( Ac-cent-thu-ate the positive,
   e-lim-inate the negative,
   ac-cent-thu-ate the positive, an' latch on! )
  
   You gotta accent-thu-ate the positive,
   E-lim-inate 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!
  
   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 accent-thu-ate the positive,
   E-lim-inate the negative,
   An' latch on
   To the affirmative
   Don't mess with Mister in-between!
   No, don't 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 accent-thu-ate the positive,
   E-lim-inate 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!