A popular song, 1945.
Words and Music by Irving Berlin.
Copyright ©20 Jul 1945.
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
Here’s the story of “Who gets credit?”
It happened on a track—
A race horse was about to start
When a flea jumped on his back.
All the horses were left behind him;
It looked like he would win.
But coming down the stretch he felt
Mister Flea bite on his skin.
He fell back into place
And almost lost the race,
But spite of what the flea had done
The horse could run and so he won.
The race was over, the crowd applauded,
And with a smiling face
The flea said to his friends that night,
“If I hadn’t harassed him
They all would have passed him—
’Twas me who was settin’ the pace.
So you see it was me, Mister Flea,
Should get the credit for the race.”
The story of the flea
Applies to you and me:
It points out with tremendous force
That when you’re on a winning horse
You should be glad you won,
But don’t try to be like the flea
And take the credit for the race.
Just be satisfied
To take the ride
But don’t try to be like the flea
And take the credit for the race.