Accentuate the Positive
Johnny Mercer Lyrics
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Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium
(To illustrate his last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they do
Just when everything looked so dark)
Man, they said we better
Accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
No, do not mess with Mister In-Between
Do you hear me, hmm?
(Oh, listen to me children and-a you will hear
About the elininatin' of the negative
And the accent on the positive)
And gather 'round me children if you're willin'
And sit tight while I start reviewin'
The attitude of doin' right
(You've gotta accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between)
You've got to spread joy (up to the maximum)
Bring gloom (down) down to the minimum
Otherwise (otherwise) pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene
To illustrate (well illustrate) my last remark (you got the floor)
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they say (what did they say)
Say when everything looked so dark
Man, they said we better
Accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
No! Don't mess with Mister In-Between
Johnny Mercer's song "Accentuate the Positive" is all about having a positive outlook on life. The lyrics are a rallying call to focus on the positive things in life and not let negative thoughts or events bring you down. The song urges listeners to "eliminate the negative" and "accentuate the positive," while also warning not to "mess with Mister In-Between."
The song stresses the importance of spreading joy and minimizing gloom. It calls for faith in doing the right thing and avoiding pandemonium. The lyrics use Jonah in the whale and Noah in the ark as examples of people who kept their faith even in dark times.
The song is an upbeat jazz tune that has been covered by numerous artists over the years. It is a classic example of the "Great American Songbook," a collection of popular songs from the first half of the 20th century that are still beloved today.
Line by Line Meaning
You've got to accentuate the positive
Focus on the good things in life
Eliminate the negative
Get rid of negativity in your life
Latch on to the affirmative
Hold onto positive thoughts and attitudes
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
Don't be indecisive or neutral
You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Spread happiness as much as you can
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Reduce sadness and negativity
Have faith or pandemonium
Believe and trust in good things or chaos will happen
Liable to walk upon the scene
Negativity can enter your life at any moment
To illustrate his last remark
To back up his point
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
Biblical examples of persevering through tough times
What did they do
How did they handle it?
Just when everything looked so dark
At the worst possible time
Man, they said we better
They knew they had to
Do you hear me, hmm?
Are you understanding me?
Listen to me children and-a you will hear
Pay attention and learn something
About the elininatin' of the negative
Removing negativity from your life
And the accent on the positive
Focusing on positivity and good things
And gather 'round me children if you're willin'
Come together and listen if you want to
And sit tight while I start reviewin'
Listen closely while I explain
The attitude of doin' right
The mindset of doing the right thing
Contributed by Violet Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Sunnyside760
Lyrics : You got to ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive
E-lim-i-nate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mr. In-between
You got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
And have faith, or pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene
To illustrate his last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they do, just when everything looked so dark?
Man, they said we better ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive
E-lim-i-nate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mr. In-between
No, do not mess with Mister In-Between
Do you hear me?
Oh, listen to me children and-a you will hear
About the eliminatin' of the negative
And the accent on the positive
And gather 'round me children if you're willin'
And sit tight while I start reviewin'
The attitude of doin' right
You've gotta ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive
E-lim-i-nate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mr. In-between
You got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Otherwise (otherwise), pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene
To illustrate my last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they say
Say when everything looked so dark?
Man, they said we better ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive
E-lim-i-nate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mr. In-between
No, do not mess with Mister In-Between
@d3faultgh0st
Lyrics:
Gather ‘round me, everybody
Gather ‘round me while I’m preachin’
Feel a sermon comin’ on me
The topic will be sin and that’s what I’m ag’in’
If you wanna hear my story
Then settle back and just sit tight
While I start reviewin’
The attitude of doin’ right
You’ve got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don’t mess with mister in-between
You’ve got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene
To illustrate my last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they do just when everything looked so dark
@tallpaul521
My father's funeral was today. Major Edward Driscoll..WWII Veteran..one of the vanishing Greatest Generation. He was 93, and this song was one of his favorites and was played at the service.
@rcair123
Truly the greatest generation. Imagine if we could bring a couple hundred of those boys back today, they would have things back in shape in no time flat.
@carolchambeland1279
One day I spent an enjoyable dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Mercer at a fabulous restaurant. We talked a bout him and his mother and wife, waiting 40 years before they finally got together and wedding. His wife, Jeff Lee turned and left at him with a laughing look up on her face. His wife and I took a little walk around the restaurant had a short conversation and went back to the table soon after that as we were finishing up our mail, the owner of salmon need a race track walk Jan, according to Johnny, and said that they would spread the word that he was there in Most likely would be expected to get up in sync. At that point Johnny wanted to leave so we all got up and left the restaurant. It’s such a shame that these famous people cannot live a normal life without the end-user hijacked by the public or the press. That’s the way the ball bounces I guess it was time for himword is spread that he is in a public place. They want him to get up and sing went. All he wants is to go out for dinner with his wife and friends. We all got up and left. as famous and popular people may be,
@carolchambeland1279
3:30 3:30
@jessicagiovanni5773
To Major Edward whom is no longer with us. Thank you for my freedom. Thank you for your service. You will be missed Major.
@tallpaul521
Thank you Jessica.@@jessicagiovanni5773
@marylou5283
My 45 year old son just mailed me this song, “mom look at the difference between this and 2023”. It makes me sad he will never know the same America I knew.
@Charles_Blackburn
I wanna fell like you, but I am only 13 years old and live in Poland :/
@marylou5283
@@Charles_Blackburn Goodness the world is so different from when I was 13. Enjoy being young spend time outside just love your life then when you're old like me you will have memories mostly happy ones! I very much admire your homeland and people too. I know of the bravery and courage during WW2 how hard they fought and resisted Hitler's army. Viva Poland!! Goodnight Charlie.
@isorokudono
1500 songs 4 Oscars, Founder of Capitol Records, Master Arranger, Superior Originality of Voice, what a man.