hear that Lady Mendl standing up
When you hear that Lady Mendl,
Now turns a handspring landing up-
Doing gymnastics by jumping and landing on her hands
On her toes,
While standing on her toes
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable
Just think of those shocks you've got
Just think of the shocks you have experienced
And those knocks you've got
And the hits you have taken
And those blues you've got
And the sadness you have experienced
From that news you've got
From the information you have learned
And those pains you've got
And the physical pain you have suffered
(If any brains you've got)
(If you have any intelligence)
From those little radios.
From those small radios
So Missus R., with all her trimmin's,
So Mrs. R, with all of her fancy belongings
Can broadcast a bed from Simmons
Can advertise a bed from Simmons mattress company
'Cause Franklin knows
Because Franklin (likely a reference to Franklin Delano Roosevelt)
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind