Lyrics:

About a year ago - I heard this truly terrific, absolutely true story And it just so happens that I told a couple of friends of mine this truly terrific, absolutely true story And it just so happens that these friends of mine are song writers And guess what happened, right, truly terrific, absolutely true song Gather around, I've got a story to tell, About a Manhattan lady that I know very well She lives at five Riverside, her name is Shirley Devore, And she travelled 'round the world to meet the guy next door Well there was trouble inside apartment 29 E, 'Cause Shirley's mother and dad were as upset as can be They said we hate to complain dear and we don't like to grouse, But your nearly 32, you should get out of the house You gotta ring them bells, you gotta ring them bells, You gotta make 'em sing and really ring them bells It's such a happy thing to hear 'em ting-a-ling, You gotta ring - them - bells Well Shirley was 31, which she was loathe to admit, And she had never been loved, which didn't thrill her a bit And so she sat and she thought, she thought for hours on end, And said I'll go to Chase, Manhattan, where I got me a friend And so she borrowed a thou' and called TWA, And told her mother and dad that she was up and away I'm gonna travel the continent, a month, maybe two, And haul me home a hus' if it's the last thing I do You gotta ring them bells, you gotta ring them bells, You gotta make 'em sing and really ring them bells It's such a happy thing to hear 'em ting-a-ling, You gotta ring - them - bells She met a Londoner first, but they did not hit it off, 'Cause every time she approached he got a bronchial cough And so she went to Madrid and met a handsome Senior, But he liked to throw the bul