When They’re Beautiful They’re Bound to Get By

A popular song from 1919.
Words by Grant Clarke and Milton Ager.
Music by George W. Meyer.


Sheet music provided by Laurence Rubenstein:


Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:


Lyrics

  1. The more of girls I see, the more it seems to me
    The pretty ones win ev’ry prize
    Somehow their lovely hair, can get them any where
    And they do wonders with their eyes
    It’s not a case of brains at all
    It’s just the face that makes you fall
    It’s not the witty girl, but it’s the pretty girl
    Who gets the good things after all

Chorus
They get by when they’re beautiful,
They can have the world it seems
It’s very strange the way that powder and paint
Can make a little sinner what she ain’t
They can lie, when they’re beautiful
You and I believe each lie
A homely girlie hollered, no one heard her
A pretty girl can get away with murder
I once read, the Sultan said
“When they’re beautiful they’re bound to get by”

  1. Now ev’ry woman knows she must have pretty clothes
    But still the clothes won’t do it all
    It takes a pretty face to keep her in the race
    It wasn’t clothes made Adam fall
    It’s not a case of what they know
    It’s just a case of what they show
    It’s not the way they talk, it’s not the way they walk
    But it’s the loveliness they show

Chorus
They get by when they’re beautiful,
They can have the world it seems
Itd doesn’t really matter just how she cooks
The only thing that matters is how she looks
They can lie, when they’re beautiful
You and I believe each lie
You’ve often met a lot of “simple simonds”
But if they’re pretty, why, they get the diamonds
I once read, Mister Tiffany said
“When they’re beautiful they’re bound to get by”


Sung here by Fred Feild: