Lyrics A British Bank (The Life I Lead) - David Tomlinson, Julie Andrews

A British Bank (The Life I Lead)

Mr. George Banks:
A British bank is run with precision
A British home requires nothing less!
Tradition, discipline, and rules must be the tools
Without them… Disorder!
Chaos!
Moral disintegration!
In short, you have a ghastly mess!
Mary Poppins:
I quite agree!
Mr. Banks:
The children must be molded, shaped, and taught
That life’s a looming battle to be faced and fought
In short, I am disturbed to hear my children talking about popping in and out
of chalk pavement pictures, consorting with racehorse persons, foxhunting!
Yes, well, I don’t mind that quite so much.
At any rate, it’s tradition!
But tea parties on the ceiling?
I ask you: having tea parties on the ceiling?
And highly questionable outings of every other kind!
If they must go on outings, these outings ought to be Fraught with purpose, yes, and practicality
These silly words like superca… superca…superca…
Mary Poppins:
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
Mr. Banks:
Yes, well done, you’ve said it.
…And popping through pictures
Have little use, fulfill no basic need!
They’ve got to learn the honest truth, despite their youth
They must learn…
Mary Poppins (Mr. Banks):
…About the life you lead (Exactly!)
They must feel the thrill of totting up a balanced book
A thousand ciphers neatly in a row (Quite right!)
When gazing at a graph that shows the profits up Their little cup of joy should overflow!
(Precisely!)
It’s time they learned to walk in your footsteps (My footsteps…)
To tread your straight and narrow path with pride (With pride!)
Tomorrow, just as you suggest, pressed and dressed
Jane and Michael will be at your side