Life's A Funny Proposition - Eddie Cantor [HD]

A nice tune from Boardwalk Empire season 1, ep. 12. No copyright infringement intended, all credit goes to HBO. The link to the original song: • Video
Lyrics:
Did you ever sit and ponder,
Sit and wonder, sit and think,
Why we're here and what this life is all about?
It's a problem that has driven,
Many brainy men to drink,
It's the weirdest thing they've tried to figure out.
About a thousand different theories,
All the scientists can show,
But never yet have proved a reason why,
With all we've thought,
And all we're taught,
Why all we seem to know,
Is we're born and live a while and then we die.
Life's a very funny proposition after all,
Imagination, jealousy, hypocrisy and all.
Three meals a day, a whole lot to say,
When you haven't got the coin you're always in the way.
Ev'rybody's fighting as we wend our way along,
Ev'ry fellow claims the other fellow's in the wrong,
Hurried and worried until we're buried and there's no curtain call.
Life's a very funny proposition after all.
When all things are coming easy, and when luck is with a man,
Why then life to him is sunshine everywhere.
Then the fates blow rather breezy and they quite upset a plan,
Then he'll cry that life's a burden hard to bear.
Though today may be a day of smiles, tomorrow's still in doubt,
And what brings me joy, may bring you care and woe,
We're born to die, but don't know why, or what it's all about,
And the more we try to learn the less we know.
Life's a very funny proposition, you can bet,
And no one's ever solved the problem properly as yet.
Young for a day, then old and gray,
Like the rose that buds and blooms and fades and falls away,
Losing health to gain our wealth as through this dream we tour.
Ev'rything's a guess and nothing's absolutely sure,
Battles exciting and fates we're fighting until the curtain falls.
Life's a very funny proposition after all.

[@franzkafka77]

A short film in and of itself. One of the best finales ever.

[@h.g.1409]

agreed, that's how u end a season

[@arjanpelle]

It's uncanny how much DeRosa resembles the real Eddie Cantor, well done.

[@JariLiitolaPikkuApuri]

Amazing classic. The words are so on point even now, in 2020.

[@RichardDominguezTheMagicIsReal]

2022 as well

[@MisterSaltarello]

These words are so on point for a very long time, my friend.

[@rubenvrioni]

100 years

[@tacticalpossum7090]

Almost like its a song about very basic stuff

[@rotesan]

Amazing classic. The words are so on point even now, in 2024

[@foolycooly3763]

“Young for a day, then old and grey. Like the rose that buds and blooms, and fades and falls away”

[@darren40522]

From the moment Eddie starts to sing to the final shot is just perfect! The opening to season 2 is just as good, music makes such a huge difference.

[@tomstonemale]

"Losing health to gain our wealth as through this dream we tour..." so true

[@junesilvermanb2979]

Life... The Great Miracle, And The Great Mystery...

[@zubiproductions9440]

The words to this song. So on point 100 years later. 👌🏼

[@onewildandcrazyguy9213]

It was written in 1904

[@SOIBand]

Love this song , love Boardwalk Empire

[@eddiecraig8684]

Same

[@rocknroll20024]

This is just amazing ending to season 1

[@phillipcotton833]

This season ending song on Boardwalk is one of my most memorable scenes of the series. While in quarantine from a Covid diagnosis I rediscovered this song. It resonated in a way in which it never had before. Although I wasn't hospitalized with the virus, knowing that so many people has lost their lives to it really made me digest the song's lyrics more intently. Life is truly frail, & precious.

[@ronrobertson59]

DeRosa did a fantastic job as Eddie Cantor as did the entire cast. This is the best show HBO ever did. I do wish they'd done a sixth season.

[@isaacbruner65]

It's a good show, but definitely not the best show HBO ever did. The Wire and The Sopranos were way better.

[@jimmyfranchise1544]

​@@isaacbruner65of the 3 you named, the only thing that separates them is personal taste. All brilliant in their own right.

[@johnnydragongaming]

The soundtrack to this show is glorious

[@Dr.TJ_Eckleburg]

They actually employed researchers, archivists, and forensics experts to track down and reconstruct a lot of the music featured on the show. Many of the songs heard of the show were completely lost since the 1920's, and heard for the very first time again on the show. They actually restored a number of original wax cylinders with music that would have been lost forever otherwise.

[@splashpont]

I love Eddie Cantor (aka actor, Steve DeRosa)!

[@zardoz2126]

A beautiful song, beautifully sung

[@MrsNatari]

Such a beautiful yet truthful phrase...

[@stellabellafontay9366]

The Chalky White scene in this song is eerie in 2023. R.I.P. Michael K. Williams.

[@elofkjellson3906]

"We're born to die, but don't know why, or what it's all about; and the more we try to learn, the less we know." Just one of many highly insightful lines throughout this song. You could use this 1000 years in the future, and no matter what society is like, it will always be true. It gives me chills every time I listen to it and read it. A timeless and very deep song, much unlike most modern music.

[@phillipcotton833]

Teuth!!! 👍

[@lh7325]

2:50 Tommy must have been making a killing

[@jimmyfranchise1544]

No more shines. Maybe you didn't hear about it, you've been away a long time...

[@sempre_avanti_01]

Lovely ending and a beautiful song. I always wondered about that last shot where Nucky and Margaret are initially smiling but then a sadness seems to wash over them. It’s very subtle but powerful. I wonder what the characters were thinking at that moment. I guess the song clues us in alittle.

[@albertomorenojunquero9595]

I miss this show so fcking much

[@bernhardstramann6618]

Remembering George M. “The Man who owns Broadway“ Cohan who composed this song and many other popular tunes like ”Over there!“, “Yankee Doodle Dandy“ and ”You’re a grand old Flag!“

[@Itsgotahemi]

Happy new year's 2022. This song becomes more and more relevant with each passing year

[@ajh3422]

From Little Johnny Jones, the Cohan musical that gave the world "Give My Regards to Broadway" and "Yankee Doodle Boy"…this is a great rendition from "Boardwalk Empire."

[@FanLouDavid]

Love this song

[@mithvibes4727]

this could be a reach of the century but maybe the scene with meyer and charlie is foreshadowing to end where they act like they'll make the transaction (bugsy for willie) but they fake the deal and take everything from nucky

[@gfunkmadness]

Quasimodo predicted all this

[@spreadthelove77]

👌🏼🤣🤣

[@brad1368]

No, no... it was NotreDamis and Lou Holtz.

[@redv2959]

I had to sing this song for a musical in I think 7th grade

[@kruszewskimikoaj1200]

Love it. It's nuanced, it's not overtly nihilistic. It admits that despite this terryfying uncertainty life contains both suffering and joy and one can't decisively judge that it's all bad or all good.

[@occultstainedglass1752]

New Years Morning 2023! Lets see what happens this year!

[@GentTX]

You don’t have many shows that such good first seasons, this show’s opening season was a triumph. Shame it didn’t carry to the later seasons

[@bmillerdrums]

Best show ever

[@davidlondon6501]

From Boardwalk Empire and also used in our new musical DREAMLAND sung by our lucky leading after surviving the Triangle Factory Fire in 1911.

[@Timekeeper1200]

Great scene, great actor

[@richzito]

Terry Winter is a genius

[@deathtoraiden2080]

What an absolutely beautiful scene.

[@maskirovka77]

a great finale for season one...have always believed that the show got ended way too soon...so many plot threads left undone....oh, well.

[@tonyfrascone279]

The Libyan Dr. is hard to watch. Could’ve done without him.

[@JustSomeCanadianGuy]

Why every TV show doesn't end a season finale with a song and a montage showing where every character is a mystery to me.

[@diegosurnor2254]

The Wire does that in the most beautiful way imaginable.

[@chairmanmajong]

Thank George M Cohan for this song.

[@jimmyfranchise1544]

DeRosa was too good in this role.

[@Billo1281]

Hurried and worried until we’re buried...

[@charlesbunnell]

Its a George M. Cohan song!

[@bobk1951]

Compare Stephen DeRosa to Eddie Cantor in the Phonofilm made in 1926. DeRosa is a dead ringer for a young Eddie Cantor.

[@cherbert359]

Can we go back to the great 20s

[@neuzdost1939]

Next society will in 2000 years

[@wilheim007]

Well were in em again now lol

[@Incubyss]

Are you daft? Do you like polio? How about a bucket of spousal abuse? Prohibition? Does that tickle Your fancy? Oh and how about the effects of WW1? That was cool wasn’t it?

[@kruszewskimikoaj1200]

If you took the philosophy course these lyrics are the conclusion you would come to.

[@TdotSoul]

Who is his blonde companion in the top hat?

[@cristinae3137]

Babette she owns the club Babette's

she dies in season 3

[@cooltalktalks4944]

AyerGuillén and why the hell are you telling us this? I already saw the series but many haven’t

[@pragmaticpuppy2715]

She died? I thought the one who died was Billie.

[@piratsn]

​@@pragmaticpuppy2715they both died

these lyrics are actually supported by Vedanta philosophy. soon i will give a lecture on this song and substantiate it by relevant quotes from the Vedas. Hare Krishna!

[@jimmytwo-times4394]

😕

[@DENAANN1000]

Love the song, loved the series but the ending totally sucked!

[@willrc5731]

Nucky deserved every bit of it.

[@cooltalktalks4944]

I think the ending was good. The final episode demonstrated what he did years ago for the Commodore and it really hit home how he sold his soul years ago. He chose his fate. Better ending than the Sopranos and don’t get me started on Game of Thrones.

[@WhoopsieDayZ]

@@cooltalktalks4944 Sopranos ending was brilliant, if the viewer understands it..

[@maskirovka77]

I disagree. I thought the ending was totally predictable and constituted the worst Hollywood cliches. And don't get me started on all the material they could have used to make a full season or more instead of the bastardized eight episodes we got.

[@elofkjellson3906]

Not every story has a happy ending. It seems many people refuse to acknowledge this irrefutable fact.