Barbara Cook Follow

In a hall, on a wall, in a house in Rosita
A poster's held up by two nails and a pin
It's her Daddy, the actor, 'bout to die with his boots on
He's the man standing up there, beside Errol Flynn

He got third or fourth billing at the end of each picture
"And that don't mean much", he would say with a grin
But he'd hold her hand tight as he pointed his name out
Only four or five names down below Errol Flynn

Fame, it is fleeting and stars, they keep falling
And staying right up there, that's the business of art
And luck kisses some and she passes by others
Disappointment and bourbon are hard on the heart

Oh, the women and beers, and the years with old Errol
They took their toll, they took her from his side
And he kissed her goodbye at the old Union Station
It's the last time she saw him, the last time she cried

Now she's sitting alone in that house in Rosita
Watchin' the Late Show as the moonlight shines in
And up on the screen, yippee, here comes her Daddy
It's a sad, funny feeling, now she's older than him

Oh, you daddies and daughters, you sons and your mothers
Remember life's over before it begins
Love one another and stand close together
As close as her Dad stood to old Errol Flynn

Fame, it is fleeting, and stars, they keep falling
And staying right up there, that's the business of art
And luck kisses some and she passes by others
Disappointment and bourbon are hard on the heart

Oh, you daddies and daughters, you sons and your mothers
Life seems to be over before it begins
Love one another and stand close together
As close as her Dad stood to old Errol Flynn