A-Tisket, A-Tasket

A-Tisket, A-Tasket

music and lyric by Al Feldman (aka Van Alexander)
and Ella Fitzgerald

A-tisket, a-tasket, a brown and yellow basket;

I bought a basket for my mommy; on the way I dropped it.

I dropped it, I dropped it; yes, on the way I dropped it;

A little girlie picked it up and took it to the market.

She was truckin' on down the avenue without a single thing to do.

She was peck, peck, peckin' all around when she spied it on the ground.

A-tisket, a-tasket, she took my yellow basket and if she doesn't bring it back,

I think that I shall die...

Was it red? No, no, no,no.

Was it green? No, no, no, no.

Was it blue? No, no, no, no;

Just a little yellow basket...

A Time For Love

A Time For Love

music by Johnny Mandel (left)
lyric by Paul Francis Webster (right)

A time for summer skies, for humming birds and butterflies;

For tender words that harmonize with love.

A time for climbing hills, for leaning out of window sills admiring the daffodils above.

A time for holding hands together;

A time for rainbow-clored weather;

A kind of make believe that we've been dreaming of.

As time goes drifting by the willow bends and so do I but oh my friend whatever sky above,

I've known a time for spring, a time for fall but best of all

A time for love...

A Thousand Thoughts Of You

A Thousand Thoughts Of You

music by Ulpio Minucci
lyric by Sammy Gallop

A thousand thoughts of you will haunt me ever after,
The music of your laughter will serenade my heart.
A thousand thoughts of you will roam the night and find me.
With chains of love they'll bind me to dreams that won't depart.

Your face, your smile, the moonlight in your hair;
Your lips, your eyes, I'll sede them everywhere.

A thousand kisses, too, will keep me reminiscing,
For there'll be no dismissing a thousand thoughts of you...

A Thousand Dreams Of You

A Thousand Dreams Of You

music by Louis Alter
lyric by Paul Francis Webster (right)

Oh, it's time to dream, a thousand dreams of you!

It's been so grand together, yes, together.

You thrilled me from the start.

You brought the spring again.

Your fingers touched the strings of my heart and made it sing again.

I hope you dream a thousand dreams of me.

All the things we planned doing together, and if you do, I dream my whole life through,

A thousand, a million, a zillion dreams of you!

A Sunday Kind Of Love

A Sunday Kind Of Love

music and lyric by Louis Prima-Stanley Wayne Rhodes-
Barbara Belle-Anita Leonard

I want a Sunday kind of love,
A love to last past Saturday night.
I'd like to know it's more than love at first sight;
I want a Sunday kind of love.

I want a love that's on the square,
Can't seem to find somebody to care;
I'm on a lonely road that leads me nowhere;
I need a Sunday kind of love.

I do my Sunday dreaming and all my Sunday scheming every minute, every hour, every day.
I'm hoping to discover a certain kind of lover who will show me the way...

My arms need someone to enfold,
To keep me warm when Monday's are cold.
A love for all my life to have and to hold;
I want a Sunday kind of love...

A Stranger Called The Blues

A Stranger Called The Blues

music by Mel Torme (left)
lyric by Robert Wells (right)

I met up with a stranger this evening after you turned me down.
A sad looking Joe who chased me all over town.
But when you're feelin' lonely, you welcome anyone who offers you a shoulder to use,
So I'm making friends with a stranger called the blues.

He was standing behind me this evening;
I guess he could hardly wait for you to reveal the words that would seal my fate.
He said he knew the score, he's been 'round before
When love has worn a hole in his shoes, so here I sit with a stranger called the blues.

Bee is for the bitter tears I'm tasting,
El is for the lonely nights I'll know.
Yew, you found another heart to play with
Eee means I envy the so-and-so.

So we ended a romance this evening, that bittersweet charade.
'Cause you, little fool, forgot ev'ry rule we made.
To you our love became a stupid little game.
No runs, no hits, one error, guess who?

Well, I wound up with a stranger called the blues;
A trouble-ridden, good for nothing stranger called the blues...

A Sleepin' Bee

A Sleepin' Bee

music by Harold Arlen (left)
lyric by Truman Capote (right)

When a bee lies sleepin' in the palm of your hand,
You're bewitched and deep in love's looked after land.
Where you'll see a sun up sky with a mornin' new,
And where the days go laughin' by as love comes a-callin' on you.

Sleep on bee, don't waken, can't believe what just passed.
She's mine for the takin', I'm so happy at last.

Maybe I dreams but she seems sweet golden as a crown.
Sleepin' bee done told me, I walks with my feet off the ground,
When my one true love I has found...

Sleep on bee don't waken, can't believe what just passed.
She's mine for the takin', I'm so happy at last.
Maybe I dreams but she seems sweet golden as a crown.
Sleepin' bee done told me, I walks with my feet off the ground,
When my one true love I has found...

A Sinner Kissed An Angel

A Sinner Kissed An Angel

music by Larry Shayne
lyric by Mack David

Stars in the sky were dancing, one night perfect for romancing,
The night a sinner kissed an angel,
He wanted thrills, she wanted love.

Oh, but the sighs were tender as he begged her to surrender,
The night a sinner kissed an angel and so believed that it was love.

How was she to know that every lovely vow was part of the game he was playing?
But to his surprise he realized somehow,
He meant every word he was saying...

Yes, miracles can happen.
I know 'cause I saw one happen,
That night a sinner kissed an angel,
That was the night I fell in love...

How was she to know that every lovely vow was part of the game he was playing?
But to his surprise he realized somehow,
He meant every word he was saying...

Yes, miracles can happen,
I know 'cause I saw one happen,
That night a sinner kissed an angel.
That was the night I fell in love...

A Ship Without A Sail

A Ship Without A Sail

music by Richard Rodgers
lyric by Lorenz Hart

I don't know what day it is, or if it's dark or fair.
Some how that's just the way it is , and I don't really care.
I go to this or that place, I seem alive and well.
My head is just a hat place, my breast an empty shell!
And I've a faded dream to sell.

All alone, all at sea!
Why does nobody care for me?
When there's no one to hold my love, why is my heart so frail,
Like a ship without a sail?

Out on the ocean sailors can use a chart.
I'm on the ocean guided by just a lonely heart.

Still alone, still at sea!
Still there's no one to care for me.
When there's no hand to hold my hand life is a loveless tale
For a ship without a sail.

When love leaves you all alone, you're living in the past.
Then you feel so small alone, and oh, the world seems vast.
You tell your grief to no girls; you never make it known.
Your smile is like a showgirl's, your laugh a hollow tone.
And then your little heart's a stone...

All alone, all at sea!
Why does nobody care for me?
When there's no one to hold my love, why is my heart so frail,
Like a ship without a sail?

Out on the ocean sailors can use a chart.
I'm on the ocean guided by just a lonely heart.

Still alone, still at sea!
Still there's no one to care for me.
When there's no hand to hold my hand life is a loveless tale
For a ship without a sail...

A Room With A View

A Room With A View

music and lyric by Noel Coward

A room with a view and you, with no one to worry us, no one to hurry us

To this dream we found.

We'll gaze at the sky and try to guess what it's all about,

The we will figure out why the world is round.

We'll be as happy and contented as birds upon a tree.

High above the mountains and the sea.

We'll bill and we'll coo and sorrow will never come,

Or will it ever come to our room with a view?

A room with a view and you and no one to give advice.

That sounds a paradise few could fail to choose.

With fingers entwined we'll find relief from the preachers

Who always beseech us to mind our p's and q's.

We'll watch the whole world pass before us while we are sitting still,

Leaning on our own window sill.

We'll bill and we'll coo and maybe a stork will bring this and t'other thing

To our room with a view...

A Rainy Day

A Rainy Day

music by Arthur Schwartz (left)
lyric by Howard Dietz (right)

You like the blue and the sun with a glare;
Give me a shade of gray,
For when all of the storm clouds were hovering there,
My future came my way.
When there's a shower or when there's a storm,
I am more than gay, for after all...

A rainy day was when I met her.
A rainy day there's nothing better.
You see it happened, we were sharing a taxi,
It was a rainy day.

Of course, at first we both were formal,
But soon we'd get around to normal,
And then we sort of spent the day in a taxi,
It was a rainy day.

What I sought,
One thing I caught in the rain one day,
As we wove through the crowd and she drove every cloud away...

We fell in love and weren't guessing,
Now we spend the time in blessing
The chance romance that came to us in a taxi,
All on a rainy day...

A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody

A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody

music and lyric by Irving Berlin

I have an ear for music and I hope I have an eye for a maid;
I link a pretty girlie with each pretty tune that's played.
They go together like sunny weather goes with the month of May;
I've studied girls and music, so I'm qualified to say...

A pretty girl is like a melody that haunts you night and day;

Just like the strain of a haunting refrain, she'll start upon a marathon and run around your brain.

You can't escape, she's in your memory by morning, night and noon;

She will leave you and then come back again:

A pretty girl is just like a pretty tune...

Most every year we're haunted by some little popular tune;

Then someone writes another---the old one's forgotten soon.

A pretty maiden with beauty laden is like that kind of a song:

Just when you think you love her, another one comes along...

A pretty girl is like a melody that haunts you night and day;

Just like the strain of a haunting refrain, she'll start upon a marathon and run around your brain.

You can't escape, she's in your memory by morning, night and noon;

She will leave you and then come back again:

A pretty girl is just like a pretty tune...

A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square

A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square

music by Manning Sherwin
lyric by Eric Maschwitz

When true lovers meet in Mayfair, so the legends tell,
Song birds sing, winter turns to spring,
Ev'ry winding street in Mayfair falls beneath the spell.
I know such enchantment can be,
'Cause it happened one ev'ning to me.

That certain night, the night we met,
There was magic abroad in the air.
There were angels dining at the Ritz
And a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.

I may be right, I may be wrong,
But I'm perfectly willing to swear
That when you turn'd and smiled at me,
A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.

The moon that lingered over London town
Poor puzzled moon, he wore a frown
How could he know that we two were so in love
The whole darn world seemed upside down.

The streets of London were paved with stars
It was such a romantic affair and as we kissed and said "good-night",
A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.

How strange it was, how sweet and strange,
There was never a dream to compare
With that hazy, crazy night we met
When a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.

This heart of mine beat loud and fast like a merry-g-round in a fair,
For we were dancing cheek to cheek and a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.

When dawn came stealing up all golden blue,
To interrupt our rendezvous,
I still remember how you smiled and said,
"Was that a dream or was it true?"

Our homeward step was just as light
As the tap-dancing feet of Astaire
And like an echo far away,
A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.

I know 'cause I was there,
That night in Berkeley Square...

A New Town Is A Blue Town

A New Town Is A Blue Town

music and lyric by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross

A new town is a blue town.
A whod'ya know and show me what you can do, town.
There's no red carpet at your feet; if you're not tough they'll try to beat you down,
In the new, blue town.

The old town, it's not like the old town.
You don't take long to find that you're in a cold town.
But you know you can lick it; you didn't buy a round-trip ticket to this cold, cold, new, blue town.

Well, nobody asked me to come here and nobody asked me to stay.
Made up my own mind and I know that I'll find my own way.
Since that first day when I said, "Hi, town!"

But I won't leave until I make it my town, they'll see.
This one-horse, two-bit, hick of a new town ain't gonna lick me!
This one-horse, two-bit, hick of a new town ain't gonna lick me.
Not me!

A Million Dreams Ago

A Million Dreams Ago

music by Lew Quadling

lyric by Eddy Howard (center)

& Dick Jurgens

You told me it was so, a million dreams ago, you held me in your arms a million dreams ago.

So many dreams have flown, so many nights alone, I guess I should have known it couldn't be.

I'll lock my mem'ries here in my heart and here in my heart they'll stay,

And through the years they'll always be part, a part of a lovely day.

Goodbye, good luck, old friend.

I'll smile and just pretend there was no end a million dreams ago.

Goodbye, good luck, old friend.

I'll smile and just pretend there was no end a million dreams ago...

A Man And His Dreams

A Man And His Dreams

music by James V. Monaco (not shown)
lyric by Johnny Burke (that's Burke on the right)

You always stir my imagination; sometimes it borders on fantasy.
And sometimes I find visions flash through my mind close to reality.
Night, a soft guitar, a hidden lane, oh where.
And here and there a star for man and his dream.

And their eyes, when they meet, seem to say it's sublime,
And our hearts proudly beat to a tune that is older than time.
Night must fade away, and yet it leaves a love so all the world can say:
There's a man and his dreams...

A Man Alone

A Man Alone
music and lyric by Rod McKuen

In me you see a man alone held by the habit of being on his own.

A man who listens to the trembling of the trees with sentimental ease.

In me you see a man alone behind the wall he's learned to call his home.

A man who still goes walking in the rain, expecting love again.

A man not lonely except when the dark comes on.

A man learning to live with memories of midnights that fell apart at dawn.

In me you see a man alone drinking up Sundays and spending them alone.

A man who knows love is seldom what it seems; only other people's dreams.

A man learning to live with memories of midnights that fell apart at dawn.

In me you see a man alone drinking up Sundays and spending them alone.

A man who knows love is seldom what it seems;

Just other people's dreams...

A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening

A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening

music by Jimmy McHugh (center)
lyric by Harold Adamson (right)

Some like a night at the movies, some like a dance or a show.

Some are content with an evening spent home by the radio.

Some like to live for the moment, some like to just reminisce; but whenever I have an evening to spend, just give me one like this..

This is a lovely way to spend an evening; can't think of anything I'd rather do.

This is a lovely way to spend an evening, can't think of anyone as lovely as you.

A casual stroll through a garden, a kiss by a lazy lagoon.

Catching a breath of moonlight humming our favorite tune...

This is a lovely way to spend an evening; I want to save all my nights and spend them with you...

Catching a breath of moonlight humming our favorite tune.

This is a lovely way to spend an evening.

I want to save all my nights and spend them with you...

A Lot Of Livin' To Do

A Lot Of Livin' To Do
music by Charles Strouse
lyric by Lee Adams

There are chicks just ripe for some kissin' and I mean to kiss me a few.

Then those chicks don't know what they're missin'; I've got a lot of livin' to do...

Sizzlin' steaks all ready for tastin' and there's Cadillacs all shiny and new.

Gotta move 'cause time is a-wastin', there's such a lot of livin' to do...

There's music to play, places to go, people to see; everything for you and me.

Life's a ball if only you know it and it's all just waiting for you;

You're alive so come on and show it; we've got a lot of livin';

Such a lot of livin' to do...

A Long Night

A Long Night
music by Loonis McGlohon (at the piano)
lyric by Alec Wilder (on the right)

Long night, it's a long night my friend,
The barrooms and the back streets dead end.
Some times I thought I saw the sun rise
And good times in the air; it was just---
It was just another big town with midnight's neon glare.

Long night, it's a long night I know,
The bus rides and the nowhere to go.
I've seen what the street corners do to things like love and dreams.
Seen what the bottle can do to a man with his hopes and his schemes.

A long night, what a long night it has been.
The wheelers and the dealers, they win.
I've tasted the ninety-proof gin and chased it away with the blues.
I rarely pay debts that I owed but I sure have paid my dues.
No daylight, just a long night for me...

A Little Street Where Old Friends Meet

A Little Street Where Old Friends Meet
music by Harry M. Woods
lyric by Gus Kahn (that's Gus Kahn in the center)


It's just a little street where old friends meet,

I'd love to wander back some day.

To you it may be old and sort of tumble down,

But it meant a lot to folks in my hometown.

Although I'm rich or poor, I still feel sure

I'm welcome as the flowers in May.

It's just a little street where old friends meet, and treat you in the same old way.

Although I'm rich or poor, I still feel sure

I'm welcome as the flowers in May.

It's just a little street where old friends meet,

And treat you in the same old way...

A Little Birdie Told Me So

A Little Birdie Told Me So

music by Richard Rodgers
lyric by Lorenz Hart

Mother said, "My darling, if you're going to New York, I must tell you of the mysteries of life.
To towns like that, a little friendly visit from the stork is rather awkward if you're not a wife!
Although he's not invited, he'll always be delighted to fly in on a weekend.
Where will that fellow's cheek end?"
But I replied, "I know just what to do, dear, while I roam---
I'll simply tell the stork I'm not at home."

How did I come to know which way the wind would blow?
A little birdie told me so!
A little word called 'yes' can make an awful mess.
The answer to "Giddap" is "Whoa."

Don't pity mother Eve, her weakness was detestable,
And soon she learned forbidden fruit was indigestable!
But how did I find out what it was all about?
A little birdie told me so!

When a handsome stranger says, "I think we've met before,"
There's more than conversation on his mind.
When he says, "Our souls should meet," just show him to the door!
For the meeting that he means is not refined!
He'll say his love is mental, and very transcendental.
His talk will soon get boorish, and very ostermoorish.
He will use poetic words that no one understands, and illustrate the meaning with his hands...

How did I come to know which way the wind would blow?
A little birdie told me so!
So look before you leap---the narrow path is steep.
One little push and down you go!
Of very pure young girls I wouldn't say there's none that's left!
But purest driven snow will sometimes drift, you know.
A little birdie told me so!

A Kiss To Build A Dream On

A Kiss To Build A Dream On
music by Bert Kalmar (on the left)
lyric by Harry Ruby (center) & Oscar Hammerstein II (on the right)

Give me a kiss to build a dream on and my imagination will thrive upon that kiss.

Sweetheart, I ask no more than this, a kiss to build a dream on.

Give me a kiss before you leave me and my imagination will feed my hungry heart.

Leave me one thing before we part; a kiss to build a dream on...

When I'm alone with my fancies I'll be with you.

Weaving romances, making believe they're true...

Give me your lips for just a moment and my imagination will make that moment live;

Give me what you alone can give;

A kiss to build a dream on...

A Good Man Is A Seldom Thing

A Good Man Is A Seldom Thing
by Charles DeForest

He's a worthless sort of guy but what a case I've got.

First he loves me good and then he loves me not.

He rules me like a puppet on a string but a good man is a seldom thing...

He says he'll drop around; I dream and watch and wait and hush the wiser voice

That whispers "fool, it's too late."

But I need, I need that little love to bring but a good man is a seldom thing...

I tell myself that it's finished; for love it's the end of the line.

And so I tell him I am finished but he knows there's that one more time...

He'll be by tonight to talk it up a bit and see me on the hunch that maybe this is it;

Then like a lonely child I'll cry and cling; oh but I'm tired of this sometime fling;

But a good man is a seldom thing...

He'll be by tonight to talk it up a bit and see me on the hunch that maybe this is it.

Then like a lonely child I'll cry and cling;

Oh I'm tired of this sometime fling;

But a good man is a seldom thing...

A Garden In The Rain

A Garden In The Rain

music by Carroll Gibbons
lyric by James Dyrenforth

I recall a summer day when you and I strolled away
and suddenly a storm drew nigh.
Seeking shelter from the rain we hurried down a little lane
And found a lovely sight nearby...

'Twas just a graden in the rain, close to a little leafy lane,
A touch of color 'neath skies of gray.

The raindrops kissed the flower beds, the blossoms raised their thirsty heads,
A perfumed thank you they seemed to say.

Surely here was charm beyond compare to you.
Maybe it was just that I was there with you...

'Twas just a garden in the rain, but then the sun came out again and sent us happily on our way...
'Twas just a garden in the rain but then the sun came out again and sent us happily on our way...

A Gal In Calico

A Gal In Calico
music by Arthur Schwartz
lyric by Leo Robin

Met a gal in calico down in Santa Fe;

Used to be her Sunday beau till I rode away.

Di I want her? Do I want her love? Yes siree.

Will I win her? Will I win her love? Wait and see.

Workin' with a rodeo, go from town to town.

See most every kind of gal, every kind of gown,

But who made my heart sing yippee yi, yippee yo,

My little gal in calico

Take my gal in calico down in Santa Fe.

Guess I'd better let her know that I feel this way.

Is she waitin'? Is she waitin'? She better be.

Am I hopin' to be ropin' her? Yes siree.

Gonna quit the rodeo, gonna settle down.

But a bolt of calico for a weddin' gown.

Then will I fence her in, yippee yi, yippee yo,

My little gal in calico...

A Friend Of Yours

A Friend Of Yours
music by Jimmy Van Heusen
lyric by Johnny Burke

Just say that I'm a friend of yours,

and maybe they won't get wise.

And if they see us together I'll brush the dreams from my eyes.

I'll tell my heart it musn't sing the song of remember when.

Just say that I'm a friend of yours that you happened to meet again.

I'll tell my heart that it musn't sing the song of remember when.

Just say that I'm a friend of yours that you happened to meet again...

A Foggy Day

A Foggy Day music by George Gershwin-lyric by Ira Gershwin

Out of town were the people I knew.

I had that feeling of self-pity: What to do? What to do? What to do?

The outlook was decidedly blue.

But as I walked through the foggy streets alone, it turned out to be the luckiest day I've known...

A foggy day in London Town had me low and had me down.

I viewed the morning with alarm.

The British Museum had lost its charm.

How long I wondered, could this thing last?

But the age of miracles hadn't passed, for, suddenly, I saw you there---

And through foggy London Town the sun was shining everywhere...

A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing

A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing

by Billy Strayhorn

A flower is a lovesome thing.

A luscious living lovesome thing.

A daffodil, a rose, no matter where it grows is such a lovely lovesome thing.

A flower is the heart of spring that makes the rolling hills sad sing.

The gentle winds that blow, blow gently for they know a flower is a lovesome thing.

Playing in the breeze.

Swaying with the trees.

In the silent night or in the morning light.

Such a miracle...

Azaleas drinking pale moonbeams.

Gardenias jumping through daydreams.

Wherever it may grow no matter where you go,

A flower is a lovesome thing...

A Fine Romance

A Fine Romance

music by Jerome Kern (left)

lyric by Dorothy Fields (right)

A fine romance! With no kisses! A fine romance, my friend, this is!

We should be like a couple of hot tomatoes,

But you're as cold as yesterday's mashed potatoes.

A fine romance! You won't nestle!

A fine romance, you won't wrestle!

I might as well play bridge with my old maid aunt

I haven't got a chance.

This is a fine romance!

A fine romance! With no kisses! A fine romance, my friend, this is!

We two should be like clams in a dish of chowder; but we just fizz like parts of a Seidlitz powder.

A fine romance with no clinches, a fine romance with no pinches,

You're just as hard to land as the "Isle de France!" I haven't got a chance, this is a fine romance!

A fine romance! My good fellow! You take romance, I'll take Jello!

A fine romance! With no quarrels, with no insults, and all morals!

I've never mussed the crease in your blue serge pants, I never get the chance.

This is a fine romance!

A fine romance! My dear Duchess! Two old fogies who need crutches!

True love should have the thrills that a healthy crime has!

We don't have half the thrill that the "March of Time" has!

A fine romance, my good woman! My strong "Aged in the wood!" woman!

You never give the orchids I send a glance! No! You like cactus plants, this is a fine romance!

A Fellow Needs A Girl

A Fellow Needs A Girl

music by Richard Rodgers (left)

lyric by Oscar Hammerstein II (right)

A fellow needs a girl to sit by his side at the end of a weary day,
To sit by his side and listen to him talk and agree with the things he'll say.
A fellow needs a girl to hold in his arms when the rest of the world goes wrong,
To hold in his arms and know that she believes that her fellow is wise and strong.

When things go right and his job's well done,
He wants to share the prize he's won.
If no one shares and no one cares,
Where's the fun of a job well done or a prize you've won?

A fellow needs a home, his own kind of home, but to make this dream come true,
A fellow needs a girl, his own kind of girl...
My kind of girl is you...

A Fella With An Umbrella

A Fella With An Umbrella

words & music by Irving Berlin

Who am I, what's my name, where I'm from, how I came.
Doesn't matter, dear.
Long as I am here...

I'm just a fella, a fella with an umbrella,
Looking for a girl who saved her love for a rainy day.
I'm just a fella, a fella with an umbrella,
Glad to see the skies of blue have turned into skies of gray.

Raindrops have brought us together, and that's what I longed to see;
Maybe the break in the weather will prove to be a break for me.

So I'll be the fella, the fella with an umbrella,
If you'll be the girl who saved her love for a rainy day...

Cloudy sky, looks like rain,
Gor no time to explain how I happened here---
Doesn't matter, dear...