Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative

Accentuate the positive, an' latch on

You gotta accentuate the positive

Eliminate the negative an' latch on to the affirmative

Don't mess with Mister In Between

You gotta spread joy up to the maximum

Bring gloom down to the minimum

An' have faith, amen, or pandemonium's

Liable to walk upon the scene, amen

To illustrate my last remark

Jonah in the whale, Noah in the arc

An' what did they do, what did they do?

Just when everything looked so dark?

What did they, what did they, what did they do?

Man, they said, "You better accentuate the positive

Eliminate the negative an' latch on

To the affirmative, don't mess with Mister In Between

No, don't you mess with Mister In Between"

To illustrate his last remark

Jonah in the whale, Noah in the arc

An' what did they do, what did they do?

Just when everything looked so dark?

What did they do, what did they do?

Man, they said, "You better accentuate the positive

Eliminate the negative an' latch on

To the affirmative, don't mess with Mister In Between

No, don't mess with Mister In Between

No, don't you mess with Mister In Between

No, don't mess with Mister In Between"

Copyright: Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Writer(s): Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer