NIGHT-GOWN OF BLUE

In my sweet little night-gown of blue,
On the first night that I slept with you,
I was both shy and scared, as the bed was prepared.
And you played peek-a-boo with my ribbons of blue.

As we both watched the break of the day,
And still there in submission I lay,
You said you adored it; but, damn it, you tore it,
My sweet little night-gown of blue.


Tune: Alice Blue Gown

Notes:
Indirectness and delicacy are rare in men's songs about women, but
this one did appear in an RCAF song sheet. There is still that twist at the end—the nervous woman is perhaps not as delicate or as dominated as she would have even herself believe.
Since the lyrics are set to the same melody as "Sweet Little Air Force Blue Suit", the two songs offer a ready example of the different orientations of men and women, at least toward clothing. Women view clothing as an important element in expressing their personalities, while men see clothes as essentially a disguise that gets in the way of reality.

Page 134, Songs from the Front & Rear: Canadian Servicemen's Songs of the Second World War, by Anthony Hopkins (Hurtig Publishers, Edmonton, 1979)