He'd Have to Get Under – Get Out and Get Under - Bobby North 1908

"He'd Have to Get Under – Get Out and Get Under (to Fix Up His Automobile)" is one of the lengthier titles in the history of popular songs. The song was published in 1913, with music by

Maurice Abrahams Maurice Abrahams (March 18, 1883 – April 13, 1931) was an American songwriter and music publisher, who was successful in the early years of the 20th century. Biography Abrahams was born in Odessa, Russia, and emigrated to the US as a child in ...

and lyrics by

Grant Clarke Grant Clarke (May 14, 1891, Akron, Ohio – May 16, 1931, California) was an American songwriter. Clarke moved to New York City early in his career, where he worked as an actor and a staff writer for comedians. He began working on Tin Pan Alley, ...

and

Edgar Leslie Edgar Leslie (December 31, 1885 – January 22, 1976) was an American songwriter. Biography Edgar Leslie was born in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1885. He studied at the Cooper Union in New York. He published his first song in 1909, starting a lo ...

. It was introduced in vaudeville by

Adele Ritchie Adele Ritchie (December 21, 1874 – April 24, 1930) was an American prima donna of comic opera and star of Edwardian musical comedies and vaudeville. Her career began in the early 1890s and continued for nearly twenty-five years. She killed a f ...

, was a hit for recording artists such as

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed ...

in 1913, Billy Murray in 1914, duo Debbie Reynolds and Carleton Carpenter in 1951 and was revived by Bobby Horton in the Ken Burns documentary film '' Horatio's Drive'' (2003). The title was essentially self-defining. The song poked fun at the trials and tribulations of the average young car owner of the 1910s, especially when he wanted to get down to some serious "sparking" with his female passenger.

Lyrics

Verse 1

:Johnny O'Connor bought an automobile, :He took his sweetheart for a ride one Sunday. :Johnny was togged up in his best Sunday clothes, :She nestled close to his side. :Things were just dandy till he got down the road, :Then something happened to the old machin'ry. :That engine got his goat, :Off went his hat and coat, :Ev'rything needed repairs.

Chorus

Verse 2

:Millionaire Wilson said to Johnny one day, :"Your little sweetheart don't appreciate you, :I have a daughter who is hungry for love, :She likes to ride, by the way". :Johnny had visions of a million in gold, :He took her riding in his little auto, :But ev'ry time that he went to say "Marry me", :'Twas the old story again.

Chorus

:He'd have to get under, :Get out and get under :To fix up his little machine. :He was just dying to cuddle his queen, :But ev'ry minute :When he'd begin it, :He'd have to get under, :Get out and get under, :Then he'd get back at the wheel. :A dozen times they'd start to hug and kiss :And then the darned old engine it would miss, :And then he'd have to get under, :Get out and get under, :And fix up his automobile. : :ALTERNATIVE CHORUS VERSES : :A dozen times of love he'd try to speak, :And then the radiator it would leak, :And then he'd have to get under, :Get out and get under, :And fix up his automobile. : :To kiss and squeeze he'd boldly get to work, :And then the brakes would slip there'd be a jerk, :And then he'd have to get under, :Get out and get under, :And fix up his automobile. : :He'd start to tell the tale with lots of swank, :And then he'd find no petrol in the tank :And then he'd have to get under, :Get out and get under, :And fix up his automobile. :And then he'd have to get under—get out and get under—and fix up his automobile.

References

External links

Billy Murray's 1914 recording of the song
{{DEFAULTSORT:He'd Have to Get Under - Get Out and Get Under (to Fix Up His Automobile) 1913 songs Billy Murray (singer) songs Songs written by Maurice Abrahams Songs about cars Songs written by Grant Clarke Al Jolson songs Songs written by Edgar Leslie