Why Are There Two Sets Of Lyrics To "The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe?"

Why are there two sets? The second one is more swinging

For the same reason there are two sets of lyrics to "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas."

There are different sets of lyrics, but nothing -- and I mean nothing--had quite the impact on me like Forbidden Broadway's take on "Anna Karenina."

Do you hear that train come round the bend?

It means the tale of Anna is about to end

As I throw myself to my new address

'Neath the Askebad, Tbilisi and Kiev Express!

Here she comes!

Mister Station Master wave your flag!

Here she comes!

And send me back to Moscow in a bodybag

Then you'll hear that mournful whisle blow

My scarve will wrap around the wheels below

All the way to old Siberi-aaayyyy--aaaay

'Neath the Askebad...

'Neath the Askebad, Tbilisi...

Neath the Askebad, Tbilisi and Kiev Express!

Do ya hear that whistles down the line?

I figure that she's gonna want to sixty nine

She's the only one that'll sound that way

Is the boobie bitch who gives it away

Who's that comin' 'round the bend

I reckon she is gonna take up her end

Folks around these parts have the time of day

With the boobie bitch, who gives it away

Here she comes Whoo hoo hoo hoo hoo Hey, Jim you'd better get the rig Whoo hoo hoo hoo hoo She's got a list o' passengers that's pretty big

And they'll all want lifts to the brothel

'Cause lots o' them been travelin' and frankly smell

All the way from Philadelphiay

For the boobie bitch, who gives it away

Bingo r2.

This is true of many standards.

Today most songs have a few lyrical lines which are repeated and repeated.

In the old days when there were professionals lyricists writing the words to pop songs, writers would sometimes have an overflow of lyrics, in effect enough for multiple versions of a song. There might be a movie version and then a version for pop radio.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas has two sets of lyrics, as well. At least the "until then we'll have to muddle through somehow" line is changed to "hang a shining star upon the highest bough" most of the time whenever anyone sang or sings it. The original lyric referenced the Smith's storyline of moving to NYC and having to stick together. I guess that line doesn't work so well for someone just singing a Christmas song, by itself?

One is for gays and one is for straights.

Well in the film, Judy's lyric is specific to her character in the story. Nobody ever sings that. They sing the lyric that's sung by the sweeper in the saloon. Then there's all the Kay Thompson embroidery for the Girls and townsfolk.

Wait, there used to be music where you could understand the lyrics?

r8, no Judy lyric is for straights.

“You can finger me along the way, on the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe” is the line that’s usually changed.

I hate the "revised" lyrics to HYAMLC. Sinatra made them change it to the banal "highest bough" crap, because he wanted to do a "jolly" Christmas album.

[quote]Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas has two sets of lyrics, as well. At least the "until then we'll have to muddle through somehow" line is changed to "hang a shining star upon the highest bough" most of the time whenever anyone sang or sings it.

Yes, the original lyrics reflect the movie's plot, about the Smiths having to leave St. Louis, but they also reference the World War II era in which the movie was made, when so many families had loves ones off fighting the war. They reflect America's yearning for the end of the war, when families would be together again. The lyrics were changed post-war to make it a happier holiday song.

^^ loved ones

George Sidney, the director of THG, said that Judy watched the choreography that had been worked out for her, then did it right on the first take. There's quite a bit of business in it. She was uncanny.

June 22, it's 50 years that she's gone...

There's another set of lyrics to Have Yourself... that never got recorded, including lines like " have yourself a Merry Little Christmas, It may be your last / Next year we may all be living in the past"

Cole Porter seemingly never stopped writing lyrics for "You're the Top" and when he wasn't writing more, Noel Coward was.

R18 I think that was an early lyric that Garland said no to.

Songwriter Hugh Martin said in an interview that Judy told him that if she sang those lyrics to little Margaret O'Brien ("Have yourself a merry little Christmas, It may be your last . . . "), "the audience will hate me."