With A Little Bit Of Luck
Original Broadway Cast Lyrics


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The Lord above gave man an arm of iron
So he could do his job and never shirk
The Lord above gave man an arm of iron
But, with a little bit of luck, with a little bit of luck
Someone else will do the blinkin' work
(With a little bit, with a little bit)
(With a little bit of luck you'll never work)
The Lord above made liquor for temptation
To see if man could turn away from sin
The Lord above made liquor for temptation
But, with a little bit of luck, with a little bit of luck
When temptation comes you'll give right in
(With a little bit, with a little bit)
(With a little bit of luck you'll give right in)

Oh you can walk the straight and narrow
But with a little bit of luck you'll run amok

The gentle sex was made for man t'marry
To share his nest and see his food is cooked
The gentle sex was made for man t'marry
But, with a little bit of luck, with a little bit of luck
You can have it all and not get hooked
(With a little bit, with a little bit)
(With a little bit of luck you won't get hooked)
(With a little bit, with a little bit)
(With a little bit of bloomin' luck)

The Lord above made man to help his neighbor
No matter where on land or sea or foam
The Lord above made man to help his neighbor
But, with a little bit of luck, with a little bit of luck
WHEN HE COMES AROUND YOU WON'T BE HOME!!
(With a little bit, with a little bit)
(With a little bit of luck you won't be home)

They're always throwing goodness at you
But, with a little bit of luck a man can duck

Oh it's a crime for man to go philanderin'
And fill his wife's poor heart with grief and doubt
Oh it's a crime for man to go philanderin'
But, with a little bit of luck, with a little bit of luck
You can see the bloodhound don't find out
(With a little bit, with a little bit)
(With a little bit of luck she won't find out)
(With a little bit, with a little bit)
(With a little bit of bloomin' luck)

brief instrumental interlude

A man was made to help support his children
Which is the right and proper thing to do
A man was made to help support his children
But, with a little bit of luck, with a little bit of luck
They'll go out and start supporting you
(With a little bit, with a little bit)
(With a little bit of luck they'll work for you)

(He doesn't have a tuppence in his pocket)
(The poorest bloke you'll ever hope to meet)
(He doesn't have a tuppence in his pocket)
(But, with a little bit of luck, with a little bit of luck)
(He'll be movin' up to Easy Street)
(With a little bit, with a little bit)
(With a little bit of luck I'm movin' up)




(With a little bit, with a little bit)
(With a little bit of bloomin' luck)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "With a Little Bit of Luck" highlight the concept of luck and its impact on various aspects of life. The song suggests that while humans have been given tools by the Lord above to do their jobs, a little bit of luck can help someone else do the work. The song talks about the Lord above creating liquor for temptation, and how with a little bit of luck, one can succumb to the temptation easily. It also touches on the idea of philandering and infidelity, suggesting that it is a crime for a man to cheat on his wife and cause her grief and doubt. However, with a little bit of luck, he can avoid getting caught, and the bloodhound won't find out.


The song also highlights the role of the gentle sex, suggesting that they were made for men to marry and share their nest, and that with a little bit of luck, one can have it all without getting hooked. The lyrics suggest that man was made to help his neighbor, but with a little bit of luck, when someone comes around, you won't be home. It also touches on the idea that a man was made to support his children, but with luck, they'll go out and start supporting him instead.


Overall, the song suggests that luck plays a significant role in various aspects of life, including temptation, marriage, infidelity, and even parenting.


Line by Line Meaning

The Lord above gave man an arm of iron
God gave us strength and capability in order to get work done


So he could do his job and never shirk
So we can do our job well without flinching or procrastinating


Someone else will do the blinkin' work
Sometimes, just with a bit of fortune, somebody else will take care of the work so we don't have to


The Lord above made liquor for temptation
God created alcohol to test our willpower


To see if man could turn away from sin
So that people could resist sin and similarly, resist the temptation of liquor as well


When temptation comes you'll give right in
With a bit of luck, the temptation of drinking liquor will be too strong and so you will give in to it easily


Oh you can walk the straight and narrow
You can follow the rules and behave decently


But with a little bit of luck you'll run amok
But with just a little bit of good fortune, you might lose your discipline and do something out of character


The gentle sex was made for man t'marry
Women were created for men to enjoy their company and be wed


To share his nest and see his food is cooked
To take care of the home and cook for him


You can have it all and not get hooked
You can have access to all the women and not get attached to any of them


The Lord above made man to help his neighbor
God created people to help others in need


No matter where on land or sea or foam
Regardless of where they are, we should always aid those who need it


WHEN HE COMES AROUND YOU WON'T BE HOME!!
But with a bit of luck, when someone comes around to ask for assistance, we can avoid them by not being home


But, with a little bit of luck a man can duck
With good fortune, we can avoid helpful people when we don't want to help


Oh it's a crime for man to go philanderin'
It is considered morally wrong for a man to cheat on his partner


And fill his wife's poor heart with grief and doubt
It can be highly hurtful and damaging for a man to cause his wife to suffer through cheating


You can see the bloodhound don't find out
With a bit of luck, we can make sure that our infidelity is not discovered


A man was made to help support his children
Men were created to provide for their offspring


Which is the right and proper thing to do
It is a morally sound decision and the right thing to support one's children


But, with a little bit of luck they'll go out and start supporting you
But with some good fate, your children might start earning a living and support you instead


The poorest bloke you'll ever hope to meet
The most destitute person you could possibly come across


He'll be movin' up to Easy Street
But with the right circumstances, even a poor person could become prosperous and live an easier life


With a little bit of luck I'm movin' up
With some luck on our side, we can move up in life and achieve success


With a little bit of bloomin' luck
With some good fortune on our side




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAN JAY LERNER, FREDERICK LOEWE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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