Guys & Dolls
The Rat Pack Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

What's playin' at The Roxy?
I'll tell ya what's playin' at The Roxy.
A picture about a Minnesota man
So in love with a Mississippi girl
That he sacrifices everything
And moves all the way to Biloxi.
That's what's playin' at The Roxy.
What's in The Daily News?
I'll tell ya what's in The Daily News.
A story about a guy
Who bought his wife a small ruby
With what otherwise woulda been his union dues.
That's what's in the Daily News.

What's happenin' all over?
I'll tell ya what's happenin' all over.
Guy sittin' home by a television set
Who once used to be something of a rover.
That's what's happenin' all over.

Love is the thing that has licked 'em.
And it looks like Nathan's another victim.

When you see a guy
Reach for stars in the sky
You can bet that he's doin' it for some doll

When you spot a John
Waitin' out in the rain
Chances are he's insane
As only a John
Can be for a Jane

When you meet a gent
Payin' all kinds of rent
For a flat that could flatten the Taj Mahal

Call it sad
Call it funny
But it's better than even money
That the guy's only doin' it for some doll

When you see a Joe
Savin' half of his dough
You can bet there'll be mink in it for some doll

When a bum buys wine
Like a bum can't afford
It's a cinch that the bum
Is under the thumb
Of some little broad

When you meet a mug
Lately out of the jug
And he's still liftin' platinum falderal

Call it Hell
Call it Heaven
It's a probable twelve to seven
That the guy's only doin' it for some doll

When you see a sport
And his cash has run short
You can bet that he's bankin' it with some doll

When a guy wears tails
With the front gleaming white
Who do you think
He's tickling pink
On Saturday night?

When a lazy slob
Gets a good steady job
And he smells of Vitalis and Barbasol

Call it dumb
Call it clever
But you can get odds forever
That the guy's only doin' it for some doll

Some doll




Some doll
The guy's only doin' it for some doll!

Overall Meaning

The Rat Pack's song "Guys and Dolls" tells the story of men who are willing to do anything for their women, no matter how unusual or misguided their actions may seem to others. The song begins with a discussion of a movie playing at The Roxy, which is about a man from Minnesota who moves to Biloxi to be with his love from Mississippi. The lyrics suggest that this is a particularly romantic gesture, as the man has given up everything he knows to be with the woman he loves.


The song then moves on to discuss other examples of men doing things for their dolls, including a man who buys his wife a small ruby with money that was supposed to be used for his union dues. The lyrics suggest that this is a foolish, but also sweet gesture. The song goes on to discuss other curious examples of men doing strange things for their women, including renting expensive apartments and buying expensive gifts for them.


The song seems to suggest that love can make men do strange and even silly things, but that this is just part of being in love. Despite the potential difficulties that can arise when trying to impress a woman, the song suggests that it's all worth it in the end.


Line by Line Meaning

What's playin' at The Roxy?
Asking about the current movie playing at The Roxy theatre


I'll tell ya what's playin' at The Roxy. A picture about a Minnesota man So in love with a Mississippi girl That he sacrifices everything And moves all the way to Biloxi. That's what's playin' at The Roxy.
Answering the previous question by describing the plot of the movie playing at The Roxy


What's in The Daily News?
Asking what's in the current issue of The Daily News


I'll tell ya what's in The Daily News. A story about a guy Who bought his wife a small ruby With what otherwise woulda been his union dues. That's what's in the Daily News.
Answering the previous question by recounting the story of a man buying his wife a gift with money that would have gone to his union dues, as reported in The Daily News


What's happenin' all over?
Asking what's happening in the world


Guy sittin' home by a television set Who once used to be something of a rover. That's what's happenin' all over.
Answering the previous question by describing a common occurrence in which someone who used to be adventurous is now content to stay home and watch TV


Love is the thing that has licked 'em. And it looks like Nathan's another victim.
Observing that love seems to have affected many people, including Nathan


When you see a guy Reach for stars in the sky You can bet that he's doin' it for some doll
Noticing that when a man is ambitious, it's usually because he wants to impress or win over a woman


When you spot a John Waitin' out in the rain Chances are he's insane As only a John Can be for a Jane
Commenting on the strange behavior of a man waiting in the rain for a woman, suggesting that he might be crazy with love


When you meet a gent Payin' all kinds of rent For a flat that could flatten the Taj Mahal
Noticing a man who's spending a lot of money on rent for an impressive apartment, suggesting that he's trying to impress someone


Call it sad Call it funny But it's better than even money That the guy's only doin' it for some doll
Acknowledging that the man's behavior might seem foolish or misguided, but it's more likely that he's doing it to impress a woman


When you see a Joe Savin' half of his dough You can bet there'll be mink in it for some doll
Noticing a man who's saving a lot of money, and suggesting that it's probably because he wants to buy a luxurious gift for a woman


When a bum buys wine Like a bum can't afford It's a cinch that the bum Is under the thumb Of some little broad
Remarkably that even a homeless person will splurge on expensive wine to impress a woman he's interested in


When you meet a mug Lately out of the jug And he's still liftin' platinum falderal
Noticing a man who has recently been released from prison but is still spending money on expensive jewelry, implying that he's trying to impress someone


Call it Hell Call it Heaven It's a probable twelve to seven That the guy's only doin' it for some doll
Acknowledging that the man's behavior might be seen as either good or bad, but ultimately it's likely that he's doing it to impress a woman


When you see a sport And his cash has run short You can bet that he's bankin' it with some doll
Noticing a man who's recently run out of money, but implying that he's probably still spending it on the woman he's trying to impress


When a guy wears tails With the front gleaming white Who do you think He's tickling pink On Saturday night?
Noticing a man dressed in expensive formalwear, and speculating who he might be trying to impress on a Saturday night


When a lazy slob Gets a good steady job And he smells of Vitalis and Barbasol
Observing a man who was previously unmotivated but has now found a stable job, and also noting that he's likely paying more attention to his grooming and appearance to impress someone


Call it dumb Call it clever But you can get odds forever That the guy's only doin' it for some doll
Reiterating that the man's behavior might seem foolish or smart, but it's almost guaranteed that he's doing it to impress a woman


Some doll Some doll The guy's only doin' it for some doll!
Summing up the song's central theme, that men will go to great lengths to impress women




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

PinkFloyd Meddle

The Rat Pack and The Beatles are my favorite groups in music!

Dyslexic Batnam

God I love Dean in this

Michael Ficalora

When singing was singing and music was real!

Louis Matta Jr

It's the kinda of shit that they don't perform any longer, unfortunately.

Shari Pope

Someone tell me RACISM!
Taleent!!!!!!!!!!

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