A MAN'S GOTTA BE (WHAT HE'S BORN TO BE)
From the film: "Tom Sawyer" aka "A Musical Adaptation of Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer" - 1973
(Robert B. Sherman / Richard M. Sherman)
Muff Potter (Warren Oates), Tom Sawyer (Johnny Whitaker), Huckleberry Finn (Jeff East)


Muff:
Take a look at the folks you've knowed
Young or growed
Some keep trivin'
And some keep strivin' in vain
It's a matter of destiny
Who you'll be
The judge or the preacher
Or pitiful creature
They's hangin' from a tree

Whoa, a man's gotta be
What he's born to be
So just sit back and wait
Be it soon or late,
He'll be small or great
Yeah, a man's gotta be
What he's born to be
Just sit back and wait
Soon or late,
Small or great
There ain't no fightin' fate

Doesn't matter what you may try
By and by
Some get lucky,
And some get stuck in the mud
That's the way the ol' world behaves
Why make waves?
Sooner or later,
Just as a potater
We're planted in our graves

Whoa, a man's gotta be
What he's born to be
So just sit back and wait
Be it soon or late,
He'll be small or great
Yeah, a man's gotta be
What he's born to be
So just sit back and wait
Soon or late,
Small or great
There ain't no fightin' fate

Where's the future
In plans and schemes
When it seems
That ol' grim reaper
Will soon, be a-leapin' on you?
When it's over,
You'll know you're bound
To be found
Wearin' your Sunday clothes,
Sleepin' in sweet repose
Six feet under ground

Muff and Tom:
Whoa, a man's gotta be
What he's born to be
So just sit back and wait
Be it soon or late,
He'll be small or great
Yeah, a man's gotta be
What he's born to be
Just sit back and wait
Soon or late,
Small or great
There ain't no fightin' fate
No, Sir, there ain't no fightin' fate

Muff, Tom and Huck:

Whoa, a man's gotta be
What he's born to be
So just sit back and wait
Be it soon or late,
He'll be small or great
Yeah, a man's gotta be
What he's born to be
Just sit back and wait
Soon or late,
Small or great
There ain't no fightin' fate
No, Sir, there ain't no fightin' fate!



(Transcribed by Carlene Bogle - April 2004)