You can hear this recording at The Internet Archive:


IF I KNEW YOU WERE COMING I'D'VE BAKED A CAKE
Words & music by Al Hoffman, Bob Merrill, Clem Watts, ©1950
As sung by Gracie Fields, 1950.

If I knew you were comin' I'd have baked a cake,
Baked a cake, baked a cake.
If I knew you were comin' I'd have baked a cake.
Howjadoo, howjadoo, howjadoo?

Had you dropped me a letter, I'd have hired a band,
The grandest band in the land.
Had you dropped me a letter, I'd have hired a band
And spread the welcome mat for you.

Now I don't know where you came from, 'cause I don't know where you've been,
But it really doesn't matter.
Grab a chair and fill your platter
And dig, dig, dig right in.

If I knew you were comin' I'd have baked a cake,
Hired a band, goodness sake!
If I knew you were comin' I'd have baked a cake.
Howjadoo, howjadoo, howjadoo,

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker man.
Bake a cake as quick as you can,
Plenty of cream an' sugar and ice,
Nuts an' raisins an' honey an' spice.

Had you dropped me a letter, I'd have hired a band,
Grandest band in the land.
Had you dropped me a letter, I'd have hired a band
And spread the welcome mat for you.

If I knew you were comin' I'd have baked a cake,
Baked a cake, baked a cake.
If I knew you were comin' I'd have baked a cake.
Howjadoo, howjadoo, howjadoo?

Had you dropped me a letter, I'd have hired a hall,
Great big hall, band an' all.
Had you dropped me a letter, I'd have hired a hall
And spread the welcome mat for you.

Now I don't know where you came from, 'cause I don't know where you've been,
But it really doesn't matter.
Grab a chair and fill your platter
And dig, dig, dig right in.

If I knew you were comin' I'd have kept the pot,
Coffee pot, nice an' hot.
If I knew you were comin' I'd have baked a cake,
Howjadoo, howjadoo, howjadoo?
(Howjadoo, howjadoo, howjadoo?)
Howjadoo, howjadoo, howjadoo?


[According to Billboard, several artists had releases of this song in the US in 1950: Eileen Barton and the New Yorkers, Georgia Gibbs with Max Kaminsky's Dixielanders, Ethel Merman & Ray Bolger, Benny Strong, Al Trace & His Orchestra, The Fontane Sisters with the Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra, Art Mooney & His Orchestra, L. Polk with S. Martin's Orchestra, and Eve Young with The Homesteaders. In the UK, there was Gracie Fields (maybe more, but I don't have any source comparable to Billboard for the UK).

[I have found articles where this song was cited as an example of bad grammar. Of course, proper grammar would be: "If I had known you were coming...."]