Necessity From Finian's Rainbow, Musical with book by E.Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, Lyrics by Harburg, music by Burton Lane

I posted this and the next two backwards, so you could read a story forward from this to the next two posts. It's a timeless American tale:

What is the curse
That makes the universe so all bewilderin'?
What is the hoax that just provokes
The folks they call God's children?
What is the jinx that gives a body and his brother and everyone around...the run-around?
Necessity, necessity.
A most unnecessary thing, necessity.
What throws the monkey wrench in
A fella's good intention?
That nasty old invention
Necessity.
My feet want to dance in the sun
My head wants to rest in the shade
The lord says go out and have fun
But the landlord says, 'Your rent ain't paid!'
Necessity, its plain to see
What a lovely old world
This silly old world can be
But, no it's all in a mess
Account of necessity.
I'd like to play some tennis
Or take a trip to Venice
But sister, here's the menace
Necessity.
Oh, Satan's the father of sin
And Cupid's the father of love
Oh, hell is the father of gin
But no one know's the father of
Necessity, necessity.
That's the maximum that
A minimum thing can be
There's nothing lower than less
Unless it's necessity.

Come and Get it from Finian's Rainbow, lyrics by E.Y.Harburg

On that great come and get it day,
Won't it be fun when worry is done and money is hay.
That's the time things'll come your way
On that great, great come and get it day.
I'll get my gal that calico gown.
I'll get my mule that acre of groun'
'Cause word has come from Gabriel's horn
The earth beneath your plow is a-buddin'
And now it's yourn.
Glory time's comin' for to stay
On that great, great come and get it day.

On that great come and get it day,
Won't it be fun when worry is done and money is hay.
That's the time things'll com your way
On that great, great come and get it day.
My gown will be a calico gown.
My shoes will dance all over the town.
'Cause word has come from Gabriel's horn
The earth beneath your plow is a-buddin'
And now it's yourn.
Glory time's comin' for to stay
On that great, great come and get it
And keep it and share it, great, great
I'll get my gal that calico gown.
I'll get my mule that acre of groun'
'Cause words has come from Gabriel's horn
The earth beneath your plow is a-buddin'
And now it's yourn.
Glory time's comin' for to stay
"Come and get it" day.

Idle Poor/Idle Rich From Finian's Rainbow

When the idle poor
Become the idle rich
You'll never know
just who is who
or who is which.
Won't it be rich
When everyone's poor relative
Becomes a 'Rockefellative',
And palms no longer itch
What a switch!
When we all wear ermine
And plastic teeth
How will we determine
Who's who underneath.
And when all your neighbours
Are upper class
You won't know your 'Joneses'
from your 'Ass-tors'.
Let's toast the day
The day we drink that drinky up
But with a little pinkie up.
The day on which
The idle poor
Become the idle rich.
When a rich man doesn't want to work
He's a bon vivant.
Yes, he's a bon vivant.
But when a poor man doesn't want to work,
He's a loafer, he's a lounger
He's a lazy good for nothing
He's a jerk!
When a rich man loses on a horse
Isn't he a sport, oh isn't he a sport?
When a poor man looses on a horse
He's a gambler, he's a spender
He's a low life, he's a reason for divorce!
When a rich man chases after dames
He's a man about town,
A man about town.
But when a poor man chases after dames
He's a bounder, he's a rounder
He's a rotter, and a lot of dirty names!
When the idle poor
Become the idle rich
You'll never know
just who is who
Or which is which.
No one will see
The Irish or the Slav in you
'Cause when you're on Park Avenue
Cornelius and Mike
Look alike.
When poor tweedle Dum
Is rich tweedle Dee
This discrimination will no longer be.
When we're in the dough
And off of the nut
You won't know your banker
from your but...ler.
Let's make the switch.
With just a few annuities
We'll hide these incongruities
With clothes from Abercrombie-Fitch.
Wheeeeeeeeeen the idle poor
Wheeeeeeen become the
Wheeeeeeeen idle rich
When the idle poor
Become the idle rich!