----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE--------------------------------
This file is the author`s own work and represents their interpretation of the
song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research.
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Date: Mon, 04 May 1998 03:09:50 -0700
From: John Blair
Subject: m/marx_groucho/lydia_the_tattooed_lady.crd
Lydia The Tattooed Lady
Music by Harold Arlen
Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg
As sung by J. Cheever Loophole (Groucho Marx) in At the Circus
Note: MP2 and WAV versions of this song can be found at:
http://mems.ee.cornell.edu/~mbw/lydia.html
Transcription and any errors by jwblair@ix.netcom.com
(Intro dialog)
Chico: Folks, I wanna you should meet my pal,
my *best* friend. (What`s your name again?)
Groucho: Loophole.
Chico: Glad to know ya.
Groucho: It`s your pleasure.
Ah this meeting brings back memories--
childhood days! lemonade!! romance!
My life was wrapped around the circus--
her name was Lydia. I met her at the World`s
Fair in 1900, marked down from 1940. Ah Lydia.
(ad lib sung/spoken)
She was the most glorious creature under the sun.
Weiss(?)!, DuBarry(?)! Garbo! Rolled into one.
Ahhhhh...
C
Lydia, oh Lydia, say, have you met Lydia?
G
Lydia the tattooed lady
F C F C
She has eyes that folks adore so
F Dm F Dm
And a torso even more so
C
Lydia, oh Lydia, that encyclo-pidia
F
Oh Lydia, the queen of tattoo
Dm
On her back is the Battle of Waterloo
F
Beside it the Wreck of the Hesperus, too
C F
And proudly above waves the red, white and blue
C G C
You can learn a lot from Lydia
C
(la la la, la la la)
C
(la la la, la la la)
Eb
When her robe is unfurled, she will show you the world
Bb
If you step up and tell her where
For a dime you can see Kankakee or Paree
Eb
Or Washington crossing the Delaware
Eb
(la la la, la la la)
C
(la la la, la la la)
C
Ah Lydia, oh Lydia, say, have you met Lydia?
G
Oh Lydia the tattooed lady
F C F C
When her muscles start relaxin`
F Dm F Dm
Up the hill comes Andrew Jackson
C
Lydia, oh Lydia, that encyclo-pidia
F
Oh Lydia, the queen of them all
Dm
For two bits she will do a mazurka in jazz
F
With a view of Niagara that nobody has
C F
And on a clear day, you can see Alcatraz
C G C
You can learn a lot from Lydia
C
(la la la, la la la)
Eb
(la la la, la la la)
Eb
Come along and see Buffalo Bill with his lasso
Bb
Just a little classic by Mendel Picasso
Here is Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon
Eb
Here`s Godiva but with her pajamas on
Eb
(la la la, la la la)
Eb
(la la la, la la la)
Eb
Here is Grover Whelan unveilin` the Tri-lon
Bb
Over on the west coast we have Treasure Isle-on
Here`s Nijinski a-doin` the rumba
Eb
Here`s her social security numbah
Eb
(Whistling instead of singing la la la...)
C
(Whistling instead of singing la la la...)
C
Ah Lydia, oh Lydia, that encyclo-pidia
F
Oh Lydia, the champ of them all
Dm
She once swept an admiral clear off his feet
F
The ships on her hips made his heart skip a beat
C F
And now the old boy`s in command of the fleet
C G C
For he went and married Lydia
C
I said Lydia
He said Lydia
They said Lydia
We said Lydia
La-la!
