The Sadder but Wiser Girl by Meredith Willson Lyrics

[Hill, spoken]
No wide-eyed, eager, wholesome, innocent
Sunday-school teacher for me
That kinda gal spins webs no spider ever... now, listen boy...
A gal who trades on all that purity
Merely wants to trade my independence for her security

[Sung]
The only affirmative she will file
Refers to marching down the aisle
No golden, glorious, gleaming pristine goddess, no sir!
For no Diana do I play faun, I can tell you that right now

I snarl, I hiss, how can ignorance be compared to bliss?
I spark, I fizz, for the lady who knows what time it is
I cheer, I rave, for the virtue I'm too late to save
The sadder but wiser girl for me

No bright-eyed, blushing, breathless baby-doll baby, no sir!
That kinda child ties knots no sailor ever knew
I prefer to take a chance on a more adult romance
No dewy young miss who keeps resisting
All the time she keeps insisting
No bright-eyed, wholesome, innocent female, no sir!
Why, she's the fisherman, I'm the fish, you see? Plop!
I flinch, I shy when the lass with the delicate air walks by
I smile, I grin when the gal with a touch of sin walks in
I hope, and I pray for Hester to win just one more 'A'
The sadder but wiser girl's the girl for me
The sadder but wiser girl for me