All Er Nuthin'

"All Er Nuthin" is a tune from the musical play "Oklahoma!" written by composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II.

This song is near the end of the musical, where the secondary characters Will Parker and Ado Annie Carnes decide to get married. Will is a bit wary, though, since he knows Ado is the girl who can't say no (to advances by suitors). In this song he essentially asks for a promise of fidelity from Annie, who agrees to be faithful to him.

After Annie suggests a future child in this duet:

Will: "He'd better look a lot like me! "
Ado Annie: "The spitt'n' image! "

There is a second part to the song; between these parts Will flirts with a couple of other girls, Annie then sings about Will's double standards and suggests that a man expects his wife to be faithful while he himself continues to be "wild and free." Will is pleased when she seems to be accepting this double-standard, but at the end she turns the tables on him, singing:

"So I ain't gonna fuss, ain't gonna frown-- /Have your fun, go out on the town, /Stay up late, and don't come home till three! /And go right off to sleep if you're sleepy. /There's no use waitin' up fer me!"

Annie may agree to the marriage, but only on her terms.