AH STILL SUITS ME
From the film "Show Boat" (1936)
(Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern)

Paul Robeson & Hattie McDaniel (Film Soundtrack) - 1936
Paul Robeson & Elisabeth Welch - 1936
Bing Crosby & Lee Wiley (Recorded as "I Still Suits Me") - 1947
Thomas Carey & Ena Cabayo (London Revival) - 1971



(The kitchen. JOE is shelling peas. The show boat is rocking
violently on the swollen river. A lurch of the boat sends the
boat of shelled peas to the floor. JOE looks down at them dubiously.
QUEENIE enters)

QUEENIE
Joe! Dere you go again! Look at dem peas all over de floor!

JOE
River done it...

QUEENIE
De river done it?!?

JOE
Ol' river can do mos' anything, Queenie.
Look out dere what it's doin' now - won't be letting us
give no show tonight.
(QUEENIE gets on her knees and proceeds
to put the peas back in the bowl)

QUEENIE
Show? Dat don't worry me none. Dere's
somethin' else on dis ol' boat worries me mo'.

JOE
Miss Nola?

QUEENIE
Dat's what...

JOE
She be all right.

QUEENIE
Dat's what you say 'bout ev'rythin'. You don't get excited.
Why? 'Cause you don't do nuthin'. You don' cook like me.
You don' act like the show folk. You don' work on the tow
boat. What do you do?

JOE
Well, I jes' shelled dem peas.

QUEENIE
(snorting)
You ain't pickin' dem up.

JOE
No, but I could've ef you didn't do it. I could do a lot of
things ef it wuz necessary.

QUEENIE
Den why don'cha?

JOE
It ain't necessary...
(He starts to sing, extemporaneously rhyming, stating his
mood of the moment. He sings as QUEENIE goes about her work)

JOE
Keep on a-naggin',
'n bullyraggin',
'n criticizin',
'n call me pizen,
Ah ain't apologizin', no siree!
No matter what you say,
Ah still suits me.
De rag you're chewin'
Mus' be a ruin,
Keep right on knockin',
Keep right on mockin',
Mah rockin' chair ain't rockin',
No siree!
No matter what you say,
Ah still suits me.

QUEENIE
(coming over to him, belligerently)
Does you ever wash the dishes?
Does you do the things I wishes?
Does you do dem?
No, you don't!
Will you do dem?
No, you won't!
When dere's any workin' to it
I'm de one dat's gotta do it!
When it's rainin' who's the feller
Uses up the whole umbreller?
Selfish as a man can be!

JOE
(looking up blandly)
No matter what you say,
Ah still suits me.

QUEENIE
You don' make money!

JOE
Ah know dat, honey!

QUEENIE
I never see none!

JOE
Ain't gonna be none,
But dat don' worry me none,
No siree!

QUEENIE
(spoken)
Shif'less! Lifeless! No good!

JOE
No matter what you say,
Ah still suits me.

I may be no good,
No good fo' yo' good,
I may be lifeless,
But wid one wife less
Mah life would be mo' strifeless,
Yes siree!
No matter what you say
Ah still suits me.

(imitating QUEENIE with falsetto exaggeration)
Does you ever wash de dishes?
Does you do de things ah wishes?
Does you do dem?
No you don't!
Will you do dem?
No, you won't!

QUEENIE
(interrupting)
Always imitatin' me
An' always aggravation' me!
Den in spite of ev'rything,
'Spite of all de grief you bring,
'Xpectin' me to love you true!

JOE
No matter what you say,
Ah thinks you do.
(He reaches out and pulls her to him affectionately.
She roars with glee)

******

as rec by Bing Crosby & Lee Wiley w Victor Young & his Orch  
March 17th 1947 Los Angeles


[bc]
Keep on a-naggin' and bully-raggin'
And criticisin' and call me "pison!",
I ain't apologisin', no sirree,
No matter what you say, I still suits me!

[lw]
Does you ever wash the dishes?
Does you do the things I wishes?
Does you do them?  No you don't!
Will you do them?  No you won't!

When there's any workin' to it,
I'm the one who's got to do it!
When it's rainin', who's the fella
Uses up the whole umbrella?
selfish as a man can be!
[bc]
No matter what you say, I still suits me!

[lw]
You don't make money,
[bc]
Ha-ha, I know that honey!
[lw]
I never see none!
[bc]
And there ain't likely to be none!
But that don't worry me none, no sirree,
[lw]
Shiftless, lifeless, and no good!
[bc]
No matter what you say, I still suits me!

[lw]
I may be no good -
[bc]
No good for your good!
[lw]
I may be lifeless -
[bc]
But with one wife less
My life would be more strifeless, yes sirree,
No matter what you say, I still suits me!

"Does you ever wash the dishes?
Does you do the things I wishes?
Does you do them?  No you don't!
Will you do them?  No you won't!".

[lw]
Always imitatin' me,
Always aggravatin' me!
Still in spite of everythin',
Spite of all the grief you bring,
'Xpecting me to love you true!
[bc]
Ha-ha-ho-ho-ho!
No matter whart you say, I think you do!
[lw]
I knows I do!




(Transcribed by Peter Akers - June 2011)