I'VE GOT TO SING A TORCH SONG
Harry Warren (m) Al Dubin (l)  1933

as rec by Bing Crosby w Jimmie Grier & his Orch  
June 16th 1933 Los Angeles

also rec by-
Hal Kemp & his Orch '37
Rudy Vallee & his Connecticut Yankees


A clown can laugh when he's unhappy,
Sometimes I wish I were a clown!
I'd like to sing away my sorrow,
Every sorrow, every frown.
A lively jingle never cheers me,
I sing of love when no-one hears me.

I've gotta sing a torch song,
For that's the way I feel;
When I feel a thing
That I can sing,
It must be real.

I couldn't sing a gay song,
It wouldn't be sincere;
I could never croon
A happy tune
Without a tear.

I have my dreams, but one by one
They vanish in the sky.
I try to smile and face the sun,
But romance passes by.

I've gotta sing a torch song
To someone far apart,
For the torch I bear
Is burning there,
Right in my heart!

I have my dreams, but one by one
They vanish in the sky.
I try to smile and face the sun,
But romance passes by.

I've gotta sing a torch song
To someone far apart,
For the torch I bear
Is burning there,
Right in my heart!





(Contributed by Peter Akers - July 2009)