A SWEATER, A SARONG AND A PEEK-A-BOO BANG
>From the film "Star Spangled Rhythm" (1942)
(Music: Harold Arlen / Lyrics: Johnny Mercer)


As performed by PAULETTE GODDARD, DOROTHY LAMOUR, and VERONICA LAKE 
(dubbed by MARTHA MEARS), with Arthur Treacher, Walter Catlett and Sterling Holloway
in the 1942 film:




GODDARD, LAMOUR & LAKE:
In us you see three very unhappy ladies of the silver screen
Our lives should be a wonderful bed of roses, but they're just a routine
LAKE: Sleep at ten
GODDARD: Wake at dawn
LAMOUR: Get up and put the glamour on
ALL: In us you see three very unhappy ladies of the silver screen

ALL:
We came out to make the grade in moving pictures
We came out to mingle with the glamour gang
But we're sorry that we came
For our only claim to fame
GODDARD: Is a sweater
LAMOUR: A sarong
LAKE: And a peek-a-boo bang

ALL:
Oh, the money that we spent to learn dramatics
Oh, the vocal exercises that we sang
All went scootin' down the drain 
When they met us at the train
GODDARD: With a sweater
LAMOUR: A sarong
LAKE: And a peek-a-boo bang

LAMOUR:
We've played at chases, tender embraces
And every sort of scene
GODDARD:
But the disgrace is, so far our faces
Haven't got on the screen
LAKE: 
You can have your picture taken with a panther
GODDARD: 
Or perhaps adopt a small orang-utang
LAMOUR:
Are you ladies telling me I've been living in a tree
In sarongs that aren't as long as a peek-a-boo bang
LAKE:
All she ever sees is sweaters on a campus
GODDARD:
All she ever sees is jungles in Panang
LAMOUR:
Well, we're luckier than she
Both of us at least can see
GODDARD & LAMOUR:
Yes, a sweater must be better than a peek-a-boo bang
Yes, a sweater must be better than a peek-a-boo-bang

TREACHER, CATLETT & HOLLOWAY: 
We were bathing beauties in the style of Sennett
When they hit you in the kisser with a meringue
Throwing pastry is passe
So we earn our gold today
With a sweater, a sarong and a peek-a-boo bang

Once we had our wardrobe made by custom tailors
But these outfits seem to add a little tag
And the public fairly begs
For a chance to see our legs
In a sweater, a sarong and a peek-a-boo bang

GODDARD, LAMOUR & LAKE:
For these costumes that we wear, we take no credit
And we'd like to tell you all from whence they sprang
Three designers that we know
Set the fashion long ago
Mussolini, Hirohito and a peek-a-boo bang






(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - February 2015)