[1] Despite the fact that he was born with a deformed left hand[3][4] (which still had fingers[citation needed]), Woods' mother, a concert singer, encouraged him to play the piano.
[3] Woods earned his bachelor's degree at Harvard University,[1] supporting himself by singing in church choirs and giving piano recitals.
In 1929, Woods began contributing songs to Hollywood musicals such as The Vagabond Lover, A Lady's Morals, Artistic Temper, Aunt Sally, Twentieth Century, Road House, Limelight, It's Love Again, Merry Go Round of 1938, and She's For Me.
[5] While Woods usually wrote both words and music for his songs, he also collaborated with Mort Dixon, Al Sherman, Howard Johnson, Arthur Freed, Rube Bloom and Gus Kahn.
Alone, or with his collaborators, he wrote "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover", "I'm Goin' South", "The Clouds Will Soon Roll By", "Just a Butterfly that's Caught in the Rain", "Side by Side", "My Old Man", "A Little Kiss Each Morning", "Heigh-Ho, Everybody, Heigh-Ho", "Man From the South", "River Stay 'way from My Door", "When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain", "We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye", "Just an Echo in the Valley", "A Little Street Where Old Friends Meet", "You Ought to See Sally on Sunday", "Hustlin' and Bustlin' for Baby", "What a Little Moonlight Can Do", "Try a Little Tenderness", "I'll Never Say 'Never Again' Again", "Over My Shoulder " "Tinkle Tinkle Tinkle " "When You've Got a Little Springtime in Your Heart", "Midnight, the Stars and You", "I Nearly Let Love Go Slipping Through My Fingers", and many others.
[4] David Jasen, writing in Tin Pan Alley, wrote that Woods was observed assaulting a customer at a bar who he got into an argument with.