The Trolley Song

Album: Judy Garland (1944)
Play Video
  • With my high starched-collar and my high-topped shoes
    And my hair piled high upon my head
    I went to lose a jolly hour on the trolley
    And lost my heart instead
    With his light brown derby and his bright green tie
    He was quite the handsomest of men
    I started to yen so I counted to ten
    Then I counted to ten again

    Clang, clang, clang went the trolley
    Ding, ding, ding went the bell
    Zing, zing, zing went my heart strings
    From the moment I saw him I fell
    Chug, chug, chug went the motor
    Bump, bump, bump went the brake
    Thump, thump, thump went my heart strings
    When he smiled I could feel the car shake
    He tipped his hat, and took a seat
    He said he hoped he hadn't stepped upon my feet
    He asked my name, I held my breath
    I couldn't speak because he scared me half to death

    Buzz, buzz, buzz went the buzzer
    Plop, plop, plop went the wheels
    Stop, stop, stop went my heart strings
    As he started to go then I started to know how it feels
    When the universe reels

    The day was bright, the air was sweet
    The smell of honeysuckle charmed you off your feet
    You tried to sing, but couldn't squeak
    In fact you loved him so you couldn't even speak

    Buzz, buzz, buzz went the buzzer
    Plop, plop, plop went the wheels
    Stop, stop, stop went my heart strings
    As he started to leave
    I took hold of his sleeve with my hand
    And as if it were planned
    He stayed on with me and it was grand just to stand
    With his hand holding mine to the end of the line Writer/s: Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 3

  • Frederic from VirginiaThe music for the song was written by Hugh Martin, who wrote the score for Meet Me in St. Louis, in which Judy Garland sang three Martin songs, "The Boy Next Door," "The Trolley Song," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."
  • V-starr from ?????????, MiThey play a shorter verson in Walt Disney World. The Disney verson is about one of those "love at first sight" songs where two people meet in a trolley on Main Street USA and fall in love. They deside to go Fantasyland for a date.
  • Garry from Anchorage, AkThe Trolley Song was written by composer Hugh Martin and lyricist Ralph Blaine who collaborated on the music for Meet Me In St. Louis. The movie also included their version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

    The Trolley Song was nominated for the Best Song Academy Award for 1944, but it lost to Bing Crosby's Swingin' On a Star from the movie, Going My Way.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Little Big Town

Little Big TownSongwriter Interviews

"When seeds that you sow grow by the wicked moon/Be sure your sins will find you out/Your past will hunt you down and turn to tell on you."

Millie Jackson

Millie JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Outrageously gifted and just plain outrageous, Millie is an R&B and Rap innovator.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

Sending Out An SOS - Distress Signals In Songs

Sending Out An SOS - Distress Signals In SongsSong Writing

Songs where something goes horribly wrong (literally or metaphorically), and help is needed right away.

John Lee Hooker

John Lee HookerSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for Bruce Pollock's 1984 conversation with the esteemed bluesman. Hooker talks about transforming a Tony Bennett classic and why you don't have to be sad and lonely to write the blues.