They All Laughed Lyrics
(Verse)
The odds were a hundred to one against me
The world thought the heights were too high to climb
But people from Missouri never incensed me
Oh, I wasn't a bit concerned
For from history I had learned
How many, many times the worm had turned
(Chorus)
They all laughed at Christopher Columbus
When he said the world was round
They all laughed when Edison recorded
Sound
They all laughed at Wilbur and his brother
When they said that man could fly
They told Marconi
Wireless was a phony
It's the same old cry
They laughed at me wanting you
Said I was reaching for the moon
But oh, you came through
Now they'll have to change their tune
They all said we never could be happy
They laughed at us and how!
But ho, ho, ho!
Who's got the last laugh now?
The odds were a hundred to one against me
The world thought the heights were too high to climb
But people from Missouri never incensed me
Oh, I wasn't a bit concerned
For from history I had learned
How many, many times the worm had turned
(Chorus)
They all laughed at Christopher Columbus
When he said the world was round
They all laughed when Edison recorded
Sound
They all laughed at Wilbur and his brother
When they said that man could fly
They told Marconi
Wireless was a phony
It's the same old cry
They laughed at me wanting you
Said I was reaching for the moon
But oh, you came through
Now they'll have to change their tune
They all said we never could be happy
They laughed at us and how!
But ho, ho, ho!
Who's got the last laugh now?
(Chorus 2)
They all laughed at Rockefeller Center
Now they're fighting to get in
They all laughed at Whitney and his cotton
Gin
They all laughed at Fulton and his steamboat
Hershey and his chocolate bar
Ford and his Lizzie
Kept the laughers busy
That's how people are
They laughed at me wanting you
Said it would be, "Hello, goodbye."
But oh, you came through
Now they're eating humble pie
They all said we'd never get together
Darling, let's take a bow
For ho, ho, ho!
Who's got the last laugh?
Hee, hee, hee!
Let's at the past laugh
Ha, ha, ha!
Who's got the last laugh now?
They all laughed at Rockefeller Center
Now they're fighting to get in
They all laughed at Whitney and his cotton
Gin
They all laughed at Fulton and his steamboat
Hershey and his chocolate bar
Ford and his Lizzie
Kept the laughers busy
That's how people are
They laughed at me wanting you
Said it would be, "Hello, goodbye."
But oh, you came through
Now they're eating humble pie
They all said we'd never get together
Darling, let's take a bow
For ho, ho, ho!
Who's got the last laugh?
Hee, hee, hee!
Let's at the past laugh
Ha, ha, ha!
Who's got the last laugh now?
About
Genius Annotation
This song was written for Ginger Rogers in the 1937 musical film Shall We Dance. It’s the most obvious example of Ira Gershwin’s frequent habit of referencing inventors and discoverers when talking about falling in love. Supposedly George S. Kaufman heard an early rehearsal of this song and wondered whether it was, in fact, a love song before the brothers got to the lyric “They laughed at me wanting you,” at which point Kaufman threw up his hands and said, “Oh, well.”
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Is there a live performance of "They All Laughed" by George Gershwin?
Genius Answer
Sarah Vaughan
Tony Bennett
Rachael Price and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Gunhild Carling
Simon Drew
Bill Hayes and Judy Johnson
Main Street
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
Comments
