Puerling's Singers Unlimited arrangements earned him the reputation as one of the best vocal writers in the world. Members of the renowned jazz-gospel vocal group Take 6 often gives credit to Puerling and the Singers Unlimted as innovators in the a cappella world, claiming that they "went to school" on Puerling's arrangements.
Anything Goes
The Singers Unlimited Lyrics
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And we've ofter rewound the clock
Since the puritans got a shock
When they landed on Plymouth rock
If today any shock they might try to stem
'Stead of landing of Plymouth rock
Plymouth rock would land on them
Was looked on as something shocking
But now God knows
Anything goes
Good authors to
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 every night
The set thats smart
Is intruding on nudist parties
In studios
Anything goes
When Mrs. Ned McClean God bless her
Can get Russian reds to yes her
Than I suppose
Anything goes
When Rockafeller still can hoard
Enough 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 days night today
And that gent today
You gave a cent today
Once owned several chateaux
When folks
Who still can ride in Jitney's
Find out Vanderbilts and Whitney's
Lack baby clo'es
Anything goes
When Sam Goldwyn
Can with great conviction
Instruct Anna Sten in diction
Than 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 those news you've got
And those pains you've got
(if any brains you've got)
From those little radios
So Mrs. R.
With all her trimmin's
Can broadcast a bed from Simmon's
Cause Franklin knows
Anything goes
The Singers Unlimited's song "Anything Goes" is about how the world has changed over time in terms of what is considered acceptable or taboo. The lyrics imply that society has become more liberal and permissive, moving away from traditional values, and anything can now be considered acceptable. The song starts by referring to the landing of the Puritans on Plymouth rock, implying how times have changed since then. In the past, glimpses of stockings were considered scandalous, whereas now "anything goes."
The lyrics then refer to how authors, who once used more sophisticated language, are now using four-letter words. The song suggests that people are now more accepting of different lifestyles, regardless of whether it involves driving fast cars, enjoying low bars, or even nudist parties. The lyrics also mention how even the wealthy elite can sometimes be surprised by societal changes, from lacking baby clothes to broadcasting their bed preferences.
Ultimately, the song suggests that society is continually evolving, and there is no limit to what is considered acceptable. The lyrics are intentionally exaggerated to make a point about how liberal and permissive society has become.
Line by Line Meaning
Times have changed
The world is always changing
And we've ofter rewound the clock
We sometimes look back at the past
Since the puritans got a shock
Since the Puritans were surprised
When they landed on Plymouth rock
When they first arrived in America
If today any shock they might try to stem
If anyone tries to stop a shock from happening today
'Stead of landing of Plymouth rock
Instead of being surprised as they were at Plymouth Rock
Plymouth rock would land on them
They would be the ones to be surprised
In olden days a glimpse of stocking
In the past, even seeing a bit of leg was scandalous
Was looked on as something shocking
People were very scandalized by it
But now God knows
But now anything goes
Anything goes
Anything is possible
Good authors to
Even respected authors
Who once knew better words
Who used to use more sophisticated language
Now only use four letter words
Now use simple, short words
Writing prose
When writing
Anything goes
Anything is possible
If driving fast cars you like
If you like driving fast cars
If low bars you like
If you like cheap bars
If old hymns you like
If you like old religious songs
If bare limbs you like
If you like seeing naked bodies
If Mae West you like
If you like the actress Mae West
Or me undressed you like
If you like seeing me naked
Why nobody will oppose
Nobody will disagree with your choices
When every night
When every single night
The set thats smart
Fashionable people
Is intruding on nudist parties
Attend nude parties
In studios
In movie studios
Anything goes
Anything is possible
When Mrs. Ned McClean God bless her
When Mrs. Ned McClean
Can get Russian reds to yes her
Can get the Soviet Union to agree with her
Than I suppose
Then I guess
Anything goes
Anything is possible
When Rockafeller still can hoard
When the wealthy Rockafeller family still gathers wealth
Enough money to let Max Gordon
Enough money to allow Max Gordon
Produce his shows
To produce his Broadway shows
Anything goes
Anything is possible
The world has gone mad today
The world is crazy today
And good's bad today
What is good is now bad
And black's white today
What is black is now white
And days night today
What is day is now night
And that gent today
That person today
You gave a cent today
To whom you gave money today
Once owned several chateaux
At one point owned many castles
When folks
When people
Who still can ride in Jitney's
Who can still ride in motor vehicles
Find out Vanderbilts and Whitney's
Discover that the wealthy Vanderbilts and Whitneys
Lack baby clo'es
Don't have baby clothes
Anything goes
Anything is possible
When Sam Goldwyn
When the movie producer Sam Goldwyn
Can with great conviction
Can convincingly
Instruct Anna Sten in diction
Teach the actress Anna Sten how to speak
Than Anna shows
Then Anna demonstrates
Anything goes
Anything is possible
When you hear that
When you learn that
Lady Mendl standing up
Lady Mendl, a fashionable woman
Now turns a handspring landing up
Now performs a gymnastic tumble
On her toes
Balancing on the tips of her toes
Anything goes
Anything is possible
Just think of those shocks you've got
Think about the surprises you've experienced
And those knocks you've got
And the setbacks you've experienced
And those blues you've got
And the sadness you've experienced
From those news you've got
From the news you've heard
And those pains you've got
And the pains you've experienced
(if any brains you've got)
(if you're smart)
From those little radios
From listening to the radio
So Mrs. R.
So a wealthy woman named Mrs. R.
With all her trimmin's
With all her fancy accessories
Can broadcast a bed from Simmon's
Can advertise a bed made by Simmon's
Cause Franklin knows
Because Franklin Roosevelt knows
Anything goes
Anything is possible
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind