“IT AIN’T OVER TILL THE FAT LADY SINGS”

Occasionally, someone blurts out the colloquial expression “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings”or “It isn’t over till the fat lady sings”.  How many have heard of the phrase and wonder what it means.  It is a commonly used expression to denote that an event is not over till the occurrence of another event.

Who is the fat lady?  No one really knows.

How did this phrase come about?  The origin is fuzzy and can only be inferred.  Three unrelated areas seem to have caused the birth of this phrase, German Opera, American Sports and Churches in the Southern States.

The musical opera connection lies in the overly long four-opera Ring Cycle performance of Richard’s Wagner Götterdämmerung which can drag upwards of fourteen hours.  Near the end of the opera performance a well-endowed lady would appear during the last ten minutes to conclude the performance.  The off quoted answer to the frequent question – when will it end? – comes the tired answer of “till the fat lady sings”.

The American side of the connection to this expression comes from a writer and sports commentator who said “the opera ain’t over till the fat lady sings” in a commentary of a televised basketball game in1978.

In the Southern States of the US, “it ain’t over till the fat lady sings the blues” and also “church ain’t out till the fat lady sings” have been reported, the latter recorded in the book “Southern Words and Sayings” in 1976.

Wherever it started or by who seems unimportant, as this expression enriches and adds flavour in our usage of the English Language.