Henderson and Brown–Geo. White Scandals 1931, Life’s Bowl Cher

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In A Walkthrough Shows, Songs and More, Blues, Jazz
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Ray Henderson and Lew Brown teamed up to write the music for the George White’s Scandals of 1931. Two excellent songs came out of that show, along with a classic vaudeville skit, called “Pay the Two Dollars.”

One of the two songs is well-known: “Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries.” It was introduced by Ethel Merman who had kicked up quite a storm on Broadway in the previous year, when she sang “I Got Rhythm” in the Gershwin’s Girl Crazy.

Here are some of the lyrics:

People are queer, they’re always crowing, scrambling and rushing about;
Why don’t they stop someday, address themselves this way?
Why are we here? Where are we going? It’s time that we found out.
We’re not here to stay; we’re on a short holiday.

Life is just a bowl of cherries.
Don’t take it serious; it’s too mysterious.
You work, you save, you worry so,
But you can’t take your dough when you go, go, go.

So keep repeating it’s the berries,
The strongest oak must fall,
The sweet things in life, to you were just loaned
So how can you lose what you’ve never owned?
Life is just a bowl of cherries,
So live and laugh at it all.

Life is just a bowl of cherries.
Don’t take it serious; it’s too mysterious.
At eight each morning I have got a date,
To take my plunge ’round the Empire State.
You’ll admit it’s not the berries,
In a building that’s so tall;
There’s a guy in the show, the girls love to kiss;
Get thousands a week just for crooning like this:
Life is just a bowl of . . . aw, nuts!
So live and laugh at it all!

Let’s listen to Jack Hylton’s Orchestra.