Lulu's Back In Town
Mills Brother Lyrics


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Where's that careless chambermaid?
Where'd she put my razor blade?
She mislaid it, I'm afraid,
It's gotta be foun'!
Ask her when she cleaned my room
What she did with my perfume;
I just can't lose it,
I've gotta use it,
'Cause Lulu's back in town.

Gotta get my old tuxedo pressed,
Gotta sew a button on my vest,
'Cause tonight I've gotta look my best,
Lulu's back in town.
Gotta get a half a buck somewhere,
Gotta shine my shoes and slick my hair,
Gotta get myself a boutonniere,
Lulu's back in town.
You can tell all my pets,
All my Harlem coquettes;
Mister Otis regrets
That he won't be aroun'.
You can tell the mailman not to call,
I ain't comin' home until the fall,
And I might not get back home at all,
Lulu's back in town.

You can bet I've got it bad,
Best complaint I've ever had;
We'll be stepping out tonight,
An' struttin', an' how.
We're in for the swellest time,
Finish up without a dime;
Look here, you fellers,
I'll make you jealous,
My Lulu, she's a wow.

Gotta get my old tuxedo pressed,
Gotta sew a button on my vest,
'Cause tonight I've gotta look my best,
Lulu's back in town.
Gotta get a half a buck somewhere,
Gotta shine my shoes and slick my hair,
Gotta get myself a boutonniere,
Lulu's back in town.
You can tell all my pets,
All my blondes and brunettes;
Mister Otis regrets
That he won't be aroun'.
You can tell the mailman not to call,
I ain't comin' home until the fall,




And I might not get back home at all,
Lulu's back in town.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Mills Brother's song Lulu's Back in Town describe a man who is frantically getting ready for the return of his beloved Lulu, who has been away for some time. In the first stanza, the man is looking for his razor blade and perfume, which he had left in his hotel room. He is worried that they might have been misplaced, as he needs them to look his best for the long-awaited reunion with Lulu. The second stanza sheds light on the man's desire to impress Lulu. He wants to wear his old tuxedo, sew a button on his vest, shine his shoes, and slick his hair to ensure he looks his best. While he is at it, he needs to get himself a boutonniere, a flower he would wear on his lapel for the special occasion.


In the chorus, the man tells his friends, pets, and even the mailman that he won't be home till fall and that he might not come back at all because Lulu's back in town. He is so excited to see her that nothing else seems to matter, and he's ready to drop everything and spend every moment with her. The final stanza describes how the man is in love with Lulu and how he's looking forward to spending time with her. Despite not having any money, they'll have the best time ever because Lulu is a "wow."


Line by Line Meaning

Where's that careless chambermaid?
I can't find my razor blade and suspect the chambermaid misplaced it


Where'd she put my razor blade?
I need my razor blade, but I can't find it anywhere


She mislaid it, I'm afraid,
I'm worried that the chambermaid lost my razor blade


It's gotta be foun'!
I'm determined to find my razor blade no matter what


Ask her when she cleaned my room
When the chambermaid comes back, I will ask where she put my perfume


What she did with my perfume;
I also can't find my perfume and need to know where it is


I just can't lose it, I've gotta use it,
I need my perfume to impress Lulu who is back in town


'Cause Lulu's back in town.
Lulu is back and I need to look and smell my best to impress her


Gotta get my old tuxedo pressed,
I need to get my old tuxedo cleaned and pressed


Gotta sew a button on my vest,
I need to fix the button on my vest


'Cause tonight I've gotta look my best,
I want to look my best tonight when I'm out with Lulu


Gotta get a half a buck somewhere,
I need to find some money to spend on Lulu tonight


Gotta shine my shoes and slick my hair,
I need to clean and shine my shoes and style my hair


Gotta get myself a boutonniere,
I want to buy a flower for my lapel to impress Lulu


You can tell all my pets,
Tell all my friends in the neighborhood


All my Harlem coquettes;
All the women I hang out with in Harlem


Mister Otis regrets
I regret


That he won't be aroun'.
That I won't be around because I'll be out with Lulu


You can tell the mailman not to call,
Let the mailman know that I won't be home to receive any mail


I ain't comin' home until the fall,
I will be out with Lulu and won't be coming home until later in the year


And I might not get back home at all,
I may not come back home at all if things go well with Lulu


You can bet I've got it bad,
I'm head over heels for Lulu


Best complaint I've ever had;
I'm happy to be feeling the way I do and excited to spend time with Lulu


We'll be stepping out tonight,
Lulu and I will be going out tonight


An' struttin', an' how.
We will be walking confidently and showing off


We're in for the swellest time,
We are going to have a great time


Finish up without a dime;
Even if we run out of money, we will still enjoy ourselves


Look here, you fellers,
Hey, my friends,


I'll make you jealous,
I will do something to make you envious


My Lulu, she's a wow.
Lulu is amazing and I'm lucky to be spending time with her


You can tell all my pets,
Tell all my friends in the neighborhood


All my blondes and brunettes;
All the women I hang out with in the neighborhood


Mister Otis regrets
I regret


That he won't be aroun'.
That I won't be around because I'll be out with Lulu


You can tell the mailman not to call,
Let the mailman know that I won't be home to receive any mail


I ain't comin' home until the fall,
I will be out with Lulu and won't be coming home until later in the year


And I might not get back home at all,
I may not come back home at all if things go well with Lulu




Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AL DUBIN, HARRY WARREN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Muertes2023

Love this song and the Mills Brothers. Thanks for posting.

Cynthia Pickett

Far better than the movie version; proved that the boys could swing as well as anybody. Too Bad there are no Sesame Street monster Muppets singing along.

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