... plot and clever lyrics, which Kern wrote music to. The score of the musical was no longer simply an accompaniment to the lyrics and the plot; it was far more intricate and clever. It was used as a means of subtle implication and to give strength to the plot and the characterisation. In this play, Kern decided to represent the boat itself, 'Cotton Blossom', and also the Mississippi River upon which the boat travels, musically and in the form of the perfect fourth interval, which is used in many songs in the musical. In "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", the following theme is immediately introduced to the lyrics 'Fish got to swim and birds got to fly': This perfect fourth uses notes from the tonic chord of the major key. This theme is found in many other songs in the musical, but now with the addition of another note, the sixth ...

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