Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries is one of the most famous songs from the Great Depression era in America. Despite its cheerful, optimistic tune, the lyrics carry a hint of irony, encouraging people not to worry too much about work or saving because "You can't take your dough when you go, go, go." The song was famously introduced by Ethel Merman in the Broadway revue George White's Scandals of 1931. The 1958 version you mentioned is part of her compilation album "Ethel: A Musical Autobiography,"