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Mr. Gellman’s Shirt Lyrics by Veanne Cox, Tonya Pinkins

Caroline, or Change (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

2004

[CAROLINE]
Sixteen feet beneath the sea
[ROSE]
Caroline, look at Mr. Gellman's shirt
He must've left a quarter
In the front breast pocket
You must've ironed over it
Look, it's the head
Of the father of our country
Mr. George Washington
Seared into the fabric
Like the face of Jesus
On the Shroud of Turin
So I guess Mr. Gellman has to learn the rule
He loses any change he leaves
And you can keep it
Just like Noah's, you can keep it
Just like Noah's—
[CAROLINE]
I don't want it
I ain't some ragpick
Ain't some jackdaw
[ROSE, spoken]
Of course you're not a—
[CAROLINE]
I don't want your husband's money
[CAROLINE, spoken & ROSE, spoken]
I got a load of laundry left (Oh, it's not your fault about the quarter)
[CAROLINE]
So excuse me, Mrs. Gellman
From now one I'll check every pocket
Put the money in the bleach cup
His and Noah's, yours as well
[ROSE]
Oh, I never leave my money in my pockets
My father would have whupped me, smacked me, he—
[CAROLINE]
If I find money now
I put it in the bleach cup
And you people do
Whatever you want with it
Take the damn money
Mrs. Gellman
And stop bothering me with it
You need anything else?
You need anything, anything, anything else?
[ROSE, spoken]
Now, wait a second
[CAROLINE]
I got to iron now
Iron now, iron now
It cramped in here and there's no air
So, please get out
So my arm can swing
With this hot iron
And not hit nobody
Credits
Veanne Cox

Veanne Cox

Tonya Pinkins

Tonya Pinkins

About “Mr. Gellman’s Shirt” by Veanne Cox

Read the complete lyrics to "Mr. Gellman’s Shirt" by Veanne Cox, Tonya Pinkins from the album "Caroline, or Change (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" in 2004. 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 Broadway, Pop, Musicals.

"Mr. Gellman’s Shirt" is performed by Veanne Cox, Tonya Pinkins. from the album "Caroline, or Change (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" in 2004 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 "Mr. Gellman’s Shirt", explore more songs by Veanne Cox, Tonya Pinkins 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.

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Frequently asked questions

"Mr. Gellman’s Shirt" is credited to Veanne Cox, Tonya Pinkins. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Mr. Gellman’s Shirt" appears on "Caroline, or Change (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" in 2004.

Visit the Veanne Cox, Tonya Pinkins artist page at /artist/veanne-cox for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.