Original: Guys and Dolls is a musical , with the music and lyrics written by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows , based on '' The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown '' and '' Blood Pressure '' , two short stories by Damon Runyon .
Simplified: The music and lyrics were written by Frank Loesser , and the speaking parts were written by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows . The story of Guys and Dolls is based on short stories written by Damon Runyon .