- Artist: Johnny Mercer as sung on "Remember the 40's-Music Of the War Years Vol. IV, 1941-45" CEMA Special Markets (Capitol-EMI) CDL-57367 - peak Billboard position # 1 in 1945 - competing versions charted by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters (#2), Artie Shaw (#5), and Kay Kyser (#12) - Words and Music by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer
Gather 'round me, everybody Gather 'round me while I'm preachin' Feel a sermon comin' on me The topic will be sin and that's what I'm ag'in' If you wanna hear my story The settle back and just sit tight While I start reviewin' The attitude of doin' right
You've got to accentuate the positive Eliminate the negative And latch on to the affirmative Don't mess with Mister In-Between
You've got to spread joy up to the maximum Bring gloom down to the minimum Have faith or pandemonium's Liable to walk upon the scene
To illustrate my last remark Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark What did they do just when everything looked so dark?
(Man, they said "We'd better accentuate the positive") ("Eliminate the negative") ("And latch on to the affirmative") Don't mess with Mister In-Between (No!) Don't mess with Mister In-Between
(Ya got to spread joy up to the maximum)
(Bring gloom down to the minimum)
(Have faith or pandemonium's) (Liable to walk upon the scene)
You got to ac (yes, yes) -cent-tchu-ate the positive Eliminate (yes, yes) the negative And latch (yes, yes) on to the affirmative Don't mess with Mister In-Between No, don't mess with Mister In-Between
Transcribed by Robin Hood
These lyrics were transcribed from the specific recording mentioned above and do not necessarily correspond with lyrics from other recordings, sheet music, songbooks or lyrics printed on album jackets.
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