Swinging on a Star

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PROFILE
Composer Jimmy Van Heusen
Lyricist Johnny Burke
Year Written 1944
About Swinging on a Star
“Swinging on a Star” was written in 1944 by the songwriting team of Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke. It was written for the movie Going My Way, starring Bing Crosby and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for that year. Crosby recorded a very successful version of the song in 1944. Other recordings include those by Rosemary Clooney, Burl Ives, and Ruby Braff, among many others.

Lyrics

Would you like to swing on a star
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Or would you rather be a mule

A mule is an animal with long funny ears
He kicks up at anything he hears
His back is brawny – and his brain is weak
He’s just plain stupid with a – stubborn streak
And by the way, if you hate to go to school
You may grow up to be a mule

Would you like to swing on a star
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Or would you rather be a pig

A pig is an animal with dirt on his face
His shoes are a terrible disgrace
He ain’t got no manners when he eats his food
He’s fat and lazy – and extremely rude
But if you don’t care a feather or a fig
You may grow up to be a pig

Would you like to swing on a star
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Or would you rather be a fish

A fish won’t do anything but swim in a brook
He cant write his name or read a book
And to fool the people is his only thought
Though he slippery – he still gets caught
But then if that sort of life is what you wish
You may grow up to be a fish

And all the monkeys aren’t in a zoo
Every day you meet quite a few
So you see it’s all up to you
You can be better than you are
You could be swinging on a star

Session / Album Information

1998

“Swinging on a Star” was recorded in June 1998 and released that same year on the album The Playground.

Swinging On A Star

Listen to Swinging On A Star on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1998

This recording released on:

  • 1998: Columbia CD: CK 69380 —The Playground
  • 2011: Disc #64 in The Tony Bennett Complete Collection (88697874602-JK62) The Playground

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