INDEX OF SONGS & LYRICS “F”
Falling in Love Again (Can’t Help It)	2 versions
Farewell To Storyville
Fine And Mellow	12 versions
Foolin’ Myself	2 versions
For All We Know
For Heaven’s Sake
Forget If You Can	2 versions

60. Falling In Love Again (Can’t Help It)

Friedrich Hollaender & Sammy Lerner

Falling in love again
Never wanted to
What am I to do?
Can’t help it

Love’s always been my game
Play it as I may
I was born that way
Can’t help it

Men flock around me
Like moths around a flame
So if their wings burn
I know I’m not to blame

Falling in love again
Never wanted to
What am I to do?
Gee I can’t help it

(bridge)

Men flock around me
Like moths around a flame
So if their wings burn
I know I’m not to blame

Falling in love again
Never wanted to
What am I to do
Can’t help it

Can’t help it
Can’t help it

 

Falling in love again – 2nd version

Falling in love again
Never wanted to
What am I to do?
Can’t help it

Love’s always been my game
Play it as I may
I was born that way
Can’t help it

Men flock around me
Like moths around a flame
And if their wings burn
I know I’m not to blame

Falling in love again
Never wanted to
What am I to do?
Gee I can’t help it

(bridge)

Men flock around me
Like moths around a flame
So if their wings burn
I know I’m not to blame

Falling in love again
Never wanted to
What am I to do
Can’t help it

I’m falling
Can’t help it

 

Notes

This is the English language name for a 1930 German song composed by Friedrich Hollaender as “Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt” (literally: “I am, from head to toe, ready for love”). The song was originally performed in the film Der Blaue Engel (English translation: The Blue Angel ) by Marlene Dietrich, who also recorded the most famous English version, which became her anthem. The English lyrics were written by Sammy Lerner, but are in no way a direct translation of the more erotic original (Wikipedia).

 

 

 

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61. Farewell To Storyville

Lyrics and Music by Clarence Williams & Spencer Williams

– sings the vocal choir

All you old-time queens from New Orleans who lived in Storyville
You sang the blues try to amuse here’s how they pay the bill
The law stepped in and call it sin to have a little fun
The police car has made a stop and Storyville is done
Pick out your steamboat pick yourself a train
– a slow old train
Pick out your steamboat pick yourself a train
– a slow old train
They made you close-up they’ll never let you back
– won’t let you back
Go buy your ticket or else you walk the track

No use complaining blue sky’s follow rain
– the cold old rain
No use complaining blue sky’s follow rain
– the cold old rain
Just say farewell now and get your one last thrill
– your one last thrill
Just say farewell now farewell to Storyville

– no use complaining blue sky’s follow rain
– the cold old rain
– just say farewell now farewell to Storyville

– just say farewell now and get your one last thrill
– your one last thrill
– just say farewell now farewell to Storyville

 

Notes

This is another song from the movie New Orleans, featuring Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong (see the main title Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans? in the menu Songs D). Below you may see the YouTube vídeo, one of the rare Biilie’s vídeos, in this case a film.

 New Orleans (Billie Holiday & Louis Armstrong)

 

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 62. Fine And Mellow (1939)

Billie Holiday

Follows 12 versions of the slyrics

My man don’t love me
Treats me oh so mean
My man he don’t love me
Treats me awfully (awful mean)
He’s the lowest man
That I’ve ever seen

He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow
He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow

But when he starts in to love me
He’s so fine and mellow

Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long
Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long

Love will make you do things
That you know is wrong

But if you treat me right baby
I’ll stay home every day
If you treat me right baby
I’ll stay home every day

But you’re so mean to me baby
I know you’re gonna drive me away

Love is just like a faucet
It turns off and on
Love is like a faucet
It turns off and on

Sometimes when you think it’s on baby
It has turned off and gone

 

Fine And Mellow – 2nd version

My man don’t love me
Treats me oh so mean
My man he don’t love me
Treats me awfully (awful mean)
He’s the lowest man
That I’ve ever seen

He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow
He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow

But when he starts in to love me
He’s so fine and mellow

Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long
Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long

Love will make you do things
That you know is wrong

But if you treat me right baby
I’ll stay home every day
If you just treat me right baby
I’ll stay home every day

But you’re so mean to me baby
I know you’re gonna drive me away

Love is just like a faucet
It turns off and on
Love is like a faucet
It turns off and on

Sometimes when you think it’s on baby
It has turned off and gone

 

Fine And Mellow – 3rd version

rec date	type	#	discography	tk	rec time
1944	LR	18	Perfect Complete Collection v.1	16	3’40”

My man don’t love me
Treats me oh so mean
My man he don’t love me
Treats me awful mean
He’s the lowest man
That I’ve ever seen

He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow
He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow

But when he starts in to love me
He’s so fine and mellow

Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long
Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long

Love will make you do things
That you know is wrong

But if you treat me right baby
I’ll stay home every day
Just treat me right baby
I’ll stay home night and day

But you’re so mean to me baby
I know you’re gonna drive me away

Love is just like a faucet
It turns off and on
Love is like a faucet
It turns off and on

Sometimes when you think it’s on baby
It has turned off and gone

 

Fine And Mellow – 4th version

rec date	type	#	discography	tk	rec time
1945	LR	25	Perfect Complete Collection v.1	22	3’12”

My man don’t love me
Treats me awfully
My man he don’t love me
Treats me awfully
He’s the lowest man
That I’ve ever seen

He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow
He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow

But when he starts in to love me
He’s so fine and mellow

Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long
Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long

Love will make you do things
That you know is wrong

But if you treat me right baby
I’ll stay home every day
Yes treat me right baby
I’ll stay home night and day

But you’re so mean to me baby
I know you’re gonna drive me away

Love is just like a faucet
It turns off and on
Love is like a faucet
It turns off and on

Sometimes when you think it’s on baby
It has turned off and gone

 

Fine And Mellow – 5th version

rec date	type	#	discography	tk	rec time
1946	LR	28	Complete on Verve v.1	4	3’51”

My man don’t love me
Treats me oh so mean
My man he don’t love me
Treats me awful mean
He’s the lowest man
That I’ve ever seen

He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow
He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow

But when he starts in to love me
He’s so fine and mellow

Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long
Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long

Love will make you do things
That you know is wrong

But if you treat me right baby
I’ll stay home every day
Yes treat me right baby
I’ll stay home night and day

But you’re so mean to me baby
I know you’re gonna drive me away

Love is just like a faucet
It turns off and on
Love is like a faucet
It turns off and on

Sometimes when you think it’s on baby
It has turned off and gone

 

Fine And Mellow – 6th version

rec date	type	#	discography	tk	rec time
1949	LR	61	Perfect Complete Collection v.3	21	3’20”

(intro – TV show)

My man don’t love me
Treats me oh so mean
My man he don’t love me
Treats me awful mean
He’s the lowest man
That I’ve ever seen

He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow
He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow

But when he starts in to love me
He is so fine and mellow

Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long
Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long

Love will make you do things
That you know is wrong

But if you treat me right baby
I’ll stay home every day
Yes treat me right baby
I’ll stay home night and day

But you’re so mean to me baby
I know you’re gonna drive me away

Love is just like a faucet
It turns off and on
Love is like a faucet
It turns off and on

Sometimes when you think it’s on baby
It has turned off and gone

 

Fine And Mellow – 7th version

rec date	type	#	discography	tk	rec time
1952	LR	94	Perfect Complete Collection v.5	3	3’41”

My man don’t love me
Treats me oh so mean
My man he don’t love me
Treats me awful mean
He’s the lowest man
That I’ve ever seen

He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow
He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow
But when he starts in to love me
He is so fine and mellow

Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long
Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long
Love will make you do things
That you know is wrong

But if you treat me right baby
I’ll stay home every day
Just treat me right baby
I’ll stay home night and day
But you’re so mean to me baby
I know you’re gonna drive me away

Love is just like a faucet
It turns off and on
Love is like a faucet
It turns off and on
Sometimes when you think it’s on baby
It has turned off and gone

 

Fine And Mellow – 8th version

rec date	type	#	discography	tk	rec time
1954	LR	116	Perfect Complete Collection v.7	7	3’55”

 

(BH introduces the song:

“Thank you very much, Ladies and Gentlemen,

you’re a very, very lovely audience, I’d like trying sing

for you a little blues that I wrote, title
Fine and Mellow”)

 

My man don’t love me
Treats me oh so mean
My man he don’t love me
Treats me awful mean
He’s the lowest man
That I’ve ever seen

He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow
He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow
But when he starts in to love me
He is so fine and mellow

Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long
Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long
Love will make you do things
That you know is wrong

But if you treat me right baby
I’ll stay home every day
Just treat me right baby
I’ll stay home night and day
But you’re so mean to me baby
I know you’re gonna drive me away

Love is just like a faucet
It turns off and on
Love is like a faucet
It turns off and on
Sometimes when you think it’s on baby
It has turned off and gone

(applauses)

 

Fine And Mellow – 9th version

rec date	type	#	discography	tk	rec time
1956	LR	173	Complete on Verve v.8	16	3’15”

My man don’t love me
Treats me oh so mean
My man he don’t love me
Treats me awful mean
He’s the lowest man
That I’ve ever seen

He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow
He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow
But when he starts in to love me
He is so fine and mellow

Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long
Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long
Love will make you do things
That you know is wrong

But if you treat me right baby
I’ll stay home every day
Just treat me right baby
I’ll stay home night and day
But you’re so mean to me baby
I know you’re gonna drive me away

Love is just like a faucet
It turns off and on
Love is like a faucet
It turns off and on
Sometimes when you think it’s on baby
It has turned off and gone

(applauses)

 

Fine And Mellow – 10th version

rec date	type	#	discography	tk	rec time
1957	LR	192	Perfect Complete Collection v.11	9	6’21”

My man don’t love me
Treats me oh so mean
My man he don’t love me
Treats me awful mean
He’s the lowest man
That I’ve ever seen

(bridge)

He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow
He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow
But when he starts in to love me
He is so fine and mellow

(second bridge)

Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long
Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long
Love will make you do things
That you know is wrong

(third bridge)

But if you treat me right baby
I’ll stay home every day
Just treat me right baby
I’ll stay home night and day
But you’re so mean to me baby
I know you’re gonna drive me away

Love is just like a faucet
It turns off and on
Love is like a faucet
It turns off and on
Sometimes when you think it’s on baby
It has turned off and gone

 

Fine And Mellow – 11th version

rec date	type	#	discography	tk	rec time
1957	LR	193	Perfect Complete Collection v.11	10	8’00”

Billie’s being interviewed:
“The blues to me is like being very sad, very sick, on church, being very happy. There’s two kinds of blues: happy blues and the sad blues. I don’t think I ever sing it twice. I don’t think I ever sing the same tempos – sometimes a bit slower, next time a little bit brighter,
depends on how I feel.
I don’t know…blues is so a mixed thing to me…
One has to feel it!
Anything I do sing it’s part of my life!”

 

My man don’t love me
He treats me oh so mean
My man he don’t love me
He treats me awful mean
He’s the lowest man
That I’ve ever seen

(bridge)

He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow
He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow
But when he starts in to love me
He is so fine and mellow

(second bridge)

Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long
Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long
Love will make you do things
That you know is wrong

(third bridge)

Treat me right baby
And I’ll stay home every day
Just treat me right baby
And I’ll stay home night and day
But you’re so mean to me baby
I know you’re gonna drive me away

Love is just like a faucet
It turns off and on
Love is like a faucet
It turns off and on
Sometimes when you think it’s on baby
It has turned off and gone

 

Fine And Mellow – 12th version

rec date	type	#	discography	tk	rec time
1958	LR	214	Private Recording	–	3’28”

My man don’t love me
Treats me oh so mean
My man he don’t love me
Treats me awful mean
He’s the lowest man
That I’ve ever seen

He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow
He wears high draped pants
Stripes are really yellow
But when he starts in to love me
He is so fine and mellow

Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long
Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long
Love will make you do things
That you know is wrong

But if you treat me right baby
I’ll stay home every day
Just treat me right baby
I’ll stay home night and day
But you’re so mean to me baby
I know you’re gonna drive me away

Love is just like a faucet
It turns off and on
Love is like a faucet
It turns off and on
Sometimes when you think it’s on baby
It has turned off and gone

(applauses)

 

Notes

Another song by Billie Holiday, one of her great hits. Note how many recordings we’ve got, most of them live. In some registers we can hear Billie announcing the song or being interviewed. There’s an anthological live version (see menu Live Sessions – LR 192) that you cannot miss – the video below is probably her best ever – I clap my hands (N/A).

  Fine and Mellow (Billie Holiday)

See what Wikipedia says: The song was famously performed by Billie Holiday in 1957 in a television special, The Sound of Jazz. The lineup included several jazz legends (the first six are listed in the order of their solos):

• Ben Webster – tenor saxophone

• Lester Young – tenor saxophone

• Vic Dickenson – trombone

• Gerry Mulligan – baritone saxophone

• Coleman Hawkins – tenor saxophone

• Roy Eldridge – trumpet

• Doc Cheatham – trumpet

• Danny Barker – guitar

• Milt Hinton – double bass

• Mal Waldron – piano

• Osie Johnson – drums

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63. Foolin’ Myself (1937)

lyrics: Jack Lawrence

music: Peter Tinturin

Follows 2 versions of the lyrics

I tell myself I’m through with love
And I’ll having nothing more to do with love
I stay away but every day
I’m just foolin’ myself

I tell my friends that I don’t care
I shrug my shoulders at the whole affair
But they all know it isn’t so
I’m just foolin’ myself

And every time I pass
And see myself in a looking glass
I tip my hat and say
How do you do you fool
You’re throwing your life away

I’m acting gay I’m acting proud
And every time I see you in a crowd
I may pretend but in the end
I’m just foolin’ myself

 

Foolin’ Myself – 2nd version

rec date	type	#	discography	tk	rec time
1958	LR	197	Perfect Complete Collection v.12	2	2’28”

I tell myself I’m through with love
And I’ll having nothing more to do with love
I stay away but every day
I’m just foolin’ myself

I tell my friends that I don’t care
I shrug my shoulders at the whole affair
But they all know it isn’t so
I’m just foolin’ myself

And every time I pass
And see his face in the looking glass
I tip my hat and say
How do you do you fool
You’re throwing your life away

I may seem proud
I may acting gay
But every time I see you in a crowd
I just wanna shout out love
I’m just foolin’ myself

And every time I pass
And see myself in the looking glass
I tip my hat and say
How do you do you fool
You’re throwing your youth away

I may seem proud
I may acting gay
But every time I see you in a crowd
I just wanna shout out love
I’m foolin’ myself
And I mean it
Just fooling myself

Notes

NC

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64. For All We Know (1934)

Lyrics by Sam M. Lewis
Music by J. Fred Coots

Sweetheart the night is growing old
Sweetheart my love is still untold
A kiss that is never tasted
Forever and ever is wasted

For all we know
We may never meet again
Before you go
Make this moment sweet again

We won’t say goodnight
Until the last minute
I’ll hold out my hand
And my heart will be in it

For all we know
This may be only a dream
We come and go
Like a ripple on a stream

So love me tonight
Tomorrow was made for some
Tomorrow may never come
For all we know

Notes

This is one of the best tracks in one of her last LPs Lady in Satin.

 

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65. For Heaven’s Sake

Don Meyer & Elsie Bretton & Sherman Edwards

For heaven’s sake let’s fall in love

It’s no mistake to call it love

An angel’s holding hands with me

How heavenly heaven can be

Here is romance for us to try

Here is a chance we can’t deny

While heaven’s giving us the break

Let’s fall in love for heaven’s sake

Don’t say a word my darling

Don’t break the spell like this

Just hold me tight

We’re alone in the night

And heaven is here in a kiss

This pair of eyes can see a star

So paradise can’t be so far

Since heaven’s what we’re dreaming of For heaven’s sake let’s fall in love

Don’t say a word my darling

Don’t break the spell like this

Just hold me tight

We’re alone in the night

And heaven is here in a kiss

This pair of eyes can see a star

So paradise can’t be so far

Since heaven’s what we’re dreaming of For heaven’s sake let’s fall in love

Notes

NC

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66. Forget If You Can

Jack Manus & K. Upham & L. Joy

Follows 2 versions of the lyrics

Forget if you can
Romantic music one magical night
A corner table in dim candle light
A kiss that was heaven for two

Forget if you can
The day we hiked to where nobody knows
The swell spaghetti at Tony and Joe’s
It hasn’t been fun without you

Don’t you remember
All the silly things we used to do
The way we laughed
When we were photographed
As Handsome Hal and his tintype gal

Why shouldn’t we plan
More happy moments like we used to spend
They were so perfect
Too perfect to end
Let your heart forget if you can

(bridge)

Don’t you remember
All the silly things we used to do
The way we laughed
When we were photographed
As Handsome Hal and his tintype gal

Why shouldn’t we plan
More happy moments like we used to spend
They were so perfect
Too perfect to end
Let your heart forget if you can

 

Forget if you can- 2nd version

Forget if you can
Romantic music one magical night
A corner table in dim candle light
A kiss that was heaven for two

Forget if you can
The day we hiked to where nobody knows
The swell spaghetti at Tony and Joe’s
It hasn’t been fun without you

Don’t you remember
All the silly things we used to do
The way we laughed
When we were photographed
As Handsome Hal and his tintype gal

Why couldn’t we plan
More happy moments like we used to spend
They were so perfect
Too perfect to end
Let your heart forget if you can

(bridge)

Don’t you remember
All the silly things we used to do
The way we laughed
When we were photographed
As Handsome Hal and his tintype gal

Why couldn’t we plan
More happy moments like we used to spend
They were so perfect
Too perfect to end
Let your heart forget if you can

Notes

According to Jerry Meyer from NY, Handsome Hal was a nickname for a charming guy, similar to Handsome Harry. We thank him for that hint.

 Diarmuid O’Hanlon from Dublin was kind enough to share his expertise in revising this lyrics. Many Thanks. According to him, tintype is an old photographic technique (April 2014).

Daniel Bédart made a correction in the Foolin’ Myself lyrics (1937 Columbia version)  …”and see myself in a looking glass”… many thanks.  (But he did not comment the second version (1958 live in Newark); there she phrases it twice: in the first “and see his face…” and the second “and see myself…”) August 2021

© August 2013   www.billieholidaysongs.com