Is That All There Is?

Or almost all of them.

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That was one reason why she became head-over-heels obssessed with the song when she first heard. She did experience a fire that burned down her house, of course she had her love woes, etc. I don't think that's it. Initially I agreed with you, but now I think it is more like "it will take a hell of a lot more than that to destroy me" The first time I heard the song I identified.

Is That All There Is? | song by Leiber and Stoller | www.newyorkethnicfood.com

I was always looking for something terribly dramatic and exciting to break the utter predictability and monotony of life there--everyone and everything was so nice, so proper but so within boundaries. I never heard anything particularly witty on T. Finally at lunch I couldn't stand it anymore and said to a girl, "Did you hear about the tornado last night? From what Miss Lee said, during her childhood she always had the feeling something was missing, though she couldn't say what. Eventually she sure found out, didn't she. I remember when the song first came out when I was much younger, weren't we all?

I listened to it with my parents. Mom had known Norma in Fargo during the early years. I asked her take on it. She said it didn't surprise her at all. She said something about a boyfriend that Norma had at the time she knew her and how he had broken her heart so. Of course Norma survived, as she survived other traumas growing up. She said it was a realistic song from a person who had felt great pain and great pleasure. That sorta explained it for me. They tell a very funny story regarding the first time Peg heard the song; she called the duo and told them the song had to be sung by her and no one else.

They said, "Sure, Peg, if you want it, it's yours. If anyone else sings this, I'll have you killed. However, it's obvious the song touched some very personal feelings in Peggy, borne of her own experiences. Love was not always kind to her, and the circumstances of her youth are legendarily bleak.

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I find this song much more upbeat than say, "Where Did They Go? I was a fan of her voice as a child, listening to my copy of Disney's "Lady and the Tramp," and upon hearing this song in Martin Scorsese's "After Hours," I went out to buy a greatest hits.

The rest is history. No other song in Peg's repertoire is a better showcase for her ability to inhabit a song's lyric. Who can disbelieve she's done anything but lived the lyric when she says, with listless resignation, "And then, one day, he went away.

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And I thought I'd die Ya know, this song has come up in my memory quite a few times, and what I mean by that, is the 'first' experiences with people, situations, and events. I would remember relating to the feeling of the lyrics. Just last week, there was a fire in my apartment complex two doors down from me in the same building.

Thank God it was only in one apartment, and minor damage at that. When I saw the commotion going on and it was over, I said to myself too, "Is that all there is to a fire? The song is about disappointment. Doesn't sound positive to me!

In fact, after my first intimate experience with someone, I silently asked myself "Is that all there is? I totally agree with Mark that this is a song about disappointment, and it is sarcastic. I do not really understand why it seems so important to find something positive and uplifting in it. Life is only positive and uplifting sometimes, most of times it is disappointing One of the things that has attracted me to Peggy Lee is the fact that she dared singing songs that told other stories than popular songs usually do -- especially on the "Is the All There Is?

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There are other songs like this in her repertoire too, like "When the World Was Young". Log in now to tell us what you think this song means. Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. Is That All There Is? Come Rain or Come Shine. I remember when I was a very little girl, our house caught on fire I'll never forget the look on my father's face as he gathered me up In his arms and raced through the burning building out to the pavement And I stood there shivering in my pajamas and watched the whole world go up in flames And when it was all over I said to myself, is that all there is to a fire?

Is that all there is, is that all there is If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing Let's break out the booze and have a ball If that's all there is And when I was twelve years old, my father took me to a circus, the greatest show on earth There were clowns and elephants and dancing bears And a beautiful lady in pink tights flew high above our heads And as I sat there watching I had the feeling that something was missing I don't know what, but when it was over I said to myself, "is that all there is to the circus?

Is that all there is, is that all there is If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing Let's break out the booze and have a ball If that's all there is And then I fell in love with the most wonderful boy in the world We'd take take long walks down by the river or just sit for hours gazing into each other's eyes We were so very much in love And then one day he went away and I thought I'd die, but I didn't And when I didn't I said to myself, is that all there is to love? Is that all there is, is that all there is If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep I know what you must be saying to yourselves If that's the way she feels about it why doesn't she just end it all?

Oh, no, not me I'm not ready for that final disappointment 'Cause I know just as well as I'm standing here talking to you When that final moment comes and I'm breathing my last breath, I'll be saying to myself Is that all there is, is that all there is If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing Let's break out the booze and have a ball If that's all there is Edit Lyrics Edit Wiki Add Video.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind. Add your thoughts 4 Comments. Anyway it is a very interesting song indeed. Very deep and profound. Basically house catches on fire, go to a circus. Fall in love and ultimately on your deathbed, is that all there is? This is a song that really makes you think. Basically you go through all this stuff in life and really What is the big deal? You win the football game, get married, make a lot of money, have kids and at the end of the day You go through life expecting the big thing and really The first authorized recording was by Leslie Uggams in August Peggy Lee's version reached number 11 on the U.

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The orchestral arrangement on the song was composed by Randy Newman , [2] who also conducted the orchestra. The lyrics of this song are written from the point of view of a person who is disillusioned with events in life that are supposedly unique experiences.

The singer tells of witnessing her family's house on fire when she was a little girl, seeing the circus, and falling in love for the first time. After each recital she expresses her disappointment in the experience. She suggests that we "break out the booze and have a ball—if that's all there is," instead of worrying about life. She explains that she'll never kill herself either because she knows that death will be a disappointment as well. The verses of the song are spoken, rather than sung.

Only the refrain of the song is sung. She escaped ahead of the Nazis, and settled in Hollywood where she had a brief film career in films noir. Gaby introduced Leiber to the works of Thomas Mann. One difference between the story and the song is that the narrator in Mann's story finally feels free when he sees the sea for the first time and laments for a sea without a horizon.

Most of the words used in the song's chorus are taken verbatim from the narrator's words in Mann's story. In most arrangements of the song, most notably in Peggy Lee's version, the music recalls the style of Kurt Weill , typified by songs such as Alabama Song and Surabaya Johnny. In Ornella Vanoni recorded an Italian version text written by Bruno Lauzi with the title literally translated as "E poi tutto qui?