From the film musical “Pepe”, 1960.
Words by Dory Langdon.
Music by Andre Previn.
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
Listen, all you people
Listen, tho’ it’s hard
I’m gonna give you a word of advice
I ain’t gonna say it twice
‘Cause it is definitely not nice
O. K., O. K., but all I got to say is
Stay in your own back yard
Now, put your drinks on the table
While I spin you a fable
To illustrate my point
Chorus
Once was a girl with trav’lin eyes
Fell out of love with a hundred guys
Once was a guy who swore he’d get ‘er
Swore on the very day he met ‘er
She was a gas, she was a groove
But she had to be on the move
The more she strained, the more he tried
To hold her harder and keep her tied
Wouldn’t let her get out of sight
Watched her day and watched her night
And that’s how it went, all right, all right
And that’s how it went, all right, all right
And that’s how it went, all right, all right
And that’s how it went, all right
She didn’t want to stick to the letter
She had eyes for anything better
Any old place where the grass was greener
Any old place where the air was cleaner
She got bored and he got meaner
Watched her day and night
And that’s how it went, all right, all right
And that’s how it went, all right, all right
And that’s how it went, all right, all right
And that’s how it went, all right
Chorus
Then came a guy across the street
Head of a gang with a diff’rent beat
Then came a day when he looked over
Man! in a minute something drover ‘er
She had to go, she had to get
But her lover said, “No, not yet”
She tried to run, she saw the knife
He lost his head and she lost her life
Brought her down like a paper kite
Watched her dress turn red from white
And that’s how it went, all right, all right
And that’s how it went, all right, all right
And that’s how it went, all right, all right
And that’s how it went, all right
She didn’t want to stick to the letter
She had eyes for anything better
Any old place where the grass was greener
Any old place where the air was cleaner
She got bored and he got meaner
When she said “So long”
And that’s how it went, all right, all right
And that’s how it went, all right, all right
And that’s how it went, all right, all right
And that’s how it went, all right