Anything Goes
The Romantic Strings and Orchestra Lyrics
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And we've often rewound the clock
Since the Puritans got a shock
When they landed on Plymouth Rock.
If today
Any shock they should try to stem
'Stead of landing on Plymouth Rock,
Plymouth Rock would land on them.
In olden days, a glimpse of stocking
Was looked on as something shocking.
But now, God knows,
Anything goes.
Good authors too who once knew better words
Now only use four-letter words
Writing prose.
Anything goes.
If driving fast cars you like,
If low bars you like,
If old hymns you like,
If bare limbs you like,
If Mae West you like,
Or me undressed you like,
Why, nobody will oppose.
When ev'ry night the set that's smart is in-
Truding in nudist parties in
Studios.
Anything goes.
When Missus Ned McLean (God bless her)
Can get Russian reds to "yes" her,
Then I suppose
Anything goes.
When Rockefeller still can hoard en-
Ough money to let Max Gordon
Produce his shows,
Anything goes.
The world has gone mad today
And good's bad today,
And black's white today,
And day's night today,
And that gent today
You gave a cent today
Once had several chateaux.
When folks who still can ride in jitneys
Find out Vanderbilts and Whitneys
Lack baby clo'es,
Anything goes.
If Sam Goldwyn can with great conviction
Instruct Anna Sten in diction,
Then Anna shows
Anything goes.
When you hear that Lady Mendl standing up
Now turns a handspring landing up-
On her toes,
Anything goes.
Just think of those shocks you've got
And those knocks you've got
And those blues you've got
From that news you've got
And those pains you've got
(If any brains you've got)
From those little radios.
So Missus R., with all her trimmin's,
Can broadcast a bed from Simmons
'Cause Franklin knows
Anything goes.
The Romantic Strings and Orchestra's song "Anything Goes" is a playful and satirical tune that comments on how society has changed over time. The first verse begins by acknowledging that times have changed and looks back to the Puritans' arrival in America. The verse concludes with a twist, suggesting that if the Puritans were to arrive now, they would be the ones shocked. The second verse touches on how in the past, even a glimpse of a stocking was considered scandalous, but now anything goes. The following lines take a humorous approach by underlining how even "good authors" use four-letter words in their writing, indicating that standards have lowered considerably.
The final verse of the song highlights that anything is now possible, even the most outrageous things. The lyrics point to wealthy figures, including Missus Ned McLean and Rockefeller, who are able to do whatever they please without criticism. The song also highlights the ridiculous, mentioning Sam Goldwyn instructing Anna Sten in diction and Lady Mendl turning a handspring on her toes. The final lines of the song sum up the idea that society has gone mad, and anything is now acceptable.
Line by Line Meaning
Times have changed
The world is different now from how it used to be
And we've often rewound the clock
We frequently return to previous ways of living
Since the Puritans got a shock
The Puritans were surprised when they came to America
When they landed on Plymouth Rock.
Their first step in America was a memorable moment in history
If today
If nowadays
Any shock they should try to stem
They should try to stop any surprise
'Stead of landing on Plymouth Rock,
Rather than being surprised by America
Plymouth Rock would land on them.
They would be surprised by America instead
In olden days, a glimpse of stocking
In the past, seeing a woman's legs was considered taboo
Was looked on as something shocking.
People considered it scandalous
But now, God knows,
Today, who knows,
Anything goes.
Anything is considered acceptable now
Good authors too who once knew better words
Even respected writers who used to use complex language
Now only use four-letter words
Now use simpler language
Writing prose.
In their works
Anything goes.
Anything is considered acceptable now
If driving fast cars you like,
If you enjoy driving quickly
If low bars you like,
If you like to drink in dive bars
If old hymns you like,
If you prefer traditional hymns
If bare limbs you like,
If you enjoy seeing people exposed
If Mae West you like,
If you're a fan of Mae West
Or me undressed you like,
If you enjoy seeing me or someone else naked
Why, nobody will oppose.
No one will object to your preferences
When ev'ry night the set that's smart is in-
When the fashionable crowd attends
Truding in nudist parties in
Invading nudist gatherings
Studios.
Film production companies
Anything goes.
Anything is considered acceptable now
When Missus Ned McLean (God bless her)
When Mrs. Ned McLean (bless her soul)
Can get Russian reds to "yes" her,
Can persuade the Russian Reds to agree with her
Then I suppose
I imagine that
Anything goes.
Anything is considered acceptable now
When Rockefeller still can hoard en-
When Rockefeller can still hold onto
Ough money to let Max Gordon
So much money that he can allow Max Gordon
Produce his shows,
To produce his shows
Anything goes.
Anything is considered acceptable now
The world has gone mad today
The world has gone crazy today
And good's bad today,
Good is bad now
And black's white today,
Black is white now
And day's night today,
Day is night now
And that gent today
And that gentleman today
You gave a cent today
You gave money to him today
Once had several chateaux.
Once had multiple castles
When folks who still can ride in jitneys
When people who still travel in jitneys
Find out Vanderbilts and Whitneys
Discover that Vanderbilts and Whitneys
Lack baby clo'es,
Don't have enough baby clothes
Anything goes.
Anything is considered acceptable now
If Sam Goldwyn can with great conviction
If Sam Goldwyn can convincingly
Instruct Anna Sten in diction,
Teach Anna Sten how to speak
Then Anna shows
Then Anna demonstrates
Anything goes.
Anything is considered acceptable now
When you hear that Lady Mendl standing up
When you hear that Lady Mendl standing upright
Now turns a handspring landing up-
Now does a handspring and lands on her feet
On her toes,
Against just her toes
Anything goes.
Anything is considered acceptable now
Just think of those shocks you've got
Think of the shocks you've received
And those knocks you've got
And the blows you've received
And those blues you've got
And the depression you've experienced
From that news you've got
From that announcement you've heard
And those pains you've got
And the pain you've felt
(If any brains you've got)
(If you have any brains)
From those little radios.
From that small radio receiver
So Missus R., with all her trimmin's,
So Mrs. R., with all her accessories,
Can broadcast a bed from Simmons
Can advertise a bed made by Simmons
'Cause Franklin knows
Because Franklin D. Roosevelt knows
Anything goes.
Anything is considered acceptable now
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind