Berlin, who was Jewish, was one of the few Tin Pan Alley/Broadway songwriters who wrote both lyrics and music for his songs. Although he never learned to read music beyond a rudimentary level, he composed over 3,000 songs. Many of his songs, including "God Bless America", "White Christmas", "Alexander's Ragtime Band", and "There's No Business Like Show Business," left an indelible mark on American music and culture. He produced 17 film scores and 21 Broadway scores, in addition to his individual songs.
Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning
Irving Berlin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He'd been in camp for sev'ral weeks and he was looking fine;
His muscles had developed and his cheeks were rosy red,
I asked him how he liked the life, and this is what he said:
'Oh! how I hate to get up in the morning,
Oh! how I'd love to remain in bed;
For the hardest blow of all, is to hear the bugler call;
Some day I'm going to murder the bugler,
Some day they're going to find him dead;
I'll amputate his reveille, and step upon it heavily,
And spend the rest of my life in bed.'
'Oh! how I hate to get up in the morning,
Oh! how I'd love to remain in bed;
For the hardest blow of all, is to hear the bugler call;
You've got to get up, you've got to get up, you've got to get up this morning!
Oh! boy the minute the battle is over,
Oh! boy the minute the foe is dead;
I'll put my uniform away, and move to Philadelphia,
And spend the rest of my life in bed.'
A bugler in the army is the luckiest of men,
He wakes the boys at five and then goes back to bed again;
He doesn't have to blow again until the afternoon,
If ev'ry thing goes well with me I'll be a bugler soon.
'Oh! how I hate to get up in the morning,
Oh! how I'd love to remain in bed;
For the hardest blow of all, is to hear the bugler call;
You've got to get up, you've got to get up, you've got to get up this morning!
Some day I'm going to murder the bugler,
Some day they're going to find him dead;
I'll amputate his reveille, and step upon it heavily,
And spend the rest of my life in bed.'
'Oh! how I hate to get up in the morning,
Oh! how I'd love to remain in bed;
For the hardest blow of all, is to hear the bugler call;
You've got to get up, you've got to get up, you've got to get up this morning!
Oh! boy the minute the battle is over,
Oh! boy the minute the foe is dead;
I'll put my uniform away, and move to Philadelphia,
And spend the rest of my life in bed.'
“Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning” is a humorous viral song about the dread of arising from bed in the morning that was created during World War I. The lyrics were written and music was composed by Irving Berlin. The opening verse shows the singer speaking with an army friend whom he encounters, advising him about how he enjoyed being in a big camp, with well-built muscles and rosy cheeks. The singer just inquires how his pal likes it and is told he didn't entirely relish it. Soon, the friend declares his animosity of rising early in the morning to the sound of the bugler. The not-so-innocent protagonist continues to tell his friend that he, too, despises leaving the warmth of the bed and how a whole day could be spent with his blanket if only he did not have to wake up to the bugle sound at 5 a.m.
The singer goes ahead to say that he's going to murder the bugler who always wakes him up every morning. After this, he'll cut off his morning whistle, tramp on it, and spend time extending the bed. In doing so, he'll shift his attention to Philadelphia after the fight, leaving his uniform behind, and never again waking up to the bugle noise. This song reveals the grim side of war, depicting it as a life at the hands of the commanding officers. It provides an insight into the plight of the soldiers, who leave behind the comfort of their homes with the hope of serving their countries. The song shows how, in trying so hard to make the soldiers win the war, the commanding officers subject their soldiers to a life of stress and pain.
Line by Line Meaning
'Oh! how I hate to get up in the morning,
The soldier resents waking up early every day.
Oh! how I'd love to remain in bed;
He wishes he can stay in bed instead of getting up.
For the hardest blow of all, is to hear the bugler call;
The sound of the bugle is the most difficult part for him.
You've got to get up, you've got to get up, you've got to get up this morning!
The soldier feels pressured to get up early.
Some day I'm going to murder the bugler,
The soldier is exaggerating about his frustration towards the bugle.
Some day they're going to find him dead;
The soldier is joking about the idea of killing the bugler.
I'll amputate his reveille, and step upon it heavily,
The soldier is fantasizing about damaging the bugle sound.
And spend the rest of my life in bed.'
The soldier is expressing a desire to avoid the harsh life of a soldier.
Oh! boy the minute the battle is over,
The soldier is looking forward to the end of the war.
Oh! boy the minute the foe is dead;
The soldier is happy when the enemy is defeated.
I'll put my uniform away, and move to Philadelphia,
The soldier is fantasizing about living a peaceful life in a new city.
And spend the rest of my life in bed.'
The soldier wishes to escape the hardships of army life.
A bugler in the army is the luckiest of men,
The soldier is envious of the bugler's job.
He wakes the boys at five and then goes back to bed again;
The bugler has an easier job than the other soldiers.
He doesn't have to blow again until the afternoon,
The bugler has a less demanding schedule than the other soldiers.
If ev'ry thing goes well with me I'll be a bugler soon.
The soldier has a desire to become a bugler himself.
Writer(s): IRVING BERLIN
Contributed by Adam F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Mike84501
My Dad would sing this to me every time I wouldn't get up. I hated the song in those days. Now not so much and I wish my Dad was still here to sing it to me.
@jamesbarry6979
God Bless,,,,,same Here,,,,, Miss the good old Days,,,,
@psychomusicanana
My mother did the same. I hated when she did it but I always loved the song.
@KB-nr3ls
My grandfather would sing "you gotta get up, you gotta get up, you gotta get up this morning" to awaken us for school. Often we moaned and groaned, despite our strict 7:30 p.m. bedtimes. But I often think, "Weren't we the luckiest children in the world to be awoken with song???"
@josephg.3370
@@psychomusicananamine too
@BJ-mc1mo
I sometimes play this for my 97 year old mother (with some dementia) as I try to get her out of bed in the morning. It usually makes her smile.
@SuperODST1
The expressions he makes while talking about murdering the bugler fit PERFECTLY I love it XD
@aresee8208
Besides the great tunes, Berlin has a great way with words. Rhyming reveille with heavily! Sublime.
@VirtuousPraiseworthy
This guy has one awesome vibrato. Good for him.
@christinelurk6466
Delightful! Brought a smile to my face!