This song is best known as the counterpart to “Pick a Little, Talk a Little” from the musical The Music Man. The smooth sustained notes of “Good Night, Ladies” provide a delightful contrast with the short, staccato notes of Meredith Willson’s original “Pick a Little, Talk a Little.”
There are two parts to “Goodnight, Ladies,” often performed separately. One part is “Merrily We Roll Along” to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” while the other part is the song in your sheet music.