Buckle Up Your Overcoat & Betty Boop

    I always find it interesting where computer searches will take you.
    At our Tuesday night jam session, players periodically bring in songs for us to try.  Last week Dorothy, our lap steel guitar player, brought in the song “Buckle Up Your Overcoat”  I vaguely remembered the song and the group tried it, but many of the chords in her song sheet were a bit difficult for us geriatric  musicians.  I figured I could probably find easier chords for the song and told the group I would investigate.
    Yesterday, I got on the internet in my search.  My first problem was the name of the song.  I thought it was “You belong to Me”  but I soon discovered that that was a totally different song.  Then I tried “Buckle Up your Overcoat.” and bingo, I found the song and clicked on the result that referred to a  Helen Cane, who I was totally unfamiliar with.  
    What came up was a youtube video of an old Betty Boop cartoon that featured the song.  As a kid I used to hate Betty Boop cartoons and her “Boop-boop-a-doops”, but I watched the video and enjoyed hearing Betty again.  I guess Betty Boop was partially based on Helen Cane and it was Helen that was singing the song.  I listened to the song a couple of times to get the melody and phrasing right, then I did a search of the song lyrics.
    Reading through the lyrics I was quite impressed.  They are very clever and fun.  If you want to hear the song on youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idO4H2eUiNg

Here are the lyrics and my version of chords of the song (without Betty’s intro):

(G)Button up your overcoat
(A7)When the wind is free
(Am7)Take (D7)good (Am7)care of (D7)yourself
You be(G)long to me  (A7)(D7)

(G)Eat an apple every day
(A7)Get to bed by three
(Am7)take (D7)good (Am7)care of your(D7)self
You be(G)long to me

Be (G7)careful (C)crossing streets, ooh, ooh
(G)Cut out sweets, ooh, ooh
(A)Lay off meat, ooh, (A7)ooh
(D7)You’ll get a (Am7)pain and (D7)ruin your tum-tum

(G)Wear your flannel underwear
(A7)When you climb a tree
(Am7)Take (D7)good (Am7)care of (D7)yourself
You be(G)long to me (A7)(D7)

(G)Button up your overcoat
(A7)When the wind is free
(Am7)Take (D7)good (Am7)care of (D7)yourself
You be(G)long to me
(D7)Boop-boop-a-doop

(G)When you sass a traffic cop
(A7)Use diplomacy
(Am7)Take (D7)good (Am7)care of (D7)yourself
You be(G)long to me

(G7)Beware of (C)frozen funds, ooh, ooh
(G)Stocks and bonds, ooh, ooh
(A)Peroxide blondes, ooh, (A7)ooh
(D7)You’ll get a (Am7)pain and (D7)ruin your bankroll

(G)Keep the spoon out of your cup
(A7)When you're drinking tea
(Am7)take (D7)good (Am7)care of your(D7)self
You be(G)long to me

(G7)Don’t sit on (C)hornet’s tails, ooh, ooh
(G)Or on nails, ooh, ooh
(A)Or third rails, ooh, (A7)ooh
(D7)You’ll get a (Am7)pain and (D7)ruin your tum-tum

(G)Keep away from bootleg hooch
(A7)When you're on a spree
(Am7)take (D7)good (Am7)care of your(D7)self
You be(G)long to me   (Repeat last 2 lines)

Take a look at my paintings:  www.davidmarchant.ca