Cover art for James Cagney by Nik Kershaw

James Cagney

Producer

19861 viewer

James Cagney Lyrics

Talk tougher than james cagney
Act smarter than charlie chan
Love longer than valentino
Or you never will be a man

I saw him down at the drive-in saturday
A forty five to blow away anyone who happens to disagree
With such panache and style, he wins the game
When all the while, i'm sitting here thinking that it could be me

Suddenly, in walks a criminologist
With too much knowledge to resist and plenty of answers for
The good at heart
No fear, no pain, no sweat, the teardrop on the serviette
Oh i could be a hero if i was that smart

Silver cloud, silver tongue on a silver lover screen
With the sweetest of the sweet and meanest of the mean

Talk tougher than james cagney
Act smarter than charlie chan, oh
Love longer than valentino
Or you never will be a man

Back to the movies where
The lady, beset by his charms, falls faintly in the lover's arms
The fate of every watching woman in his hands
After the earth moves, musn't dwell, our hero bids a fond farewell
Upon his trusty camel 'cross the desert sands
With the bad guys in a fix and the ladies in a spin
Where does fantasy end and reality begin?
Talk tougher than james cagney
Act smarter than charlie chan, oh
Love longer than valentino
Or you never will be a man

When you take up the sword and you fight the good fight
With your ego in the red and your dreams in black and white

Talk tougher than james cagney
Act smarter than charlie chan
Love longer than valentino
Or you never will be a man

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Have the inside scoop on this song?
Sign up and drop some knowledge

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Credits
Producer
Release Date
1986
Tags
Comments