I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face
Julie Andrews & Rex Harrison Lyrics
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I've grown accustomed to her face
She almost makes the day begin
I've grown accustomed to the tune
She whistles night and noon
Her smiles, her frowns
Her ups, her downs
Like breathing out and breathing in
I was serenely independent and content before we met
Surely, I could always be that way again
And yet
I've grown accustomed to her looks
Accustomed to her voice
Accustomed to her face
"Marry Freddy"
What an infantile idea
What a heartless, wicked, brainless thing to do
But she'll regret it, she'll regret it
It's doomed before they even take the vow
I can see her now, Mrs. Freddy Eynsford-Hill
In a wretched little flat above a store
I can see her now, not a penny in the till
And a bill collector beating at the door
She'll try to teach the things I taught her
And end up selling flowers instead
Begging for her bread and water
While her husband has his breakfast in bed, ha
In a year or so, when she's prematurely grey
And the blossom in her cheek has turned to chalk
She'll come home, and lo, he'll have upped and run away
With a social-climbing heiress from New York, ha
Poor Eliza, how simply frightful
How humiliating, how delightful
How poignant it'll be on that inevitable night
When she hammers on my door in tears and rags
Miserable and lonely, repentant and contrite
Will I take her in or hurl her to the wolves?
Give her kindness or the treatment she deserves?
Will I take her back or throw the baggage out?
I'm a most forgiving man
The sort who never could, ever would
Take a position and staunchly never budge
Just a most forgiving man
But, I will never take her back
If she were crawling on her knees
Let her promise to atone
Let her shiver, let her moan
I will slam the door and let the hellcat freeze
"Marry Freddy," ha
But I'm so used to hear her say
Good morning everyday
Her joys, her woes
Her highs, her lows
Are second nature to me now
Like breathing out and breathing in
I'm very grateful she's a woman
And so easy to forget
Rather like a habit
One can always break, and yet
I've grown accustomed to the trace
Of something in the air
Accustomed to her face
These lyrics from the song "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" by Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison are sung by Harrison's character, Professor Henry Higgins, in the musical "My Fair Lady." The song is a reflection of his realization that he has grown to love Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl whom he has transformed into a lady of high society through his speech lessons. He first tries to rationalize his feelings, thinking that he could go back to living independently without her, but he soon realizes that he has grown attached to her quirks and routines. The second verse, however, reveals his fears that Eliza will marry another man, Freddy Eynsford-Hill, and become poor and unhappy once again. He contemptuously dismisses the idea, thinking that Eliza would regret it and that she belongs to him. However, in the end, he admits that he has become accustomed to her presence and will always remember the traces of something in the air that she leaves behind.
The first verse of the song highlights how much Professor Higgins relies on Eliza, who has become an integral part of his daily routine. He has grown accustomed to the sound of her whistling and the sight of her facial expressions. He seems to be in denial about his feelings for her, trying to convince himself that he could easily return to his former lifestyle before Eliza entered his life. However, by the second verse, his defenses break down as he realizes that Eliza could marry someone else and leave him behind. He imagines her future with Freddy Eynsford-Hill, believing that she would fail to be happy in that setting.
The final verses of the song reveal Higgins' real emotions towards Eliza. He acknowledges that he is used to her presence and is grateful for her company. The lyrics reflect the internal battle he is facing over his feelings for Eliza. Although she has become familiar to him, he cannot reconcile his snobbish nature with the idea of allowing himself to truly care for a lowly flower girl.
Line by Line Meaning
Damn, damn, damn, damn
I am frustrated that I have become so attached to her.
I've grown accustomed to her face
I have gotten used to seeing her face and being around her.
She almost makes the day begin
She is a big part of my life now and I am used to her being around.
I've grown accustomed to the tune
I am used to hearing her whistle and it has become a comforting sound.
She whistles night and noon
She whistles all the time and I have become used to it.
Her smiles, her frowns
I have grown to understand her moods and expressions.
Her ups, her downs
I have become familiar with her highs and lows.
Are second nature to me now
I am so used to her personality that it is like second nature to me.
Like breathing out and breathing in
She has become such a constant in my life that being without her would be like not breathing.
I was serenely independent and content before we met
I used to be fine on my own and did not seek out relationships.
Surely, I could always be that way again
I know that I could be happy without her, but it would be a big adjustment.
And yet
Despite knowing this, I have become attached to her.
I've grown accustomed to her looks
I have gotten used to the way she looks and it is pleasing to me.
Accustomed to her voice
I am used to hearing her voice and it is comforting.
Accustomed to her face
I have gotten used to looking at her face and seeing her expressions.
"Marry Freddy"
This idea to me seems foolish and wrong.
What an infantile idea
This idea is immature and ridiculous to me.
What a heartless, wicked, brainless thing to do
I feel that this is a cruel and thoughtless decision.
But she'll regret it, she'll regret it
I predict that she will regret her decision.
It's doomed before they even take the vow
I believe that their relationship is destined to fail.
I can see her now, Mrs. Freddy Eynsford-Hill
I can envision her being married to Freddy Eynsford-Hill.
In a wretched little flat above a store
I can imagine them living in a terrible apartment above a shop.
I can see her now, not a penny in the till
I can envision their financial struggles.
And a bill collector beating at the door
I can see them struggling to pay their bills and dealing with debt collectors.
She'll try to teach the things I taught her
I imagine that she will try to use the lessons that I taught her.
And end up selling flowers instead
I predict that she will fail and end up selling flowers like she used to.
Begging for her bread and water
I can imagine her being destitute and having to ask for help to survive.
While her husband has his breakfast in bed, ha
I believe that Freddy will be selfish and uncaring.
In a year or so, when she's prematurely grey
I predict that she will age faster than normal due to her stress and struggles.
And the blossom in her cheek has turned to chalk
I imagine that the stress will take a toll on her, making her look ill and pale.
She'll come home, and lo, he'll have upped and run away
I predict that Freddy will abandon her at some point.
With a social-climbing heiress from New York, ha
I believe that Freddy will leave her for someone richer and more ambitious.
Poor Eliza, how simply frightful
I feel sorry for Eliza because of what I imagine will happen to her.
How humiliating, how delightful
It will be both painful and enjoyable to witness her downfall.
How poignant it'll be on that inevitable night
It will be a very emotional and touching moment when she comes back to me.
When she hammers on my door in tears and rags
I am sure that she will eventually come back to me poor and begging.
Miserable and lonely, repentant and contrite
She will be very sad, alone, and regretful when she comes back.
Will I take her in or hurl her to the wolves?
I am torn between helping her and punishing her for leaving me.
Give her kindness or the treatment she deserves?
I am unsure if I should be understanding or punishing.
Will I take her back or throw the baggage out?
I am unsure whether I should forgive her and take her back, or leave her to face the consequences of her choices.
I'm a most forgiving man
I see myself as someone who can forgive others easily.
The sort who never could, ever would
I am not the type of person who holds a grudge.
Take a position and staunchly never budge
I am flexible with my beliefs and opinions.
Just a most forgiving man
I see myself as someone who is quick to forgive and move on.
But, I will never take her back
Despite my forgiving nature, there are some things that I cannot forgive.
If she were crawling on her knees
Even if she begged on her hands and knees, I would not take her back.
Let her promise to atone
Even if she apologized and promised to make things right, I would not forgive her.
Let her shiver, let her moan
Even if she suffered and begged for my forgiveness, I would not give in.
I will slam the door and let the hellcat freeze
I would rather see her suffer than forgive her.
"Marry Freddy," ha
I still find the idea of her marrying Freddy ridiculous.
But I'm so used to hear her say
Despite everything, I still miss hearing her voice.
Good morning everyday
I miss starting my day with her and hearing her say good morning.
Her joys, her woes
I miss being a part of her life and sharing her happiness and sadness.
Her highs, her lows
I miss seeing her experience all the ups and downs of life.
Are second nature to me now
I am so used to being with her that everything about her is like second nature.
Like breathing out and breathing in
She is such an essential part of my life that being without her is like not breathing.
I'm very grateful she's a woman
Despite all my frustrations, I am grateful that she was a part of my life.
And so easy to forget
But I know that I will eventually move on and forget about her.
Rather like a habit
She has become a habit in my life that I will eventually break.
One can always break, and yet
As attached as I am to her, I know that I can eventually let her go.
I've grown accustomed to the trace
Despite everything, there is still something about her that I have become used to.
Of something in the air
I am still reminded of her, even when she is not there.
Accustomed to her face
Despite everything, I am used to seeing her face and being around her.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing, Integrity Music, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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She almost makes the day begin
I've grown accustomed to the tune
That she whistles night and noon
Her smiles, her frowns
Her ups, her downs
Are second nature to me now
Like breathing out and breathing in
I was serenely independent and content before we met
Surely I could always be that way again
And yet
I've grown accustomed to her look
Accustomed to her voice
Accustomed to her face
"Marry Freddy"
What an infantile idea. What a heartless, wicked, brainless thing to do
But she'll regret it, she'll regret it!
It's doomed before they even take the vow
I can see her now, Mrs. Freddy Eynsford-Hill
In a wretched little flat above a store
I can see her now, not a penny in the till
And a bill collector beating at the door
She'll try to teach the things I taught her
And end up selling flowers instead
Begging for her bread and water
While her husband has his breakfast in bed
In a year, or so, when she's prematurely grey
And the blossom in her cheek has turned to chalk
She'll come home, and lo, he'll have upped and run away
With a social-climbing heiress from New York
Poor Eliza. How simply frightful!
How humiliating! How delightful!
How poignant it'll be on that inevitable night
When she hammers on my door in tears and rags
Miserable and lonely, repentant and contrite
Will I take her in or hurl her to the walls?
Give her kindness or the treatment she deserves?
Will I take her back or throw the baggage out?
But I'm a most forgiving man
The sort who never could, ever would
Take a position and staunchly never budge
A most forgiving man
But, I shall never take her back
If she were crawling on her knees
Let her promise to atone
Let her shiver, let her moan
I'll slam the door and let the hell-cat freeze!
"Marry Freddy"-h a!
But I'm so used to hear her say
"Good morning" ev'ry day
Her joys, her woes
Her highs, her lows
Are second nature to me now
Like breathing out and breathing in
I'm very grateful she's a woman
And so easy to forget
Rather like a habit one can always break
And yet, I've grown accustomed to the trace
Of something in the air
Accustomed to her face
VeracityLH
One of my favourite declaration songs. He fights so hard against the idea that he cares... and yet... he can't deny it.
Michelle Lekas
Sprechsang
Lillie Palmer
That's right!
Ossie Pithecus
One of the greatest film song performances of all time and he doesn't even sing. Just brilliant.
Mr Rosebeing
Love this song. How you can declare to someone that you care for them without actually saying it.
Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute
Why not just say it? What are you afraid of?
12CLASSICS
It’s quite an incredible moment when, after so long, it FINALLY occurs to you what a person really means to you, and even when you want to deny it for whatever reason, the truth is so complete that denial is impossible.
Luna D
We just finished this film in my English class, and for one of our tests we had to pick a song and analyze it. I went with this one, mainly because it's so beautiful and shows how much he cares for Eliza.
westhawk959
Incredible performance by Rex Harrison, as he battles with his love for and loss of Eliza Doolittle. Love is not a habit that can be broken. Please note that George Bernard Shaw, who wrote Pygmalion, was adamant that Eliza never return. Eliza sought education and independence. Higgins gave her the education, she had to stand her ground and leave for the independence.
Sarah Berkner
Thanks for sharing, I think it's weird that she came back at the end.