"Sing for Your Supper" is an American popular song by composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart. The song debuted in their 1938 Broadway musical The Boys from Syracuse where it was done as a trio, with Muriel Angelus, Marcy Westcott, and Wynn Murray[1] performing an arrangement specially created for the production by Hugh Martin.

"Sing for Your Supper"
Song
Published1938
Songwriter(s)Lorenz Hart
Composer(s)Richard Rodgers

Background

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The lyrics describe a singer performing to earn her meals: "Sing for your supper/And you'll get breakfast./Songbirds always eat/If their song is sweet to hear."

The term "sing for one's supper" long predates the musical. An example can be found in Act 2 of the 1607 play The Knight of the Burning Pestle, where a character states "let him stay at home, and sing for his supper, boy."

Recordings

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The song has been recorded by:

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Author Ethan Mordden used the title for his book Sing for Your Supper: the Broadway Musical in the 1930s.

References

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  1. ^ Alessandro Martini. "Sing For Your Supper : by Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart". Lorenzhart.org. Retrieved 2014-03-04.
  2. ^ "Deliver - the Mamas & the Papas | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "With Love, Cher - Cher | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.