Afraid To Fall In Love

Written for: Summer Holiday (1948)
Performer: Mickey Rooney & Gloria DeHaven
Lyric: Ralph Blane
Music: Harry Warren
Year: 1947
Original publisher: Harry Warren Music, Inc.

Sheet music version:

Chorus 1:

(He:) Since the day that Mister Noah put together things,
Many furry, many finny, many feather things
Have endured because they knew the way to weather things;
There were rules to be obeyed,
That's the way we're made,
Why should anybody be afraid?
They all had lovers the world discovers;
This danger hovers when spring uncovers;
It's natch'ral to feel this feeling you feel,
But fears were doomed to fade,
That's the way we're made,
Why should anybody be afraid?
Love is something you acquire, there's much to learn of it;
No astrologer you hire can tell the turn of it;
If you fiddle with the fire, you risk the burn of it;
What you learn may disconcert you,
But it isn't gonna hurt you,
So you mustn't be afraid to fall in love.

Chorus 2:

(She:) In a book of love, and I have read through all of it,
There's a chapter there referring to the call of it,
Juliet and Cleopatra knew the fall of it,
But the poison vial and asp
Really made me gasp,
Maybe that's the reason I'm afraid.
They all lie sleeping 'cause love came sweeping,
No way of keeping their hearts from weeping;
If you say, "Why feel this feeling I feel?"
Until they find a cure,
I'll avoid the lure,
Maybe that's the reason I'm afraid.
So it seems that love is fatal as I've read of it;
Maybe that's the reason why I have a dread of it;
Oh, there must be something else to do instead of it;
When my very own dear mother said
There're times she wished that she were dead,
No, I'm afraid I mustn't fall in love.
(He:) Oh, I'm afraid you're still afraid,
(She, spoken:) Not really.
(He, sung:) Yes, you're afraid to fall, to fall in love.

Movie version:

Chorus 1:

(Rooney:) Since the day that Mister Noah put together things,
Many furry, many finny, many feather things
Have endured because they knew the way to weather things;
There were rules to be obeyed,
That's the way we're made,
Why should anybody be afraid?
They all had lovers the world discovers;
This danger hovers when spring uncovers;
It's natch'ral to feel this feeling you feel,
But fears were doomed to fade,
That's the way we're made,
Why should anybody be afraid?
Love is something you acquire, there's much to learn of it;
No astrologer you hire can tell the turn of it;
If you fiddle with the fire, you'll risk the burn of it;
What you learn may disconcert you,
But it isn't gonna hurt you,
So you mustn't be afraid to fall in love.

<Dialogue>

Chorus 2:

(De Haven:) In the book of love, and I have read through all of it,
There's a chapter there referring to the call of it,
Juliet and Cleopatra knew the fall of it,
But the poison vial and asp
Really made me gasp,
Maybe that's the reason I'm afraid.
They all lie sleeping 'cause love came sweeping,
No way of keeping their hearts from weeping;
If you say, "Why feel this feeling I feel?"
Until they find a cure,
I'll avoid the lure,
Maybe that's the reason I'm afraid.
So it seems that love is fatal as I've read of it;
Maybe that's the reason why I have a dread of it;
Oh, there must be something else to do instead of it;
When my very own dear mother said
There's times she wishes she were dead,
No, I'm afraid I mustn't fall in love.

Reprise (out-take):

(De Haven:) When we're marching down the aisle to that familiar tune,
You'll be Mister, I'll be Missus Richard Miller soon.
Where do you prefer to go upon our honeymoon?
If you happen to agree with me,
Of all the places we could see,
I've wanted it to be: Niag'ra Falls.
(Rooney, spoken:) That dump where all the silly fools go, I should say not!
We'll go to some far-off wonderful place where it's hot!
Like, The Road to Mandalay,
And watch the dawn come up like thunder out of China 'cross the Bay.
(De Haven, sung:) Well, no matter where we choose to go,
I'll never let the people know
That I was once afraid to fall in love.
(Rooney:) And you will see
If you're with me,
I'll always be in love.