"Elegance" is a song featured in the 1969 film Hello, Dolly! sung by Michael Crawford as Cornelius Hackl, Danny Lockin as Barnaby Tucker, E. J. Peaker as Minnie Fay, and Marianne McAndrew as Irene Molloy.
Lyrics
Cornelius & Barnaby:
Yes, New York
It's really us
Barnaby and Cornelius
Irene & Minnie:
All the guests of Mr. Hackl are
Feelin' great and look spectacular
All:
What a knack there is to that
Acting like a born aristocrat
We got elegance, if you ain't got elegance
You can never ever carry it off
Cornelius:
All who are well-bred agree
Minnie Fay has pedigree
Irene:
Exercise your wildest whims tonight
We are out with diamond Jims tonight
Minnie:
Could they be misleading us?
Cornelius & Barnaby:
Silver spoons were used for feeding us
All:
We got elegance, if you ain't got elegance
You can never ever carry it off
Snobs that slobs throw roses at
We look down our noses at
Minnie:
Pity all the other girls around
When I swing my perfect pearls around
Barnaby
Snubbing folks is chic to us
Cornelius:
Sometimes we don't even speak to us
All:
If you ain't got elegance
You can never, ever carry it off
The Dog's Owner, spoken:
If you please
All:
Middle class, don't speak of it
Savoir Faire, we reek of it
Some were born with rags and patches but
We use dollar bills for matches and
Minnie:
Vanderbilt kowtows to us
Cornelius:
J.P. Morgan scrapes and bows to us
All:
We've got elegance, we were born with elegance
Barnaby:
I behave like Walter Raleigh when the streets are full of mud
Minnie:
And the bluest huckleberry isn't bluer than my blood
Irene:
Have you noticed when I hold my cup
The saucer never moves
Cornelius:
And the way I keep my pinky up
Indubitably proves that
All:
We got elegance, we got built-in elegance
Minnie:
And with elegance
Barnaby:
Elegance
Irene:
Elegance
Cornelius:
Elegance
All:
Elegance
We'll carry it off
