From Berlin’s last Musical “Mr. President,” 1962. [Version II]
Words and Music by Irving Berlin.
Cover Art by Hal Weinstein.
Copyright ©1 Oct 1962.
The sheet music:
Lyrics
VERSE
I shouldn’t be complaining;
I’ve got the same address
As Eleanor and Mamie,
As Jacqueline and Bess.
My Life is filled with glamour;
I really think it it’s swell.
Oh, yes, I think its wonderful—
But then it’s also hell.
CHORUS 1
Being First Lady of the land,
The First Lady of the land—
Standing on the receiving line,
Winding up with an aching spine,
Calluses on my receiving hand,
As the First Lady of the land.
For ev’ry week a different hairdo,
Which means another dress,
Those meetings with committees,
And sparring with the press,
Those dreary formal dinners,
When I stay up till dawn,
Counting all the silver
When the guests have gone.
When they march out in single file
And I must smile, smile, smile,
I’d rather be the second or the third of the fourth
Or the fifth or the sixth on the seventh
Instead of the First Lady of the land.
CHORUS 2
I’m the First Lady of the land,
The First Lady of the land—
Entertaining at lunch or tea,
Do-do-gooders who call on me,
Telling of the noble deeds they’ve planned
For the First Lady of the land.
And oh, the presents that they send me,
Aw awful lot of junk,
An unhousebroken poodle,
A dehydrated skunk,
A turkey for Thanksgiving
Potatoes in a sack,
But when they send a diamond,
I must send it back.
When the whole cabinet arrives
And bring their wives, wives, wives
I’d rather be the second or the third of the fourth
Or the fifth or the sixth on the seventh
Instead of the First Lady of the land.
CHORUS 3
I’m the First Lady of the land,
A large staff at my command—
Cooks and maids with their ears all bend
Hearing gossip that they invent,
Writing books that really should be banned
On the First Lady of the land.
I run the household on a budget
And often I’m in Dutch
And Congress starts to holler,
She’s spending much too much!”
The caviar and vodka
I always get for free—
It’s given to me by the Russian embassy.
We send fresh fruit to every land,
But mine is canned, canned, canned.
I’d rather be the second or the third of the fourth
Or the fifth or the sixth on the seventh
Instead of the First Lady of the land.