Gleason could not read or write music in a conventional sense; he was said to have conceived melodies in his head and described them vocally to staff help. He did likewise with the well-remembered themes of both The Jackie Gleason Show ("Melancholy Serenade") and The Honeymooners ("You're My Greatest Love"). There has been some controversy over the years as to how much credit Gleason should have received for the finished products; it has been written that beyond the possible conceptualizing of many of the songs, Gleason had no direct involvement such as conducting in the making of these recordings. However, his main musical companion, cornetist and trumpeter Bobby Hackett once said: "Jackie knows a lot more about music than people give him credit for. I have seen him conduct a sixty-piece orchestra and detect one discordant note in the brass section. He would immediately stop the music and locate the wrong note. It always amazed the professional musicians how a guy who technically did not know one note from another could do that. And he was never wrong."
Born February 26, 1916 in Brooklyn, New York, United States. He died on June 24, 1987
Get out of town
Jackie Gleason Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The curtains drawn,
And I at least pretended
That love was dead and gone.
But now, from nowhere,
You come to me as before
To take my heart,
Get out of town
Before it's too late, my love.
Get out of town,
Be good to Mr. please!
Why wish me harm?
Why not retire to a farm
And be contented to charm
The birds off the trees?
Just disappear,
I care for you much too much,
And when you are near,
Close to me dear,
We touch too much!
The thrill when we meet
Is so bitter-sweet
That, darling, it's getting me down;
So on your mark,
Get set,
Get out of town!
In the song "Get Out Of Town" by Jackie Gleason, the singer is recollecting a past relationship that ended badly, and they are reminiscing about how love fades away, and how they are much better off without it. They have moved on and have left the farce behind, yet the former lover still manages to find their way back into the singer's life. The singer is conflicted because they do not want to rekindle the fire, but at the same time, they feel an irresistible attraction towards their former partner. They want them to leave town before they get too involved and get their hearts broken once again. The singer begs the former lover to retire to a farm, where they can charm the birds and be content.
One possible interpretation of the song is that it speaks to the human condition of longing and regret. The singer has moved on but is still haunted by the past, and the chorus is a plea to be released from the grip of an old love. It is a song of caution that advises people to avoid getting entangled with past flames, especially when the consequences are too perilous. The lyrics are both poetic and evocative, painting a picture of a lover who is both charming and dangerous.
Line by Line Meaning
The farce was ended,
The pretense of love has been exposed and it no longer exists.
The curtains drawn,
The performance has come to an end.
And I at least pretended
I was at least pretending to move on without you.
That love was dead and gone.
That our relationship was over.
But now, from nowhere,
Unexpectedly, you've returned.
You come to me as before
You've come back to me as if nothing has changed.
To take my heart,
To love me again.
And break my heart once more.
And then to hurt me again.
Get out of town
Leave this place
Before it's too late, my love.
Before it's too late and we end up getting hurt again.
Be good to Mr. please!
Be good to someone else.
Why wish me harm?
Why continue to hurt me?
Why not retire to a farm
Why not go away and live a peaceful life.
And be contented to charm
Be happy with just being friendly.
The birds off the trees?
And just live a life that doesn't involve causing harm.
Just disappear,
Just leave without any explanation.
I care for you much too much,
I still have feelings for you.
And when you are near,
And when you're close to me,
Close to me dear,
When we're close,
We touch too much!
We get too physical and emotional with each other.
The thrill when we meet
The excitement we feel when we see each other,
Is so bitter-sweet
Is a mixture of happiness and sadness.
That, darling, it's getting me down;
That it's becoming too much for me to handle;
So on your mark,
So get yourself ready,
Get set,
Get ready for what comes next,
Get out of town!
Just leave and never come back.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Palomablanca2008
Wonderful orchestra- ( and the lyrics are awesome too... Cole Porter always touched the heart). Thank you.