From the Musical “HELLO, DOLLY!” 1964
Words and Music by Jerry Herman
Copyright ©6 Mar 1964 (Published in Vocal Selections)
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
Yes, New York, It’s really us, Barnaby and Cornelius
All the guests of Mister Hackle are
Feelin’ great and look “spectacalar”
What a knack there is t’ that actin’ like a born aristocrat
We got Elegance, If you ain’t got Elegance
You can never ever carry it off
All who are well-bred agree Minnie Fay has pedigree
Exercise your wildest whims tonight
We are out with Diamond Jims tonight
Could they be misleading us, silver spoons were used for feeding us
We got Elegance, If you ain’t got Elegance
You can never ever carry it off
Middle class, don’t speak of it
Savoir faire, we reek of it
Some were born with rags and patches
But we use dollar bills for matches and
Vanderbilt kow-tows to us, J.P. Morgan scrapes and bows to us
We got Elegance, We were born with Elegance
Have you notice when I hold my cup, the saucer never moves
And the way I hold my pinkie up indubitably proves
That we got Elegance, We got built in Elegance
And with Elegance, Elegance, Elegance, Elegance
Elegance, We’ll carry it off!