How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You, When You Know I’ve Been a Liar All My Life

Song lyrics to How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You, When You Know I’ve Been a Liar All My Life?   — €“ performed by Fred Astaire & Jane Powell in the 1951 musical Royal Wedding

Introduction:

[Dialog]

Fred Astaire: Oh yeah, yeah!
Jane Powell: You listen to me just once.
Fred Astaire: Oh sure, sure!
Jane Powell: I told you a million times — You never wanna listen to me
Fred Astaire: So I said it. So you heard it. So you’re mad. So what?
Jane Powell: So this — It’s the last time I ever go to a party with you!
Fred Astaire: Will you put that in writin’?
Jane Powell: Well you’re always makin’ cracks, makin’ cracks!
Fred Astaire: Like what?
Jane Powell: You always humilate me, Humilate me. Didn’t your mother never teach ya no manners?
Fred Astaire: I ain’t never had no mother. We was too poor.
Jane Powell: Say, what’s the matter with you lately? You used to tell me you loved me. You used to treat me like a high-class dame. Well, usen’t ya?
Fred Astaire: So I used.
Jane Powell: Oh, so there, you admit it.
Fred Astaire: I ain’t admittin’ nothin’!
Jane Powell: I’ll give ya one more chance. Do ya love me or don’t ya?
Fred Astaire: No I don’t!
Jane Powell: Quit stallin’! I want a direct answer.
Fred Astaire: Oh … Listen, kid, there’s one thing about ya I can’t understand …

Singing:

Fred Astaire:
How could you believe me when I said I loved you
When you know I’ve been a liar all my life?

Jane Powell:
You’ve had that reputation
Since you was a youth.

Fred Astaire:
You must’ve been insane
To think I’d tell you the truth.

Jane Powell:
How could I believe you
When you said we’d marry?

Fred Astaire:
Why, you know I’d rather hang
Than have a wife.
I know I said I’d make you mine.

Jane Powell:
Now wouldn’t youse know
That I would go for that old line?

Fred Astaire:
How could you believe me
When I said I loved you
When you know I’ve been a liar?

Jane Powell:
You sure have been a liar.

Fred Astaire:
A double-crossin’ liar.

Jane Powell:
A double-crossin’ liar.

Fred Astaire:
All my doggone cheatin’ life?

Jane Powell:
You said you would love me long.

Fred Astaire:
So what?

Jane Powell:
And never would do me wrong.

Fred Astaire:
Stop bending the suit!

Jane Powell:
Faithful you’d always be.

Fred Astaire:
Me?
Why baby, you must be loony
To trust a lower-than-low, two-timer like me.

Jane Powell:
You said I’d have everything.

Fred Astaire:
Get her.

Jane Powell:
A beautiful diamond ring.

Fred Astaire:
Ha ha ha.

Jane Powell:
A bungalow by the sea.

Fred Astaire:
A bungalow yet.
You’re really naive to ever believe
A full-of-baloney phony like me.

Jane Powell:
Boy, I sure must’ve lost my head.

Fred Astaire:
You ain’t lost nothin’ you never had.

Jane Powell:
What about the time you went to Indiana?

Fred Astaire:
I was lyin’.
I was down in Ala’bam.

Jane Powell:
You said you had some business
You had to complete.

Fred Astaire:
What I was doin’
I would be a cad to repeat.

Jane Powell:
What about the evenin’s
You was with your mother?

Fred Astaire:
I was rompin’ with another honey lamb.

Jane Powell:
To think you swore
Our love was real.

Fred Astaire:
Baby, leave us not forget
That I’m a heel.

Jane Powell:
How could I believe you
When you said you loved me?

Fred Astaire:
When you know I’ve been a liar.

Jane Powell:
A good-for-nothin’ liar.

Fred Astaire:
All my good-for-nothin’ life.

Dance Sequence

[While Dancing]
Fred Astaire:
Hey!
Yee-hoo!
Hey!
Hey!

[Jane starts kicking and hitting Fred while they continue to dance]

Fred Astaire:
Ooh!
Ow! Ooh!

Jane Powell:
You know you’ve been a liar.

Fred Astaire:
I know I’ve been a liar.

Jane Powell:
A double-crossin’ liar.

Fred Astaire:
A double-crossin’ liar.

Jane Powell:
All your good-for-nothin’ life!

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