Dinah Shore - Tess's Torch Song Lyrics

Lyrics Tess's Torch Song - Dinah Shore




Tess's Torch Song
Dinah Shore
(Ted Koehler & Harold Arlen)
I HAD A MAN.
HE WAS A GOOD MAN.
THAT IS, YOU SEE, WHAT I MEAN IS
I THOUGHT HE WAS A GOOD MAN.
I HAD A FRIEND.
SHE WAS A GOOD FRIEND.
I TOLD MY FRIEND BOUT MY MAN CAUSE
I THOUGHT SHE WAS A GOOD FRIEND.
LIFE WAS SWEET.
DIDNT I HAVE MY MAN?
WORLD COMPLETE...
THEN THE FIREWORKS BEGAN.
AINT GOT NO MAN.
AINT GOT NO FRIEND.
I BET YOU CAN GUESS
JUST EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.
THAT WAS THE END,
THE END OF MY FRIEND,
THE END OF MY MAN,
AND ALMOST THE END OF ME.
OH YES, OH YES, I HAD A MAN.
OOO-DOO-DOO-DOO-DOO,
THAT IS, YOU SEE, WHAT I MEAN IS
I THOUGHT HE WAS A GOOD MAN.
I HAD A FRIEND
I SAID, I HAD A FRIEND
UMM-MMM-MMM-MMM-MMM
I TOLD MY FRIEND BOUT MY MAN
CAUSE I THOUGHT SHE WAS A GOOD FRIEND.
LIFE WAS SWEET.
DIDNT I HAVE MY MAN, MY MAN
WORLD COMPLETE...
THEN THE FIREWORKS BEGAN.
AINT GOT NO MAN.
AINT GOT NO FRIEND.
I BET YOU CAN GUESS
JUST EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.
THAT WAS THE END,
THE END OF MY FRIEND,
THE END OF MY MAN,
AND DARNED NEAR THE END OF ME.
Danny Kaye's wife, Sylvia Fine, adapted it to a jive version that was done
In a "Mail Call" program in 1944 by Danny and Dinah:
TESSS TORCH SONG - JIVEBEST FRIEND...
Dinah: OH, SO-SO-SO SO SWEET AS CHOCOLATE MALTER.
Danny: I TOLD MY FRIEND BOUT MY GAL
CAUSE I THOUGHT HE WAS MY BEST FRIEND!
Dinah: SHOOT THE BROMO TO ME, RAMON.
LIFE WAS SWEET...
Danny: I WAS A HA-AA-APPY MAN!
Dinah: WORLD COMPLETE...
Danny: THEN CAME THE BUST-UP, THEY BUSTED MY TRUST UP.
THE FIREWORKS BEGAN.
Dinah: YOU LOST YOUR GAL...
Danny: OH, LEARNED JACKSON, BLOW THOSE BLUES FOR ME.
Dinah: YOU LOST YOUR FRIEND...
Danny: OH, MURDER, MURDER IN THE FIRST DEGREE!
Dinah: I GOT A FEELIN? THAT SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN.
Both: THIS WONT BE THE END -- NO, NO
ILL FIND A NEW FRIEND -- YES, YES
ILL FIND A NEW GAL -- HO, HO
THIS WONT BE THE END OF ME.
Both: WELL ZOOT, WELL BOOT, WELL WELL ALL-ROOT
WITH A HEP-A-HEP-A-HEP-A AND A STEP-STEP-STEP
Dinah: GREETINGS, GATE, HOWYA BEEN?
Danny: OH FEELIN? GREAT, GIMME SOME SKIN!
Dinah: LOOKIN? SHARP!
Danny: OH, SHARP AS A HARP!
Dinah: FEELIN? KEEN?
Danny: HEY, KEEN AS A BEAN.
Dinah: NO TEARS FOR MARY?
Danny: AS DRY AS A PRAIRIE.
Dinah: NO WOE FOR JOE?
Danny: OH NO, NO, NO.
Dinah: NO BEATIN? THE GRAY?
Danny: OH NAY, NAY, NAY.
Dinah: NO BUSTED TICKER?
Danny: OH, TICKER TICKIN? SLICKER.
Dinah: WELL, TOAST ME, MELBA
IS THIS A FACT?
Danny: BEAT ME DADDY --[hand slap]-- AND ILL HIT YOU BACK!
Both: WELL ZOOT, WELL BOOT, WELL-WELL ALL-ROOT
WITH A HEP-A-HEP-A-HEP-A AND A STEP-STEP-STEP
Danny: HEY, GOOD LOOKIN?
Dinah: WHATSA IS-A COOKIN?
Danny: FEELIN? GROOVY?
Dinah: GROOVY AS A MOVIE!
Danny: SOFT AND MELLOW?
Dinah: MELLOW AS-A JELLO.
Danny: WANNA BE MY CHICKEN?
Dinah: NOW YOUS A-CLICKIN?
Danny: NO YAK-YAK?
Dinah: SOLID, JACK!
Danny: WELL, RATION ME SOME PASSION,
PITCH ME SOME WOO
Dinah: ON THE BUTTON, GLUTTON --(kiss)--SMACKEROO!
Danny: WELL, GRILL ME, LAMB CHOP
WELL, ALL RIGHT!
Dinah: CROWD ME, MAMA, CAUSE ITS SATURDAY NIGHT!
Both: WELL ZOOT, WELL BOOT, WELL-WELL ALL-ROOT
WITH A HEP-A-HEP-A-HEP-A AND A STEP-STEP-STEP
(They do a verse of echo-scat, Danny leading.)
Both: WELL ZOOT, WELL BOOT, WELL-WELL ALL-ROOT
WITH A HEP-HEP-HEP-HEP-HEP!
These are pretty obscure numbers, but they're really entertaining!
--Gary Moody



Writer(s): Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler


Dinah Shore - Unforgettable Memories (Remastered)
Album Unforgettable Memories (Remastered)
date of release
26-07-2012

1 Ma Says, Pa Says
2 Fever
3 Sentimental Journey
4 Buttons And Bows
5 Black Coffee
6 A Guy Is a Guy
7 You're a Builder Upper
8 I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
9 Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)
10 Can't You Read Between the Lines (In Concert)
11 The Lady Is a Tramp
12 The Black Hills of Dakota
13 Sometimes I'm Happy
14 If I Could Be With You
15 Just Blew in from the Windy City
16 Linger In My Arms a Little Longer, Baby
17 That's All
18 The Deadwood Stage
19 A Rainy Night In Rio
20 Just One of Those Things
21 Laura
22 Lover
23 My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time
24 Just One Of Those Things
25 Elmers Tune
26 Thoughtless
27 Love Me or Leave Me
28 Baubles, Bangles and Beads
29 It's Magic
30 The Dreamer
31 I Don't Want to Play in Your Yard
32 Secret Love
33 Tallahassee
34 It Ain't Necessarily So
35 The Very Thought of You
36 The Dixieland Band: Button Up Your Over Coat (In Concert)
37 Lets Do It (Lets Fall in Love)
38 Love Somebody
39 How High the Moon
40 Too Young
41 Again
42 Night and Day
43 Clarinade
44 Sugarbush
45 I've Got the World On a String
46 Make The Man Love Me
47 The Way You Look Tonight
48 Toodle-Lee-Oo-Doo
49 A Full Time Job
50 Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
51 It Never Happened To Me
52 Lets Take An Old Fashioned Walk
53 Gotta Be This or That
54 Good-Bye
55 Powder Your Face With Sunshine
56 Lover Come Back To Me
57 Shanghai
58 Papa Won't You Dance With Me
59 Shoo Shoo, Baby
60 Tess's Torch Song
61 There's a Bluebird on Your Windowsill
62 I'll Walk Alone
63 A Guy Is A Guy
64 With a Song in My Heart
65 Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart
66 These Foolish Things
67 Yesterdays
68 Just One More Chance
69 I Didn't Know What Time It Was
70 The Man I Love
71 Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe
72 Put 'Em In a Box, Tie 'Em With a Ribbon
73 My Heart Cries For You
74 My Heart Belongs to Daddy
75 Enjoy Yourself
76 Sweet Violets
77 Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me
78 Quicksilver
79 I've Got My Eyes on You
80 Dorsey Medley
81 Close
82 Autumn Leaves
83 Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
84 Then I'll Be Tired of You
85 Manhattan Serenade
86 Please Be Kind
87 Love and Marriage
88 (Just One Way to Say) I Love You
89 Something To Remember You By
90 Love Me Or Leave Me
91 Don't Leave Me Daddy
92 There Is No Greater Love
93 Happy in Love
94 How Long Has This Been Going On?
95 Blues In The Night
96 Why Don't You Do Right?
97 I Hear a Rhapsody
98 You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To (From Woody Allen's "Radio Days")
99 Just a Whitslin' And a Whittlin'
100 Shake Down the Stars




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