The Saga of Jenny Songtext

von Kurt Weill

There once was a girl named Jenny
Whose virtues were varied and many—
Excepting that she was inclined
Always to make up her mind;
And Jenny points a moral
With which you cannot quarrel—
As you will find.

Jenny made her mind up when she was three
She, herself, was going to trim the Christmas tree.
Christmas Eve she lit the candles—tossed the taper away.
Little Jenny was an orphan on Christmas Day.

Poor Jenny! Bright as a penny!
Her equal would be hard to find.
She lost one dad and mother,
A sister and a brother—
But she would make up her mind.

Jenny made her mind up when she was twelve
That into foreign languages she would delve;
But at seventeen to Vassar it was quite a blow
That in twenty-seven languages she couldn't say no.

Jenny made her mind up at twenty-two
To get herself a husband was the thing to do.
She got herself all dolled up in her satins and furs
And she got herself a husband—but he wasn't hers.

Jennt made her mind up at thirty-nine
She would take a trip to the Argentine.
She was only on vacation but the Latins agree
Jenny was the one who started the Good Neighbour Policy.

Poor Jenny! Bright as a penny!
Her equal would be hard to find.
Oh, passion doesn't vanish
In Portuguese or Spanish—
But she would make up her mind.

Jenny made her mind up at fifty-one
She would write her memoirs before she was done.
The very day her book was published, hist'ry relates
There were wives who shot their husbands in some thirty-three states.

Poor Jenny! Bright as a penny!
Her equal would be hard to find.
She could give cards and spade-ies
To many other ladies—
But she would make up her mind.

Jenny made her mind up at seventy-five
She would live to be the oldest woman alive.
But gin and rum and destiny play funny tricks,
And poor Jenny kicked the bucket at seventy-six.

Jenny points a moral
With which we cannot quarrel.
Makes a lot of common sense!

Jenny and her saga
Prove that you are gaga
If you don't keep sitting on the fence.

Jenny and her story
Point the way to glory
To all man and womankind.

Anyone with vision
Comes to this decision:
Don't make up—You shouldn't make up—
You mustn't make up—Oh, never make up—
Anyone with vision
Comes to this decision—
Don't make up your mind!

Poor Jenny! Bright as a penny!
Her equal would be hard to find.
To Jenny I'm beholden, her heart was big and golden—
But she would make up her mind.

Poor Jenny! Bright as a penny!
Her equal would be hard to find.
Deserved a bed of roses, but history discloses
That she would make up her mind.