Anything Goes
Tony Bennett & The Count BAsie Big Band 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 lyrics of Tony Bennett & The Count BAsie Big Band's Anything Goes celebrate the increasingly liberal and permissive attitudes of society. Starting with a reference to the original Puritans who landed on Plymouth Rock, the lyrics state that if these Puritans were to be shocked by today's world, it would be the other way around; modern-day attitudes would shock them to the core. A "glimpse of stocking" used to be considered scandalous, but now "anything goes", and even good authors are resorting to "four-letter words" in their writing. The lyrics then point to a range of culturally frowned-upon activities, from driving fast cars to enjoying Mae West, and suggests that nobody would oppose them today. The song suggests that the world (as of the time it was written) has become a more permissive place and all sorts of previously taboo behavior is now widely accepted.
The second verse speaks to the absurdity of the times. Mrs. Ned McLean (an American socialite), can convince Russian communists to agree with her, and even Rockefeller can't hoard enough money to keep up with the extravagant lifestyle of theatre producer Max Gordon. The world has gone completely mad, with good being bad, black being white, and day being night. Meanwhile, those who can only afford to ride in jitneys (a type of small bus) suddenly discover that even the wealthiest families like the Vanderbilts and Whitneys can't afford baby clothes. In the final verse, Lady Mendl (another American socialite) turns a handspring, and the song suggests that anything goes.
Line by Line Meaning
Times have changed
The world is not the same as before
And we've often rewound the clock
We have gone back in time many times
Since the Puritans got a shock
Since the Puritans were shocked by new experiences
When they landed on Plymouth Rock.
When they arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts
If today
If in the modern day
Any shock they should try to stem
Any shock they should try to prevent
'Stead of landing on Plymouth Rock,
Instead of experiencing the same shock they did
Plymouth Rock would land on them.
They would be the ones experiencing the shock
In olden days, a glimpse of stocking
In the past, seeing even a bit of a woman's leg was scandalous
Was looked on as something shocking.
It was considered indecent and unacceptable behavior
But now, God knows,
But nowadays
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable
Good authors too who once knew better words
Even skilled writers who used sophisticated vocabulary
Now only use four-letter words
Nowadays only use crude, vulgar expressions
Writing prose.
Writing literature
If driving fast cars you like,
If you enjoy driving fast cars
If low bars you like,
If you like going to cheap bars
If old hymns you like,
If you like traditional church songs
If bare limbs you like,
If you like looking at naked or exposing one's arms or legs
If Mae West you like,
If you like the actress Mae West
Or me undressed you like,
or if you like seeing Tony Bennett undressed
Why, nobody will oppose.
No one will object to that
When ev'ry night the set that's smart is in-
When every night the fashionable group goes
Truding in nudist parties in
Intruding to nudist parties
Studios.
Artist's workroom
When Missus Ned McLean (God bless her)
When Mrs. Ned McLean, bless her soul:
Can get Russian reds to "yes" her,
Can convince Russians to agree with her
Then I suppose
Then I assume
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable
When Rockefeller still can hoard en-
When Rockefeller still has the capability of keeping
Ough money to let Max Gordon
Enough money to allow Max Gordon
Produce his shows,
To produce his performances
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable
The world has gone mad today
The world has become crazy nowadays
And good's bad today,
Good things are considered bad nowadays
And black's white today,
Opposite things seem to be true today
And day's night today,
What used to be day is now night
And that gent today
And that gentleman today
You gave a cent today
To whom you gave a penny today
Once had several chateaux.
Once owned several castles
When folks who still can ride in jitneys
When people who still ride in small buses
Find out Vanderbilts and Whitneys
Discover that Vanderbilts and Whitneys
Lack baby clo'es,
Don't have enough baby clothes
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable
If Sam Goldwyn can with great conviction
If Sam Goldwyn can strongly
Instruct Anna Sten in diction,
Teach Anna Sten pronunciation
Then Anna shows
Then Anna demonstrates
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable
When you hear that Lady Mendl standing up
When you hear that Lady Mendl gets up
Now turns a handspring landing up-
Now does a somersault and gets up
On her toes,
On her tip-toes
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable
Just think of those shocks you've got
Just remember 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 felt
From that news you've got
From hearing the news
And those pains you've got
And the pains you've felt
(If any brains you've got)
(If you've got any brains)
From those little radios.
From those small radios
So Missus R., with all her trimmin's,
So Mrs. R., with all her adornments
Can broadcast a bed from Simmons
Can advertise a bed from Simmons
'Cause Franklin knows
Because Franklin Roosevelt knows
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind