Lyricist : Jerry Herman

Composer : Jerry Herman

I put a penny in my pocket

And in a little time

That penny in my pocket

Had grown into a dime

And in a little longer

A quarter jingled out

I put the quarter in the teapot

And I waited until the teapot had a dollar in the spout

I put the dollar in my mattress

And had some pleasant dreams

Till' suddenly my mattress was bursting at the seams

And that is how I acquired the wealth I now possess

That little penny was the secret yes that penny was the secret of my success

I had a penny in my pocket

And not another suit

And with my only shirt tail

I shined a rich man's shoe

He threw me down a nickel

Admiring my skill

I gave the nickel to a blind man

And then the blind man left me all his meager savings in his will

I bought myself a wagon

For hauling blocks of ice

I cut the ice to ice cubes

And got a higher price

I shaved the ice to ices

For still a higher fee

A big tycoon said

"Very enterprising and your organizing

Son, you must come work for me!"

On route to work next morning

I helped a lady cross

The lady was, you guessed it

The mother of the boss!

The boss said "You're promoted!

I need you at my side"

And then I met the boss's daughter

And I wed the boss's daughter

And quite suddenly she died

I bought myself an acre

A silo and a stead

All Yonkers started buying

My grain and hay and feed

And now I've half-a-million

But proudly I confess

That in my pocket is the penny

Yes, that shiny little penny

It's that penny that's the secret to my success!