Get Me To The Church
Original Broadway Cast Lyrics

The song "Get Me To The Church On Time" is a lively and humorous tune from the musical My Fair Lady. It is sung by the character Alfie Doolittle before his wedding to Eliza's Cockney father, and it expresses his excitement and anticipation for the day. The song is composed in a 4/4 measure and is dominated by a simple melody in a major key. It features playful and witty lyrics filled with slangs and promises of merrymaking.

The lyrics reveal that the singer has been partying in London, drinking and chasing girls, and not worrying about the impending marriage until now. He is getting married in the morning, and the bells will ring in honor of the occasion. However, he is not ready yet, and he is asking the people around him to help him get to the church on time. He implores his friends to let him enjoy the last night of his bachelorhood and cause a rumpus, but they must still make sure he gets to the church full of life and vigor.

One of the most interesting facts about the song is that it was not originally intended for the musical My Fair Lady but another Lerner and Loewe musical, The Life of Money. However, the play was never produced, and the song was repurposed for My Fair Lady. The song has also been covered by various artists, including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Tony Bennett. Besides, the song's lyrics are an example of the Cockney rhyming slang, a language used by the working-class people in London. The rhyming slang involves replacing the original word with another that rhymes with its final syllable. For example, "getting sued" can be replaced with "getting kangarooed."

Other fascinating facts about the song include it taking three days to record and the studio using nine musicians to play. The song was one of the most memorable and well-received numbers in the musical's original production and won an Academy Award for Best Song on the film adaptation. Moreover, the song has a complex musical arrangement that involves different levels of voice and instrument, creating a rich and dynamic sound. The chords of the song are typically played in C major, one of the most common musical keys, and the song's melody follows a simple AABA format.

Chords:
[C] There's just a few more hours
[F] That's all the time you've got
[C] A few more hours
[F] Before they tie the knot

[C] There's drinks and girls all over London
[F] And I've gotta track 'em down in just a few more hours

[G] I'm getting married in the morning
[C] Ding dong! The bells are gonna chime
[G] Pull out the stopper
[C] Let's have a whopper
[F] But get me to the church on time