I'VE GROWN ACCUSTOMED TO HER FACE
From "My Fair Lady"
(Alan Jay Lerner / Frederick Loewe)
Rex Harrison
Also recorded by: Ronnie Aldrich; Herb Alpert; Chet Baker; Count Basie;
Tony Bennett; Ruby Braff; Cecil Brooks III; Les Brown & his Band of Renown;
Jimmy Bruno; Joe Bushkin; Jerry Butler; Jackie Cain; Michael Civisca;
Richard Clayderman; Jay Clayton; Nat King Cole; Jeff Colella; Ray Conniff;
Dunstan Coulber Quartet; Clare Daly; Jesse Davis Quartet; Sammy Davis Jr.;
Paul Desmond; Marlene Dietrich; Arne Donerus & his Orch.; Billy Eckstine;
Dewey Erney; Douglas Fairbanks Jr.; Percy Faith; Fans; Fantastic Strings;
Michael Feinstein; Jonathon Feldman Trio; Eddie Fisher; Molly Flannery;
Bruce Forman; Forty Second Street Singers; George Freeman; Marvin Gaye;
Stan Getz; Jackie Gleason; Golden State Orch. & Singers; Benny Goodman;
John Greaves; Buddy Greco; Frank Haley; Eddie Harris; Sam Harris;
Coleman Hawkins; Buck Hill; Rick Hollander; Marchel Ivery; Milt Jackson;
Roger Kellaway; Steve Lawrence; Gordon MacRae; Shelly Manne; Mantovani;
Dean Martin; Johnny Mathis; Martine McCutcheon; Matt Monro;
Gerry Mulligan Quartet; Oscar Peterson; Edmundo Ros; Rod Stewart;
Barbra Streisand; The Temptaions; Claude Thornhill & his Orch.;
Andy Williams; ..... and many others.
Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn!
I've grown accustomed to her face.
She almost makes the day begin.
I've grown accustomed to the tune
That she whistles night and noon.
Her smiles, her frowns,
Her ups, her downs
Are second nature to me now,
Like breathing out and breathing in.
I was serenly independent
And content before we met.
Surely I could always be that way again - and yet,
I've grown accustomed to her look,
Accustomed to her voice,
Accustomed to her face.
(Spoken)
Marry Freddy. What an infantile idea. What a heartless,
wicked, brainless thing to do. But she'll regret it. It's
doomed before they even take the vow.
I can see her now, Mrs. Freddy Eynsford-Hill,
In a wretched little flat above a store.
I can see her now, not a penny in the till,
And a bill collector beating at the door.
She'll try to teach the things I taught her,
And end up selling flowers instead.
Begging for her bread and water,
While her husband has his breakfast in bed.
In a year or so, when she's prematurely grey,
And the blossom in her cheek has turned to chalk,
She'll come home and lo,
He'll have upped and run away,
With a social-climbing heiress from New York.
Poor Eliza. How simply frightful!
How humiliating! How delightful!
How poignant it'll be on that inevitable night
When she hammers on my door in tears and rags.
Miserable and lonely, repentant and contrite,
Will I take her in or hurl her to the walls?
Give her kindness or the treatment she deserves?
Will I take her back or throw the baggage out?
But, I'm a most forgiving man,
The sort who never could, never would,
Take a position and staunchly never budge.
A most forgiving man.
But I shall never take take her back
If she were even crawling on her knees.
Let her promise to atone,
Let her shiver, let her moan,
I'll slam the door and let the hell-cat freeze!
Marry Freddy, HA!
But I'm so used to hear her day,
"Good morning" ev'ry day.
Her joys, her woes,
Her highs, her lows,
Are second nature to me now,
Like breathing out and breathing in.
I'm very grateful she's a woman,
And so easy to forget, rather like a habit
One can always break - and yet,
I've grown accustomed to the trace,
Of something in the air,
Accustomed to her face.
(Contributed by Charles Schlereth - February 2006)
*****
AS SUNG BY:
Tony Bennett
I've grown accustomed to her face
She almost makes the day begin
I've grown accustomed to the tune she whistles night and noon
Her smiles, her frowns, her ups, her downs
Are second nature to me now
Like breathing out and breathing in
I was serenely independent and content before we met
Surely I could always be that way again and yet
I've grown accustomed to her looks, accustomed to her voice,
Accustomed to her face
(Short Musical Break)
I'm very grateful she's a woman and so easy to forget
Rather like a habit one can always break and yet
I've grown accustomed to the trace of something in the air,
Accustomed to her face
(Contributed/Transcribed by Bill Huntley - March 2005)
*****
A SU MIRAR ME ACOSTUMBRÉ
From "Mi Bella Dama"
(Alan Jay Lerner / Frederick Loewe / Manolo Fabregas)
Manolo Fabregas
Ya! Ya! Ya! Ya!
A su mirar me acostumbré,
Con ella el sol volvió a nacer.
A su vivir me acostumbré,
Y a verla junto a mí,
Andar, reír, hablar, gemir.
Una segunda juventud,
Un nuevo día en mi vivir.
Yo me jactaba de ser libre,
De ser dueño de mi ser,
Libre sin que nadie me dijera lo que hacer.
Hasta que al fin la conocí,
Y así me acostumbré a ser un nuevo ser.
(Hablado)
Casarse con Freddy, JA!
Que descabellada, que dura, tonta y absurda idea.
Pero las pagará, las pagará. Esa boda es un desastre
Aún antes de la bendición.
Puedo verla ya, con su digna majestad,
En un cuarto miserable de pensión.
Puedo verla ya sin poder ni pan comprar,
En la puerta un enfurecido cobrador.
Querrá lucrar con mis lecciónes,
Para el marido mantener.
Y otra vez vendiendo flores,
En el arroyo ha de ser. JA!
En un año más con el pelo todo gris,
Sus mejillas lucerán otro color.
Y el marido aquél que juró amor sin fin,
Habrá ido a Paris o Nuevo York.
Pobre Eliza. Que horrible caso!
Que degradante! Que delicioso!
Y que tremenda noche en que envitablemente llamará
Y acudirá a mi puerta ahogada en llanto,
Desesperada y sóla, arrepentida y contrita.
La dejaré entrar o la echaré a los lobos?
Seré bondadoso o le daré merecido?
La invitaré o la arrojaré como un trapo viejo?
Soy un hombre sin rencor,
Y es más sin torquedad sin maldad.
Nunca he sacado ventaja de alguien jamás.
Todo un hombre sin rencor.
Más, yo nunca más atestaré,
Aún de rodillas a mis pies.
Aunque jure por su honor,
Aunque llore de dolor,
Con la puerta en las narices le daré!
Casarse con Freddy, BAH!
Sin embargo escucho aún su risa al despertar,
Su linda voz, sus sí's, sus no's.
Una segunda juventud,
Un nuevo día en mi vivir.
Por suerte siempre ha sido fácil,
Olvidar a una mujer.
Todo el mundo lo hace.
Yo podré también, si no es
Por la costumbre que hay en mí,
De algo que no sé, de algo que sentí.
(Contributed by Charles Schlereth - February 2006)
*****
