Ahead of His Time

Lately, I’ve been listening to Cole Porter’s Can Can (thanks to venedotia). Every time I listen to Cole Porter, I’m amazed at what he gets away with in his lyrics:

From “Come Along with Me”:

We can go to dine with an old marquis / who delights at putting her guests at ease
by receiving only in a pink chemise / Come along with me.

There’s a prince whose home has become a must / for the lower men of the upper crust
cause his high-born wife has such a low-cut bust / Come along with me

When you meet these folks, my pretty mate / you will like them a lot
All their titles are legit-i-mate / thought their children often are not

From “Maidens Typical of France”:

We are maidens typical of France / In a convent educated
From the wicked clutches of romance / We have all been segregated
We know how to sew / We know how to knit
We know how to read / at least a little bit
We know how to wash / We know how to clean
And also we know / the difference between
A pair of panties and a pair of pants
We are maidens typical of France

We’re all very pure / We’re all very good
We all try to do / Exactly what we should
We all go to church / We all say our prayers
And if when we dance / we show our derrieres
It is to show that even when we dance
We are maidens typical of France.

Of course, it isn’t just in Can Can. He had similar lines in “Anything Goes”:

If driving fast cars you like,
If low bars you like,
If old hymns you like,
If bare limbs you like,
If Mae West you like
Or me undressed you like,
Why, nobody will oppose!
When every night,
The set that’s smart
Is indulging in nudist parties in studios,
Anything Goes.

Or, from “Kiss Me Kate”:

I hate men.
I can’t abide them even now and then.
Then ever marry one of them, I’d rest a maiden rather,
For husbands are a boring lot that only give you bother.
Of course, I’m awful glad that mother had to marry father,
Still, I hate men.

If thou shouldst wed a business man, be wary, oh be wary:
He’ll tell you he’s detained in town on business necessary.
The business is the business that he gives his secretary!
Oh, I hate men!

Or “Let’s Do It”:

I’ve heard that lizards and frogs do it
Layin’ on a rock
They say that roosters do it
With a doodle and cock

Some Argentines without means do it
I hear even Boston beans do it
Let’s do it, let’s fall in love

This stuff was written in the 1950s (and some in the 1940s). You didn’t expect these hidden meanings in lyrics back then. Wow!