Songs
of Tin Pan Alley
Ta-Ra-Ra Boom-De-Ay! (Henry J. Sayers, 1891)
A smart and stylish girl you
see,
Belle of good society:
Not too strict, but rather free,
Yet as right as right can be!
Never forward, never bold--
Not too hot and not too cold,
But the very thing, I'm told,
That in your arms you'd like to
hold!
Chorus
Ta-ra-ra
Boom-de-ay! Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay!
Ta-ra-ra
Boom-de-ay! Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay!
Ta-ra-ra
Boom-de-ay! Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay!
Ta-ra-ra
Boom-de-ay! Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay!
I'm not extravagantly shy,
And when a nice young man is
nigh,
For his heart I have a try--
And faint away with tearful cry!
When the good young man, in
haste,
Will support me round the waist:
I don't come to, while thus
embraced,
Till of my lips he steals a
taste!
Chorus
I'm a timid flow'r
of innocence,
Pa says that I have no sense--
I'm one eternal big expense;
But men say that I'm just
immense!
Ere my verses I conclude,
I'd like it known and
understood,
Tho' free as air, I'm never rude--
I'm not too bad and not too
good!
Chorus
Sometimes Pa says, with a frown,
"Soon you'll have to settle
down--
Have to wear your wedding gown--
Be the strictest wife in
town!"
Well, it must come by and by--
When wed, to keep quiet I'll
try;
But till then I shall not sigh,
I shall still go in for my--
Chorus
Daisy Bell (Harry Dacre, 1892)
There
is a flower within my heart, Daisy, Daisy!
Planted
one day by a glancing dart,
Planted
by Daisy Bell!
Whether
she loves me or loves me not,
Somtimes it's hard to tell;
Yet
I am longing to share the lot
Of
Beautiful Daisy Bell!
[Chorus]
Daisy, Daisy, Give me your answer, do!
I'm
half crazy, All for the love of you!
It
won't be a stylish marriage,
I
can't afford a carriage,
But
you'll look sweet on the seat
Of
a bicycle built for two!
Chorus
We
will go "tandem" as man and wife, Daisy, Daisy!
Ped'ling away down the road of life,
I and my sweet Daisy Bell!
When
the road's dark we can both despise
P'liceman and "lamps" as well;
There
are "bright lights" in the dazzling eyes
Of beautiful Daisy Bell.
I
will stand by you in "wheel" or woe, Daisy, Daisy!
You'll
be the bell(e) which I'll ring, you know!
Sweet
little Daisy Bell!
You'll
take the "lead" in each "trip" we take,
Then
if I don't do well;
I
will permit you to use the break, My beautiful Daisy
Bell!
Chorus
A Hot Time in the Old Town (Words
by Joe Hayden; Music by Theo. A. Metz, 1896)
Come
along get you ready wear your bran, bran new gown,
For
dere's gwine to be a
meeting in that good, good old town,
Where
you knowded ev'ry body, and
dey all knowded you,
And
you've got a rabbits foot to keep away de hoo-do;
When
you hear that preaching does begin,
Bend
down low for to drive away your sin and when you gets
religion,
You
want to shout and sing, there'll be a hot time in the
old town tonight by baby.
[Chorus]
When you hear dem a bells go ding, ling ling,
All
join 'round
And
sweetly you must sing, and when the verse am through,
In
the chorus all join in, there'll be a hot time in the old town tonight.
There'll
be girls for ev'ry body in that good, good old town,
For
dere's Miss Consola Davis
and dere's Miss Gondolia
Brown;
And
dere's Miss Johanna Beasly
she am dressed all in red,
I
just hugged her and I kissed her and to me than she said:
Please
oh, please, oh, do not let me fall,
You're
all mine and I love you best of all, and you must be my man,
Or
I'll have no man at all,
there'll be a hot time in the old town tonight, my baby.
Chorus
Hello! Ma Baby. (Howard and Emerson, 1899)
I'se got a little baby, but she's out
of sight,
I talk to her across the telephone;
I'se never seen my honey but she's
mine, all right;
So take my tip, an' leave this gal
alone--
Ev'ry single morning you will hear me
yell,
"Hey Central! Fix me up along the line."
He connects me with ma honey, then
I rings the bell,
And this is what I say to baby mine,
Chorus
"Hello! ma baby, Hello! ma honey
Hello! ma ragtime gal,
Send me a kiss by wire,
Baby my heart's on fire!
If you refuse me, Honey, you'll lose me,
Then you'll be left alone;
Oh, baby, telephone and tell me I'se
your own
This morning, thro' the 'phone, she said her name was Bess,
And now I kind of know where I am at;
I'se satisfied because I'se got my babe's address,
Here pasted in the lining of my hat
I am mighty scared 'cause if the wires get crossed,
'Twill separate me from ma baby mine,
Then some other coon will win her,
And my game is lost,
And so each day I should along the line,
Chorus
Under the Bamboo Tree (Bob Cole,
1902)
Down in the jungles lived a maid,
Of
royal blood though dusky shade,
A marked impression once she made
Upon
a Zulu from Matabooloo;
And ev'ry morning he would be
Down
underneath a bamboo tree
Awaiting there his love to see
Ahd then to her he'd sing:
Chorus
If you lak-a-me, lak I lak-a-you
And we lak-a-both the same,
I lak-a say, this very day,
I lak-a-change your name;
'Cause I love-a-you and love-a-you true
And if you-a love-a me
One live as two, two live as one
Under the bamboo tree.
. . .
This little story strange but true,
Is often told in Mataboo
Of how this Zulu tried to woo
His jungle lady in tropics
shady;
Although the scene was miles away,
Right here at home I dare to
say,
You'll hear some Zulu ev'ry day,
Gush out this soft refrain.
(Chorus)
In My Merry Oldsmobile (Bryan
and Edwards, 1905)
Young Johnnie Steele has an Oldsmobile,
He loves a dear little girl,
She is the queen of his gas machine,
She has his heart in a whirl.
Now when they go for a spin, you know,
She tries to learn the auto, so
He lets her steer while he gets her ear,
And whispers soft and low;
Chorus
Come away with me Lucile
In my merry Oldsmobile
Down the road of life we'll fly
Automobubbling you and I.
To the church we'll swiftly steal,
Then our wedding bells will peal,
You can go as far as like with me
In my merry Oldsmobile.
They love to spark in the dark old park,
As they go flying along,
She says she knows why the motor goes;
The sparker's awfully strong.
Each day they spoon to the engine's tune,
Their honeymoon will happen soon,
He'll win Lucile with his Oldsmobile
And then he'll fondly croon;
Chorus