The Very Good Years

Frank Sinatra The Very Good Years Lyrics
1.The Last Dance

Written:Sammy Cahn/Jimmy Van Heusen
Arranger:Nelson Riddle

It's the last dance, we've come to the last dance
They're dimming the lights down, they're hoping we'll go
It's obvious they're aware of us, the pair of us
Alone on the floor
Still I want to hold you like this forever and more

It the last song, they're playing the last song
The orchestra's yawning, they're sleepy I know
They're wondering just when will we leave, but till we leave
Keep holding me tight
Through the last dance, each beat of the last dance
And save me the first dance in your dreams tonight


2.Night And Day

Lyrics:Cole Porter
Music:Cole Porter
Arranger:Joe Beck

Like the beat beat beat of the tom-tom
When the jungle shadows fall
Like the tick tick tock of the stately clock
As it stands against the wall
Like the drip drip drip of the raindrops
When the summer shower is through
So a voice within me keeps repeating you, you, you

Night and day, you are the one
Only you beneath the moon or under the sun
Whether near to me, or far
It's no matter darling where you are
I think of you

Day and night, night and day, why is it so
That this longing for you follows wherever I go
In the roaring traffic's boom
In the silence of my lonely room
I think of you

Day and night, night and day
Under the hide of me
There's an oh such a hungry yearning burning inside of me
And this torment won't be through
Until you let me spend my life making love to you

Day and night, night and day


3.I Get A Kick Out Of You

Lyrics:Cole Porter
Music:Cole Porter
Arranger:Nelson Riddle

My story is much too sad to be told,
But practically everything leaves me totally cold.
The exception I know is the case
When I'm out on a quiet spree,
Fighting vainly the old ennui,
And I suddenly turn and see your fabulous face.

I get no kick from champagne.
Mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all.
So tell me why should it be true
That I get a kick out of you?

Some, they may go for cocaine.
I'm sure that if I took even one sniff
It would bore me terrifically, too.
Yet I get a kick out of you.

I get a kick every time I see
You standing there before me.
I get a kick though it's clear to see
You obviously do not adore me.

I get no kick in a plane.
Flying too high with some gal in the sky
Is my idea of nothing to do.
Yet I get a kick - um you give me a boot - I get a kick out of
you.


4.Luck Be A Lady

Lyrics:Frank Loesser
Music:Frank Loesser
Arranger:Billy May

They call you lady luck
But there is room for doubt
At times you have a very un-lady-like way
Of running out

Your on this date with me
The pickin's have been lush
And yet before the evening is over
You might give me the brush

You might forget your manners
You might refuse to stay
And so the best that I can do is pray

Luck be a lady tonight
Luck be a lady tonight
Luck if you've been a lady to begin with
Luck be a lady tonight

Luck let a gentleman see
Just how nice a dame you can be
I know the way you've treated other guys you've been with
Luck be a lady with me

A lady never leaves her escort
It isn't fair, it isn't nice
A lady doesn't wander all over the room
And blow on some other guys dice

Lets keep this party polite
Never get out of my sight
Stick with me baby, I'm the guy that you came in with
Luck be a lady tonight

A lady never flirts with strangers
She'd have a heart, she'd be nice
A lady doesn't wander all over the room
And blow on some other guys dice

Lets keep this party polite
Never get out of my sight
Stick with me baby, I'm the guy that you came in with
Luck be a lady tonight


5.The Way You Look Tonight

Written:Jerome Kern/Dorothy Fields

Some day, when I'm awfully low,
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you...
And the way you look tonight.

Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm
And your cheeks so soft,
There is nothing for me but to love you,
And the way you look tonight.

With each word your tenderness grows,
Tearing my fear apart...
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,
It touches my foolish heart.

Lovely ... Never, ever change.
Keep that breathless charm.
Won't you please arrange it ?
'Cause I love you ... Just the way you look tonight.

Mm, Mm, Mm, Mm,
Just the way you look to-night.


6.My Kind Of Town

Written:Sammy Cahn/Jimmy Van Heusen
Arranger:Nelson Riddle

Now this could only happen to a guy like me
And only happen in a town like this
And so I say to each of you most gratefully
As I throw each one of you a kiss

This is my kind of town, Chicago is
My kind of town, Chicago is
My kind of people too
People who, smile at you

And each time I roam, Chicago is
Calling me home, Chicago is
One town that won't let you down
It's my kind of town

My kind of town, Chicago is
My kind of town, Chicago is
My kind of razzmatazz
And it has, all that jazz

And each time I leave, Chicago is
Tuggin' my sleeve, Chicago is
The Wrigley Building, Chicago is
The Chicago Cubbies, Chicago is
One town that won't let you down
It's my kind of town


7.The Best Is Yet To Come

Lyrics:Carolyn Leigh
Music:Cy Coleman
Arranger:Quincy Jones

Out of the tree of life, I just picked me a plumb
You came along and everything started to hum
Still it's a real good bet, the best is yet to come

The best is yet to come, and won't that be fine
You think you've seen the sun, but you ain't seen it shine

Wait till the warm-up is underway
Wait till out lips have met
Wait till you see that sunshine day
You ain't seen nothin' yet

The best is yet to come, and won't that be fine
The best is yet to come, come the day that your mine

Come the day that your mine
I'm gonna teach you to fly
We've only tasted the wine
We're gonna drain that cup dry

Wait till your charms are right, for the arms to surround
You think you've flown before, but you ain't left the ground

Wait till you're locked in my embrace
Wait till I hold you near
Wait till you see that sunshine place
There ain't nothin' like it here

The best is yet to come, and won't that be fine
The best is yet to come, come the day that your mine


8.Fly Me To The Moon

Written:Bart Howard
Arranger:Quincy Jones/Patrick Williams
Artist:Frank Sinatra/Count Basie/His Orchestra

Fly me to the moon
Let me sing among those stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars

In other words, hold my hand
In other words, baby kiss me

Fill my heart with song
Let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore

In other words, please be true
In other words, I love you


9.It Was A Very Good Year

Written:Ervin M.Drake
Arranger:Quincy Jones/Billy Byers

When I was seventeen
It was a very good year
It was a very good year for small town girls
And soft summer nights
We'd hide from the lights
On the village green
When I was seventeen

When I was twenty-one
It was a very good year
It was a very good year for city girls
Who lived up the stair
With all that perfumed hair
And it came undone
When I was twenty-one

When I was thirty-five
It was a very good year
It was a very good year for blue-blooded girls
Of independent means
We'd ride in limousines
Their chauffeurs would drive
When I was thirty-five

But now the days grow short
I'm in the autumn of the year
And now I think of my life as vintage wine
From fine old kegs
From the brim to the dregs
And it poured sweet and clear
It was a very good year

It was a mess of good years


10.Love And Marriage

Written:Jimmy Van Heusen/Sammy Cahn
Arranger:Nelson Riddle

Love and marriage, love and marriage
Go together like a horse and carriage
This I tell you brother
You can't have one without the other

Love and marriage, love and marriage
It's an institute you can't disparage
Ask the local gentry
And they will say it's elementary

Try, try, try to separate them
It's an illusion
Try, try, try, and you will only come
To this conclusion

Love and marriage, love and marriage
Go together like a horse and carriage
Dad was told by mother
You can't have one without the other


11.I've Got You Under My Skin

Lyrics:Cole Porter
Music:Cole Porter
Arranger:Nelson Riddle

I've got you under my skin
I've got you deep in the heart of me
So deep in my heart, that you're really a part of me
I've got you under my skin

I've tried so not to give in
I've said to myself this affair never will go so well
But why should I try to resist, when baby will I know so well
That I've got you under my skin

I'd sacrifice anything come what might
For the sake of having you near
In spite of a warning voice that comes in the night
And repeats, repeats in my ear

Don't you know you fool, you never can win
Use your mentality, wake up to reality
But each time I do, just the thought of you
Makes me stop before I begin
'Cause I've got you under my skin


12.Strangers In The Night

Written:Charles Singleton/Bert Kaempfert/Eddie Snyder
Arranger:Ernie Freeman

Strangers in the night exchanging glances
Wond'ring in the night what were the chances
We'd be sharing love before the night was through

Something in your eyes was so inviting
Something in you smile was so exciting
Something in my heart told me I must have you

Strangers in the night
Two lonely people, we were strangers in the night
Up to the moment when we said our first hello little did we know
Love was just a glance away, a warm embracing dance away

and

Ever since that night we've been together
Lovers at first sight, in love forever
It turned out so right for strangers in the night


Love was just a glance away, a warm embracing dance away

Ever since that night we've been together
Lovers at first sight, in love forever
It turned out so right for strangers in the night


13.Summer Wind

Written:Johnny Mercer/Henry Mayer
Arranger:Nelson Riddle

The summer wind, came blowin' in from across the sea
It lingered there to touch your hair and walk with me
All summer long we sang a song and then we strolled that golden
sand
Two sweethearts and the summer wind

Like painted kites, those days and nights, they went flyin' by
The world was new beneath a blue umbrella sky
Then softer than a piper man one day it called to you
I lost you, I lost you to the summer wind

The autumn wind and the winter winds, they have come and gone
And still the days, those lonely days, they go on and on
And guess who sighs his lullabies through nights that never end
My fickle friend, the summer wind

The summer wind
Warm summer wind
Mmm, the summer wind


14.All Or Nothing At All

Written:Arthur Altman/Jack Lawrence
Arranger:Joe Beck

All or nothing at all
Half a love, never appealed to me
If your heart, never could yield to me
Then I'd rather (rather) have nothing at all

All or nothing at all
If it's love, there is no in between
Why begin then cry, for something that might have been
No I'd rather (rather) have nothing at all

But please don't bring your lips so close to my cheek
Don't smile or I'll be lost beyond recall
The kiss in your eyes, the touch of your hand makes me weak
And my heart may go dizzy and fall

And if I fell (I fell) under the spell of your call
I would be, caught in the undertow
So you see, I've got to say no, no
All or nothing at all


15.That's Life

Written:Kelly Gordon/Dean Kay
Arranger:Ernie Freeman

That's life - that's what all the people say
You're ridin' high in April, shot down in May
But I know I'm gonna change that tune
When I'm back on top, back on top in June

I say, that's life, and as funny as it may seem
Some people get their kicks steppin' on a dream
But I don't let it, let it get me down
Cause this fine old world, it keeps spinning around

I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet - a pawn and a
king
I've been up and down and over and out - and I know one thing:
Each time I find myself flat on my face

I pick myself up and get back in the race
That's life - I tell you - I can't deny it:
I thought of quittin', baby, but my heart just ain't gonna buy
it
And if I didn't think it was worth one single try
I'd jump right on a big bird an then I'd fly

I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet - a pawn and a
king
I've been up and down and over and out - and I know one thing:
Each time I find myself, laying flat on my face
I just pick myself up and get back in the race

That's life. that's life, and I can't deny it:
Many times I thought of cuttin' out, but my heart won't buy it
But if there's nothing shakin' come this here July
I'm gonna roll myself up in a big ball...
And die
My, my


16.My Way

Written:Paul Anka/Claude Francois Ravaux/Gilles Thibault
Arranger:Don Costa

And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain.
My friend, I'll say it clear,
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain.

I've lived a life that's full.
I've traveled each and ev'ry highway;
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Regrets, I've had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.

I planned each charted course;
Each careful step along the byway,
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up and spit it out.
I faced it all and I stood tall;
And did it my way.

I've loved, I've laughed and cried.
I've had my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside,
I find it all so amusing.

To think I did all that;
And may I say - not in a shy way,
'No, oh no not me,
I did it my way'.

For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels;
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows -
And did it my way!


17.The Lady Is A Tramp

Lyrics:Lorenz Hart
Music:Richard Rodgers
Arranger:Billy Byers

She gets too hungry, for dinner at eight
She loves the theater, but doesn't come late
She'd never bother, with people she'd hate
That's why the lady is a tramp

Doesn't like crap games, with barons and earls
Won't go to Harlem, in ermine and pearls
Won't dish the dirt, with the rest of those girls
That's why the lady is a tramp

She loves the free, fresh wind in her hair
Life without care
She's broke, but it's o'k
She hates California, it's cold and it's damp
That's why the lady is a tramp

Doesn't like dice games, with sharpies and frauds
Won't go to Harlem, in Lincolns or Fords
Won't dish the dirt, with the rest of those broads
That's why the lady is a tramp


18.Send In The Clowns

Lyrics:Stephen Sondheim
Music:Stephen Sondheim
Arranger:Gordon Jenkins

Isn't it rich, aren't we a pair
Me here at last on the ground - and you in mid-air
Send in the clowns

Isn't it bliss, don't you approve
One who keeps tearing around - and one who can't move
But where are the clowns - send in the clowns

Just when I stopped opening doors
Finally finding the one that I wanted - was yours
Making my entrance again with my usual flair
Sure of my lines - nobody there

Don't you love a farce; my fault I fear
I thought that you'd want what I want - sorry my dear
But where are the clowns - send in the clowns
Don't bother they're here

Isn't it rich, isn't it queer
Losing my timing this late in my career
But where are the clowns - send in the clowns
Well maybe next year


19.Nancy(With The Laughing Face)

Written:Phil Silvers/Jimmy Van Heusen
Arranger:Nelson Riddle

If I don't see her each day, I miss her
Gee what a thrill, each time I kiss her
Believe me, I've got a case
On Nancy, with the laughing face

She takes the winter and makes it summer
And summer could take some lessons from her
Picture a tomboy in lace
That's Nancy with the laughing face

Have you ever heard mission bells ringing
Well she'll give you the very same glow
When she speaks you would think it was singing
Just hear her say hello

I swear to goodness, you can't resist her
She's mighty sweet, and wait till you see her sister
No angel could replace
Nancy, with the laughing face


20.New York, New York(Theme From)

Lyrics:Fred Ebb/John Kander
Music:Fred Ebb/John Kander
Arranger:Don Costa

Start spreadin' the news, I'm leavin' today
I want to be a part of it
New York, New York
These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it
New York, New York

I want to wake up, in a city that never sleeps
And find I'm king of the hill
Top of the heap

These little town blues, are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it
In old New York
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you, New York..New York

New York...New York
I want to wake up, in a city that never sleeps
And find I'm A number one, top of the list
King of the hill, A number one....

These little town blues, are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it
In old New York
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you, New York..New York New York!!!