A popular song from 1923.
Words by George Whiting and Jack Yellen.
Music by Dave Franklin.
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
- Love! Love! the poets rave about it
Love! Love! we cannot live without it
So they say in song and story
Keep away or you’ll be sorry
Bunk! Junk! you get it handed to you
Everywhere you go
Nothing to it, I’ve been thro’ it
I guess I ought to know
Chorus
When they’ve got you hook’d for life
And you’re nothing but “the wife”
What do they mean by Love?
Then you start to realize
That you grabb’d the “booby prize”
When they make you push a broom
In a dinky furnish’d room
What do they mean by Love?
Then you wonder how in thunder
You ever made such an awful blunder
Once the bird I married
Used to say ev’ry day
I would die for you, my pet
Patiently I’ve waited for a year
Hubby dear hasn’t kept his promise yet
First when we fall for those guys
We’re the apples of their eyes
After they become the boss
We’re a lot of apple sauce
So, What do they mean by love?
- Girls! Girls! beware of matrimony
Men! Men! the best is only “phony”
Gee, what awful stuff they hand you
Anything at all to land you
Mush! Slush! and like a lot of dumbells
We believe it’s true
Give him credit, Barnum said it
And he meant me and you
Chorus
When they’ve got you hook’d for life
And you’re nothing but “the wife”
What do they mean by Love?
You were promised rings that size
You get rings beneath your eyes
When you ask them for a hat
And they nearly knock you flat
What do they mean by Love?
Then you wonder how in thunder
You ever made such an awful blunder
When he came to court you
How that guy used to buy
Presents to your hearts delight
Now the little presents
That you get from your pet
Make you walk the floor all night
When the Stork brings you a boy
Hubby puffs with pride and joy
And he struts around the hall
Just as if he did it all
So, What do they mean by love?
Sung here by Vancha March: