You Gotta Have a Gimmick Songtext
von Stephen Sondheim

You can pull all the stops out
Till they call the cops out
Grind your behind till you′re bend
But you gotta get a gimmick
If you wanna get a hand
You can sacrifice your sacharo
Working in the back row
Bump in a dump till you're dead
But you gotta get a gimmick
If you wanna get ahead
You can uh, you can uh
You can uh, uh, uh
That′s how burlesque was born
Me I uh, and I uh
And I uh, uh, uh
But I do it with a horn


Once I was a schleppa
Now I'm Miss Mazeppa
With my revolution in dance
You gotta have a gimmick
If you wanna have a chance

She can uh, she can uh
She can wah, wah, wah
Ain't gonna make her rich
Me, I uh, and I uh
And I uh, uh, uh. Oh, God
But I do it with a switch
Cut them. Oh, I′m too old for this crap

I′m electrifying
And I ain't even trying
I never had to sweat to get paid
′Cause if you got a gimmick
Gypsy girl, you've got it made

All them em and them em
And they em, em, em
Ain′t gonna spell success
Me, I em, and I em
And I em, em, em
But I do it with finesse
Mr. Conductor, if you please


Dressy Tessie Tura
Is so much more then demurer
Than all them other ladies because
You gotta get a gimmick
If you wanna get applause

Do something special
Anything special
Do something special
Anything special
You're more than just a mimic
When you got a gimmick
Take a look how different we are
If you wanna make it
Twinkle while you shake it
If you wanna grind it
Wait till you refined it
If you wanna pump it
Pump it with a trumpet
Get yourself a gimmick
And you too can be a star