1904 BROADWAY MUSICAL: George M. COHAN ~ Life's a funny proposition after all (1911)

For "Labienus" / American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and producer George M. Cohan (1878--1942) / Life's a funny proposition after all / from Little Johnny Jones, the Cohan musical that gave the world "Give My Regards to Broadway" and "Yankee Doodle Boy" / Recorded May 4, 1911 --

George M. Cohan signed to record exclusively for Victor amid much fanfare, though interestingly, strangely, the seven published discs, all made in 1911 and released on Victor's Purple Label, were a commercial failure, and today Cohan's recordings don't surface very often.




LIFE'S A FUNNY PROPOSITION AFTER ALL
from Little Johnny Jones (George M. Cohan)

Did you ever sit and ponder, sit and wonder, sit and think,
Why we're here and what this life is all about?
It's a problem that has driven many brainy men to drink,
It's the weirdest thing they've tried to figure out;

About a thousand different theories,
All the scientists can show,
But never yet have proved a reason why.
With all we've thought, and all we're taught,
Why all we seem to know
Is we're born, and live awhile, and then we die.

Life's a very funny proposition, after all;
Imagination, jealousy, hypocrisy and all;
Three meals a day, a whole lot to say;
When you haven't got the coin, you're always in the way.

Ev'rybody's fighting, as we wend our way along,
Ev'ry fellow claims the other fellow's wrong;
Hurried and worried, until we're buried
And there's no curtain call;
Life's a very funny proposition, after all.

When all things are coming easy,
And when luck is with a man,
Why, then life to him is sunshine ev'rywhere;
Then the fates blow rather breezy,
And they quite upset a plan,
Then he'll cry that life's burden is hard to bear

Though today may be a day of smiles,
Tomorrow's still in doubt
And, what brings me joy, may bring you care and woe.
We're born to die, but don't know why or what it's all about
And the more we try to learn, the less we know.

Life's a very funny proposition, you can bet,
And no one's ever solved the problem properly, as yet;
Young for a day, then old and gray,
Like the rose that buds and blooms,
And fades and falls away,

Losing health, to gain our wealth,
As through this dream we tour;
Ev'rything a guess and nothings absolutely sure.
Battles exciting, and fates we're fighting,
Until the curtain falls;
Life's a very funny proposition, after all.

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George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878 -- November 5, 1942), known professionally as George M. Cohan, was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and producer. Cohan started his career as a child performing with his parents and sister in vaudeville as "The Four Cohans". He quickly started writing songs and skits, and went on to write some 500 songs in his lifetime. He both wrote, produced and starred in many musicals on Broadway. Cohan was one of the founders of ASCAP. Some of his many popular songs include "Over There", "Give My Regards to Broadway" and "The Yankee Doodle Boy". Beginning with Little Johnny Jones in 1904, Cohan wrote and starred in over three dozen Broadway shows, continuing to perform until 1940. He also appeared in films, including The Phantom President in 1932. Known in the decade before World War I as "the man who owned Broadway", he is considered the father of American musical comedy[1]. His life and music were depicted in the Academy Award-winning film Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and the 1968 musical George M!. A statue of Cohan is in Times Square in New York City. The full wikipedia article can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_M._Cohan


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Category:

Music

Tags:

• Broadway
• Musical
• George
• M.
• Cohan
• Acoustic
• 78RPM
• Phonograph
• Silhouette
• CurzonRoad

[TheTokit]

Thank you for this post. I first heard this song in my teens, in 1974. I liked it so much, that I tried to make a transcript of it, though it is difficult to understand some parts for one who is not a native English speaker. It stills make me think a lot. Now, when approaching the dusk of my life. The whole human condition it there abridged. ¿Do you know the author of it? ¿Is it Cohan himself?

[CurzonRoad]

@TheTokit

Greetings: And thank you! Believe this is indeed one of Mr. Cohan's very own original compositions. ITEM: Yes, something the dusk, no? Thanks again! Doug --

[crazyyy3317]

Thumbs up if you heard this in Boardwalk Empire!

[LePrince1890]

I am glad that finally I have heard a tune of his with him singing it that I had not heard before. He was really quite a figure, actor, dancer, lyracist, dramatist (THE TAVERN, SEVEN KEYS TO BALDPATE), and creator of the modern American musical. Try to see THE PHANTOM PRESIDENT to get an idea of that great stage personality he had. He only made one other sound film, based on his own play this time, called THE GAMBLER, and it is  (regretfully) missing.

[Gumlegs]

@TheTokit Cohan wrote it.

[envymi3]

Beautiful Song!

[whytry4561]

The version from Boardwalk Empire:

watch?v=q_v97er_32U

[louisa1832]

I have this on a collection called "Nipper's Greatest Hits." Rather a haunting recording, for a lot of reasons. Thank you!

[CurzonRoad]

@Gumlegs

Wow!

Again, many thanks!

Cheers, etc.

Doug --

[Gumlegs]

@CurzonRoad You can find the recording at Amazon. It's titled "Carousel of American Music," on the Music & Arts label, CD-971.