Young People

Written for: Young People (1940)
Lyric: Mack Gordon
Music: Harry Warren
Year: 1940
Original publisher: Twentieth Century Music Corporation, rights controlled by Robbins Music Corporation

Sheet music version:

Verse 1:

We're not little babies anymore,
We don't play with dollies on the floor;
We know how to act our age,
We have passed the infant stage;
That's why we are in a rage,
We're not little babies anymore;
We think children are an awful bore.
You don't realize the fact that we are growing up
And we're not little babies anymore;

Chorus:

We're young people, we are young people
Ready to have our fling.
We're not old, yet, we're just in-between,
We're nine and we're ten, well, that's almost sixteen.
We're young ladies and we're their boyfriends,
And love is a wonderful thing.
Please don't call me "Sonny," it makes me blush,
Stop that baby talk, that umsy-wumsy mush.
The days of bibs and teddy bears and kiddie cars are gone,
For time marches on.

Verse 2:

Life's a stage and we are in the show,
We know ev'rything there is to know.

Patter:

When we're in the parlor and the lights are low,
Don't bribe us with a nickel, we'll refuse to go.
Sisters, better tell your romantic gents,
We have a minimum lover charge of fifty cents.
We hate to hear a fairy tale before we go to bed,
We'd rather have you telling us what Walter Winchell said.
We know our table manners, when to use a knife and fork,
And we know that the Stork is a nightclub in New York.

[Chorus]

Movie version:

Verse 1:

(Sung:) We're not little babies anymore,
(Spoken:) No!
(Sung:) We don't play with dollies on the floor.
(Spoken:) Nah!
(Sung:) We know how to act our age,
We have passed the infant stage;
That's why we are in a rage.
We're not little babies anymore.
(Spoken:) More.
(Sung:) We think children are an awful bore.
(Spoken:) Bore.
(Sung:) You don't realize the fact that we are growing up
And we're not little babies anymore;

Chorus:

We're young people, we are young people
Ready to have our fling.
We're not old, yet, we're just in-between,
We're nine and we're ten, well, that's almost sixteen.
We're young ladies and we're their boyfriends,
And love is a wonderful thing.
Please don't call me "Sonny," it makes me blush,
Stop that baby talk, that umsy-wumsy mush.
The days of bibs and teddy bears and kiddie cars are gone,
For time ta-ta-ta-ta marches on.

Verse 2:

Life's a stage and we are in the show,
We know ev'rything there is to know.

Patter:

When we're in the parlor and the lights are low,
Don't bribe us with a nickel, we'll refuse to go.
Sisters, better tell your romantic gents,
We have a minimum lover charge of fifty cents.
We hate to hear a fairy tale before we go to bed,
We'd rather have you telling us what Walter Winchell said.
We know our table manners, when to use a knife and fork,
And we know that the Stork is a nightclub in New York.

[No second chorus]