Lyrks
Lyrks
Lyrks
Cover Art

A British Bank (The Life I Lead) Lyrics by David Tomlinson, Julie Andrews

Mary Poppins (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

1964

[MR. BANKS]
A British bank is run with precision
A British home requires nothing less!
Tradition, discipline, and rules
Must be the tools
Without them... Disorder! Chaos! Moral disintegration!
In short, you have a ghastly mess!
[MARY, spoken]
I quite agree!
[MR. BANKS]
The children must be molded, shaped, and taught
That life's a looming battle to be faced and fought
[spoken]
In short, I am disturbed to hear my children talking about popping in and out of chalk pavement pictures, consorting with racehorse persons, foxhunting! Yes, well, I don't mind that quite so much. At any rate, it's tradition! But tea parties on the ceiling? I ask you: having tea parties on the ceiling? And highly questionable outings of every other kind!
[sung]
If they must go on outings
These outings ought to be
Fraught with purpose
Yes, and practicality
These silly words like superca... superca.. .superca...
[MARY, spoken]
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
[MR. BANKS, spoken]
Yes, well done, you've said it
[sung]
...And popping through pictures
Have little use, fulfill no basic need!
They've got to learn the honest truth
Despite their youth
They must learn...
[MARY (MR. BANKS, spoken)]
...About the life you lead (Exactly!)
They must feel the thrill of totting up a balanced book
A thousand ciphers neatly in a row
When gazing at a graph that shows the profits up
Their little cup of joy should overflow! (Precisely!)
It's time they learned to walk in your footsteps (My footsteps...)
To tread your straight and narrow path with pride (With pride!)
Tomorrow, just as you suggest
Pressed and dressed
Jane and Michael will be at your side
Credits
David Tomlinson

David Tomlinson

Julie Andrews

Julie Andrews

About “A British Bank (The Life I Lead)” by David Tomlinson

Read the complete lyrics to "A British Bank (The Life I Lead)" by David Tomlinson, Julie Andrews from the album "Mary Poppins (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" in 1964. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Musicals, Soundtrack, Disney.

"A British Bank (The Life I Lead)" is performed by David Tomlinson, Julie Andrews. from the album "Mary Poppins (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" in 1964 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "A British Bank (The Life I Lead)", explore more songs by David Tomlinson, Julie Andrews using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for David Tomlinson · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"A British Bank (The Life I Lead)" is credited to David Tomlinson, Julie Andrews. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"A British Bank (The Life I Lead)" appears on "Mary Poppins (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" in 1964.

Visit the David Tomlinson, Julie Andrews artist page at /artist/david-tomlinson for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.