Lyr Req: Henry's Made a Lady Out of Lizzie

Subject: Lyrics/music for a car song, 1920's
From:
Date: 09 Feb 98 - 11:21 PM

Looking for words and music to a song about a car. All I have is a verse going something like this: "C.O.D. and F.O.B., All you need is do, re, me, Henry's made a lady out of lizzy, She's got everything inside her now except the kitchen sink...."

Please return email to here or: [e-mail] or: [e-mail]

Thanks, Paul Evenden

Lyrics are posted here:
HENRY'S MADE A LADY OUT OF LIZZIE
--JoeClone, 16-Dec-2007.

Subject: RE: Lyrics/music for a car song, 1920's
From: Dale Rose
Date: 14 Feb 98 - 01:25 AM

There is a copy of the 1928 sheet music listed for $12 at this address.

http://www.the-forum.com/ephemera/music001.htm

Subject: Lyr Add: HENRY'S MADE A LADY OUT OF LIZZIE
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 18 May 11 - 07:56 PM

Hmmm. There seem to be several versions out there. You can hear this one at YouTube.


HENRY'S MADE A LADY OUT OF LIZZIE
Words and music by Walter O'Keefe, ©1928.
As sung by Irving Kaufman on Conqueror 7029-A.

Have you seen her? Ain't she great?
She's something you'll appreciate.
I'm sure you understand just what I mean.
Ev'rybody ev'rywhere is falling for her now.
I'm talking 'bout the new Ford, and boy, it sure is a wow!

Lay off, people; lay off, folks.
None of your sarcastic jokes.
    Henry's made a lady out of Lizzie.
No more bruises, no more aches.
Now she's got those four-wheel brakes.
    Henry's made a lady out of Lizzie.
She's even got a rumble seat, and lots of style and class,
And the horn just seems to holler out, [honk, honk] "They shall not pass."
The Lincoln car is made of tin.
They're sisters underneath the skin.
    Henry's made a lady out of Lizzie.

Now she's even learned to stop
For ev'ry single traffic cop.
    Henry's made a lady out of Lizzie.
Not a rattle, not a bit;
Lizzie now has lots of it.
    Henry's made a lady out of Lizzie.
There's ev'rything inside her now except the kitchen sink:
A mirror and a powder puff, and a shower bath, I think.
I'll bet my socks that this miss Ford
We'll live as long as Fanny Ward.
    Henry's made a lady out of Lizzie.

C.O.D. and F.O.B.,
All you need is dough-re-mi.
    Henry's made a lady out of Lizzie.
Since he lifted up her face,
She travels at an awful pace.
    Henry's made a lady out of Lizzie.
She's not like Calvin Coolidge; she's a girl who likes her fun.
She says, "Imagine anyone who doesn't choose to run!"
You should get delivery
By nineteen-hundred-thirty-three.
    Henry's made a lady out of Lizzie.

Her dashboard has a clock that's made a hit with all the Scotch.
A Scotchman saw the clock and so he promptly stopped his watch.
You've all heard the Frenchmen song:
Fifty million can't be wrong.
    Henry's made a lady out of Lizzie.

Subject: Lyr Add: HENRY'S MADE A LADY OUT OF LIZZIE
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 18 May 11 - 08:21 PM

You can also hear this one at YouTube:


HENRY'S MADE A LADY OUT OF LIZZIE
Words and music by Walter O'Keefe, ©1928.
As sung by The Three New Yorkers on Metropole 1050.

Have you seen her? Ain't she great?
She's something you'll appreciate.
We're sure you understand just what we mean.
Used to call her Lizzie; they've got to stop it now.
We're talking 'bout that new Ford car; boy, it's sure a wow!

When she's comin' down the street
All the boys say, "Ain't she sweet!"
    Henry's made a lady out of Lizzie.
Has she plenty? Has she much,
Got the skin you love to touch?
    Henry's made a lady out of Lizzie.
They used to park her in a lot; for that they charged two bits.
But now they charge you nothing and you park her at the Ritz.
She once had rattles in her wheel,
But now she's full of sex appeal.
    Henry's made a lady out of Lizzie.

C.O.D. and F.O.B.,
All you need is dough-re-mi.
    Henry's made a lady out of Lizzie.
She's like all the other vamps:
Pretty shape and lovely lamps.
    Henry's made a lady out of Lizzie.
The Rolls Royce and Minerva, as classy as they are,
Were shocked and when they saw her, shouted, "Chrysler! What a car!"
They used to keep her with a cow,
But gee, you ought to see her now.
    Henry's made a lady out of Lizzie.

Now she's even learned to stop
For ev'ry single traffic cop.
    Henry's made a lady out of Lizzie.
Not a rattle, not a bit;
Lizzie now has lots of "it."
    Henry's made a lady out of Lizzie.
There's ev'rything inside her now except the kitchen sink:
A mirror and a powder puff, a shower bath, I think.
I'll bet my socks that this Miss Ford
We'll live as long as Fanny Ward.
    Henry's made a lady out of Lizzie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Henry's Made a Lady Out of Lizzie
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 19 May 11 - 02:11 PM

For those not familiar with American traditions --

The first automobile produced by Henry Ford (the Henry of this song) was the Model T, begun in 1909. The Model T was known as 'the tin Lizzie.'

(I wonder if Lizzie was a common name for a horse.)

In 1927, the Model T was upgraded to the Model A. The song says that Henry (Ford, the automaker) has upgraded the humble tin Lizzie, and now Lizzie's a lady - i.e, the Model A.

There are hobbyists to this day who keep cars like these running.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Henry's Made a Lady Out of Lizzie
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 19 May 11 - 02:14 PM

Thanks for the link, Jim.

Interesting that the record was made in England.

I'm impressed by the singers. I can understand every word.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Henry's Made a Lady Out of Lizzie
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 01 Sep 11 - 02:49 PM

You can hear HENRY'S MADE A LADY OUT OF LIZZIE sung by Billy Jones & Ernest Hare (The Happiness Boys) at The Internet Archive. They stick pretty close to the lyrics posted above that are sung by Irving Kaufman, but as usual, they have added some patter. It's a little cleverer than most of their patter:

PATTER: —Oh, Ernest, who's that comin' down the street?
—Oh, look her over! Ain't she sweet?
—That's not Lizzie is it? How she's changed!
—Yes, she's a lady now; she's outgrown her rattle.
—Not a rattle in a carload. I suppose she has more tin now than she ever had.
—Yes, you never see her in alleyways anymore. She now sports the boulevard.
—Introduce me, will you?
—Why certainly. Sir Walter Raleigh, meet Queen Elizabeth.
—Carbureted, I'm sure. Carbureted!
—Ha-ha-ha...!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Henry's Made a Lady Out of Lizzie
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 01 Sep 11 - 02:51 PM

It just occurred to me that in G. B. Shaw's play Pygmalion (1912) and the subsequent musical My Fair Lady (1956), the principal characters are Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle.

So there's another story about Henry making a lady out of Lizzie. Coincidence? Yes, but could the songwriters have had them in mind as well as Henry Ford and the tin Lizzie? I suppose not, or they would have made it more explicit in the lyrics.

An interesting thought, however.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Henry's Made a Lady Out of Lizzie
From: BrooklynJay
Date: 02 Sep 11 - 08:38 AM

A fascinating song. Thanks for the links. However, in your two posts of May 18, I wonder if the line should be:

I'll bet my socks that this Miss Ford
Will live as long as Fanny Ward.

Doesn't seem to make sense any other way.

[For those who are interested, Fannie Ward (1872-1952) was a well-known stage and silent-screen actress of the day, who, regardless of her actual age, would always play youthful rôles.]

Jay

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Henry's Made a Lady Out of Lizzie
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 06 Sep 11 - 12:34 AM

BrooklynJay: You're obviously right. It must have been just a mistyping on my part. Thanks.