Button Up Your Overcoat
Jack Hylton and His Orchestra Lyrics
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Now that you got me made
Goodness, but I'm afraid
Somethin's gonna happen to you
Listen, big boy
You gotta be hooked, and how
I would die if I should lose you now
Button up your overcoat
When the wind is free
Take good care of yourself
You belong to me
Eat an apple every day
Get to bed by three
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me
Be careful crossing streets, ooh, ooh
Cut out sweets, ooh, ooh
Lay off meat, ooh, ooh
You'll get a pain and ruin your tum-tum
Wear your flannel underwear
When you climb a tree
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me
Button up your overcoat
When the wind is free
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me
Boop-boop-a-doop
When you sass a traffic cop
Use diplomacy
Just take good care of yourself
You belong to me
Beware of frozen funds, ooh, ooh
Stocks and bonds, ooh, ooh
Dockside thugs, ooh, ooh
You'll get a pain and ruin your bankroll
Keep the spoon out of your cup
When you're drinking tea
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me
Don't sit on hornet's tails, ooh, ooh
Or on nails, ooh, ooh
Or third rails, ooh, ooh
You'll get a pain and ruin your tum-tum
Keep away from bootleg hooch
When you're on a spree
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me
In Jack Hylton's "Button Up Your Overcoat", the singer (likely a woman) is instructing her man on how to take care of himself now that they are together. She acknowledges that he might have been wild and carefree in the past, but now that she's "got him made", and "hooked", she's afraid of losing him. She instructs him to "button up your overcoat when the wind is free", which could be interpreted as a metaphor to mean that he should protect himself from danger, the "wind" being a stand-in for any potential trouble that might come his way.
The lyrics contain other instructions too, such as eating an apple every day, getting to bed early, wearing flannel underwear when climbing trees and using diplomacy when sassing a traffic cop. There are also warnings about things to avoid, such as frozen funds, stocks and bonds, and bootleg hooch. The song ends with the singer urging the man to take good care of himself because he belongs to her.
The lyrics are essentially a list of rules for taking care of oneself which are expressed in a playful way. While the tone of the song is lighthearted, there is an underlying message of responsibility and caring for one's well-being. It's an example of the social commentary that was often present in popular music of the 1920s.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen, big boy
Hey you, paying attention to me
Now that you got me made
Now that you have charmed me into loving you
Goodness, but I'm afraid
Wow, I love you so much I'm afraid of anything bad happening to you
Somethin's gonna happen to you
I'm afraid something bad might happen to you
You gotta be hooked, and how
You've got me completely under your spell
I would die if I should lose you now
I love you so much that I couldn't bear to lose you
Button up your overcoat
When it's windy outside, wear your coat properly
When the wind is free
When the weather is windy
Take good care of yourself
Take care of yourself well
You belong to me
I care about you, and it's important to me that you take care of yourself
Eat an apple every day
Eat a healthy diet
Get to bed by three
Get enough sleep
Be careful crossing streets, ooh, ooh
Be careful when crossing the road
Cut out sweets, ooh, ooh
Avoid sugary foods
Lay off meat, ooh, ooh
Reduce meat consumption
You'll get a pain and ruin your tum-tum
You'll experience stomach problems
Wear your flannel underwear
Dress appropriately for cold weather
When you climb a tree
When you're doing anything physical that might cause you to feel cold
Button up your overcoat
Wear your coat to protect yourself from the cold
When you sass a traffic cop
When you argue with a police officer
Use diplomacy
Be polite and respectful
Beware of frozen funds, ooh, ooh
Be careful of your finances
Stocks and bonds, ooh, ooh
Invest wisely
Dockside thugs, ooh, ooh
Be cautious of dangerous people
Keep the spoon out of your cup
Don't put the spoon in your mouth when drinking
When you're drinking tea
When you're consuming hot beverages
Don't sit on hornet's tails, ooh, ooh
Don't do things that will cause you physical pain
Or on nails, ooh, ooh
Avoid physical injury
Or third rails, ooh, ooh
Keep away from dangerous electrical equipment
Keep away from bootleg hooch
Don't drink illegal alcohol
When you're on a spree
When you're having fun
Oh, take good care of yourself
Make sure you're looking after yourself properly
You belong to me
I care about you deeply
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: George Gard Buddy Desylva, Lew Brown, Ray Henderson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@porkyminch5131
Button up your overcoat
When the wind is free
Take good care of yourself
You belong to me
Eat an apple every day
Get to bed by three
Take good care of yourself
You belong to me
Be careful crossing streets, ooh, ooh
Don't eat meats, ooh, ooh
Cut out sweets, ooh, ooh
You'll get a pain and ruin your tum-tum
Keep away from bootleg hooch
When you're on a spree
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me
@rogueanime505
Jack Hylton's VERY BEST! Excellent recording. Keep this alive!
~V~
@SigurbjornHelgason
Wonderful
@NEWbobofhollywood
Beautiful. Sounds amazing. This is the first thing today which seems like I'm doing things right. Thank God for your unwavering quality. Take good care of yourself!!
@AndyLeMaitre
Thank you Robert, off for a heart scan at KGH tomorrow, wish me luck!
@rogueanime505
You can NOT listen to this and NOT get happy😄! I listen to Jack Hylton, Paul Whiteman, The Havana Savoy Band & many others every day. Gave up on rock many years ago. This is FAR better!
~V~
@RoryVanucchi
Well done.. Great old tune.. Banjo always beafs up the rhythm
@jekarik555
Веселая 🎶
@jourwalis-8875
A very good transfer. Thank you! Must be a very advanced record-player.
@AndyLeMaitre
Thanks Jourwalis. It's a Garrard 401 transcription turntable from the 1970s.
@porkyminch5131
Button up your overcoat
When the wind is free
Take good care of yourself
You belong to me
Eat an apple every day
Get to bed by three
Take good care of yourself
You belong to me
Be careful crossing streets, ooh, ooh
Don't eat meats, ooh, ooh
Cut out sweets, ooh, ooh
You'll get a pain and ruin your tum-tum
Keep away from bootleg hooch
When you're on a spree
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me