The Poetry Of Motion

Written for: The Barkleys Of Broadway (1949)
Lyric: Ira Gershwin
Music: Harry Warren
Year: 1948
Original publisher: Harry Warren Music, Inc.

Verse:

All the traffic cops are pirouetting,
Bus conductors leap in the air for dimes.
Congressmen say, "Ha-da-do?"
As they do a pas-de-deux;
Ballet is the spirit of the times.
Waitresses are budding ballerinas,
With each course, you get a classic pose;
Thanks to choreographers,
Even the stenographers
Take dictation standing on their toes.

Refrain:

Ev'rything's the poetry of motion,
Since the bally ballet swept the town;
What goes on, they dance in terms artistic,
Surrealistic, and upside-down!
Through the air, they leap and prance and whiz,
Interpreting the spirit of whatever it is.
Oh, bravo for the poetry of motion,
Choreography is king today!
Though the goings-on may seem erratic,
You grow ecstatic or you're considered passé;
Brother, better be a ballet-maniac
Since ballet-mania has hit Broadway!