YOU may think you are getting by. You may get by awhile.
But do not snap your fingers in the face of Fate and smile.
Although she may not now demand of you the full amount,
Some day you will discover that she keeps a charge account.
She never quarrels with us nor bestows unseemly looks,
But no one ever yet has found an error in her books.
She writes down every item very quietly, but still
There certainly will come a day when she presents her bill.
She asks no more than is her due, for Fate is always square.
No tradesman yet in all the world has ever been more fair.
Good business methods, that is all. There is no other way.
You may get by awhile, my friend, but some day you will pay.
The Close-Up (1928)
[Transcriber’s note: All verses are italicized.]
There are many angel faces,
Viewed from places far away,
Which, upon a near vision,
Very quickly turn to clay.
There are many matchless heroes
Who can hold us in their spell,
But who fade away to weakness
When we really know them well.
There are many hissing villians
Who, on closer view, are found
To possess a kindly spirit
And an honor quite profound.
So it runs throughout the picture,
As it probably is best,
That the close-up tells the story
Whether one can meet the test.