Mamma’s Grown Young, Papa’s Grown Old

A comedy song from 1927
Words by R. P. Weston and Bert Lee
Music by Harris Weston


The sheet music:


Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:


Lyrics

  1. Oh, Gee! listen to me
    My mother dear was turning grey
    And Pa would look at her and say
    “You’re getting older every day”
    Poor Mom said, “If I am
    I’m going to open all your eyes”
    So she took her face to a beauty place
    And Oh, boy! what a surprise

Chorus
Mamma’s grown young, Papa’s grown old
Mamma’s grown hot, Papa’s grown cold
Mamma gets younger, Papa gets older, each day
Mamma’s grown thin, Papa’s grown fat
Mamma’s like this, Papa’s like that
Mamma’s just blooming, Papa’s just fading away
Mamma with her boyish bob
Looks nifty, cute and sweet
Papa has a straggly beard
That looks like Shredded Wheat
Mamma’s at night clubs shaking her hips
Papa shakes, too, he’s blue in the lips
Mamma gets younger, Papa gets older each day

  1. Poor Pop, thin on the top
    Begins to look an old “Has-been”
    While Mamma in her Crepe de chene
    Altho’ she’s fifty, looks eighteen
    Pa sighs, sorrowfully cries
    “She’s not a wife to me somehow”
    When he calls her “Ma”
    She says, “Stop that, Pa
    Just call me ‘Honey Babe’ now”

Chorus
Mamma’s grown young, Papa’s grown old
Mamma’s grown hot, Papa’s grown cold
Mamma gets younger, Papa gets older, each day
Mamma’s grown strong, Papa’s has aged
Mamma’s having the Coroner paged
Mamma’s just blooming, Papa’s just fading away
Mamma in her pink pajamas
Hasn’t any flaws
Papa in his old red nightie
Looks like Santa Claus
Mamma’s complexion blooms like a rose
Papa’s complexion’s flown to his nose
Mamma gets younger, Papa gets older each day

Chorus
Mamma’s grown young, Papa’s grown old
Mamma’s grown hot, Papa’s grown cold
Mamma gets younger, Papa gets older, each day
Mamma’s grown fast, Papa’s grown slow
Mamma’s wound up, Papa won’t go
Mamma’s just blooming, Papa’s just fading away
Mamma only wants a lipstick
When she’s walking out
Papa must have two sticks
‘Cause he suffers with the gout
Mamma displays the stockings she wears
Papa shows his, but nobody cares
Mamma gets younger, Papa gets older each day


Sung here by Laurence Rubenstein: