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Subject: Tattooed Lady From: Gern Date: 05 Sep 00 - 09:08 AM Not exactly highbrow stuff here, but a clever song nonetheless. This is not Groucho's "Lydia, the Tattooed Lady," but one I seem to remember from Homer and Jethro, roughly to the tune of "Back Home Again in Indiana." I'll refresh memories with an excerpt: "Her back was Brazil, her chest was Bunker Hill, and way down below was dear old Mexico... Just then I saw my wife, and to avoid future strife, I let the rest of the world go by." |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: JedMarum Date: 05 Sep 00 - 09:57 AM There is a version of this song in the DT here. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: Gern Date: 05 Sep 00 - 12:03 PM No, that is the Groucho Marx classic from "A Day at the Circus," or some such lunacy. Mine was more of a snappy Western swing ditty, with various geographical wisecracks like "on her knee was Tennessee/ in them hills I'm longing to be..." and "when I saw the moonlight shining on the Wabash." |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: Robby Date: 05 Sep 00 - 12:21 PM Gern: I remember those lyrics from The Smothers Brothers. It was on one of their LPs. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: Brendy Date: 05 Sep 00 - 12:54 PM Here are Cowpie's entries for Homer and Jethro lyrics. A useful page for background on 'America's Song Butchers', I think, is here B. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: Robby Date: 05 Sep 00 - 01:43 PM I forgot to mention earlier that The Kinston Trio had a song called Tattooed Lady. It began: "We came to town to see, That old Tattooed Lady. She was a sight to see, tattooed from head to knee", and so on. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: GUEST,Gene Date: 05 Sep 00 - 05:44 PM TATTOOED LADY by HOMER & JETHRO is on SONGS MY MOTHER NEVER SANG 1961 RCA LP-2286
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: GUEST,Rob Date: 22 Feb 05 - 11:19 PM If I can remember it right, something like this (strum on the ones) C F C Once I married a tattooed lady G C It was on a cold cold grey winter day F C and tattooed all around her body D G was a map of the good ole usa F C and every night before I'd go to sleep D G I'd lift the covers and take myself a peek Well good God almighty *(spoken) (sung with rythum) A D G C Down on her leg was arizona on her knee was tennessee A D tatooed on her back was good ole hacken sack G C thats the place where I long to be A D down on her (whistle) was west virgina G E and in them hills I love to roam A D when I saw the moonlight on her mississippi G C I recognized my home sweet home |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: Flash Company Date: 23 Feb 05 - 06:28 AM My sister's a famed tattoo'd lady, With pictures all over her skin, For ten bob she'll show you her etchings, My word, how the money rolls in! also;- Rollup, roll up, see the tattoo'd lady, See the lovely lady with the pictures on her skin, We went in, we all gave a cheer, For tattooed on her body were the towns of Lancashire. There was Oswaldtwistle, Manchester City, Wi' a picture of the Town-hall in the square, There was Burnley, Oldham, Ashton under Lyne, The coal tips up at Bury were looking mighty fine, Then someone shouted 'DADDY! Dont go down the mine!' At the Rawtenstall annual fair. I'll go home now!!! FC |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: Charley Noble Date: 23 Feb 05 - 08:11 AM Well, at least two versions of this song that I've never run across. Amazing! There is, of course, the early 1940's Rudy Vallee version, the chorus of which runs: C------------------------G Shame on the man that pur-sued her, ----G7------------------C That villain who viciously wooed her; ------------C7-----F She fell in a faint, he pulled out his paint, --------G-----------------------G7---C And the next thing she knew he tat-tooed her! Do a search in the threads and you'll find the rest of it. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: SINSULL Date: 23 Feb 05 - 07:27 PM As I remember it. Please feel free to edit or correct. The dandelion bit can't be right. We came to town to see That old tattooed lady She was a sight to see Tattooed from head to knee. My uncle Ned was there He came to guide us there "I've never" he declared "seen such a freak so fair." And on her jaw was the Royal Flying Corps And on her back was a Union Jack Now could you ask for more. All up and down her spine Ran bees and dandelions (?) And all around her hips Sailed a fleet of battleships. And over her left kidney was a birdseye view of Sydney But what we liked best was upon her chest, A little home in Waikiki. What did you say? Repeat from beginning. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: SINSULL Date: 23 Feb 05 - 07:47 PM Corrected version in other "Tattoed..." thread from katlaughing. |
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Subject: SINSULL From: GUEST,Tiger Date: 23 Feb 05 - 08:28 PM Your questionable line should be:
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: John on the Sunset Coast Date: 23 Feb 05 - 09:00 PM I always thought it was: My uncle Ned was there He came to gape and stare etc. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: Charley Noble Date: 24 Feb 05 - 09:11 AM We'll never really know what the "official" version is but I am intrigued with the " Ran bees and dandelions" line. And I thought I'd heard them all! Maybe we should take a vote. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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Subject: ADD Version: Only Seventeen From: Crane Driver Date: 25 Feb 05 - 11:08 AM According to Cyril Tawney, this version was current in the Royal Navy during his time in service:- ONLY SEVENTEER I was only seventeen, When first I went to sea, I was shipwrecked just off the coast of France, And just by chance - A woman in a boat Grabbed me by the coat, And laid me out upon the shore to dry. And then to my distress, She started to undress, She'd a map of Bonny Scotland tattooed upon her chest, And further down, To my surprise, I found the spot where Nelson lost his eye - She had the Portuguese Tattooed across her knees, Japan and Singapore upon her thigh, I was looking for Hong Kong, When her old man came along, I let the rest of the world go by. Obviously the 'Folk Process' at work here .... Andrew Only Seventeen in the Digital Tradition |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: Charley Noble Date: 25 Feb 05 - 11:54 AM Andrew- That is the 3rd version of the "Tattooed Lady." We have: Groucho Marx's "Lydia, the Tattooed Lady" (tattooed lady at the circus or fair) Cyril Tawney's "Tattooed Lady" (shipwrecked sailor on beach) Rudy Vallee's "Tattooed Lady" (wife seduced by tattoo artist) There are probably more versions of the first floating around and Rudy Vallee is also usually credited with the version that Groucho came up with. But contrary to some record notes "Lydia" is not the version on his 1934 recording (which I erronously described above as an early 1940's recording). Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: Charley Noble Date: 25 Feb 05 - 01:42 PM And Rudy Vallee definitely recorded the Marx's version "Lydia" as well from their film AT THE CIRCUS on the Decca label, back to back with "You Took Me Out of This World." At least that's what I turned up on e-Bay! Charley Noble |
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Subject: Lyr Add: THE TATTOOED LADY (Paddy Roberts) From: Nigel Parsons Date: 25 Feb 05 - 02:02 PM Thanks 'Cheerful Charley' for the summary. Looking back I think I've so far failed to put this on with a 'Lyrics Add' tag. So, one more try! THE TATTOOED LADY (Paddy Roberts) Well I was a bit of a lad I admit, My past was a trifle shady. Until in the end I went right round the bend And married a tattooed lady. I immediately saw there were pictures galore, On ev'ry available corner As I studied her frame, very soon I became An expert in flora and fauna On one of her feet, you were liable to meet A Master of Hounds in his habit. While right round her waist, in impeccable taste, Was a python devouring a rabbit. On the back of each knee was a small chimpanzee, On her thigh was a Knight of The Garter And just for a laugh they had put on her calf Eight bars of the Moonlight Sonata One evening I found as I ambled around I was feeling an absolute Charlie 'Cos I couldn't be sure if the sketch on her jaw Was Picasso or Salvador Dali I loved all the ships on one side of her hips The view in Peru on the other. But I was struck dumb when I found on her tum A caricature of her mother Well this was much more than a man can endure, Though I made the most earnest endeavour. So I scuttled away, and I'm happy to say It was Ta ta tattoo for ever, Ta ta tattoo for ever, Ta ta tattoo (2 bar run) for ever Paddy Roberts' "Tattooed Lady" (from memory) Nigel |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: GUEST,scottlrc@btinternet.com Date: 01 Mar 05 - 12:01 PM thank you very much!!! |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: GUEST,Chris Murray Date: 01 Mar 05 - 03:18 PM I've got Paddy Roberts' version on vinyl. I don't know whether it's the same as any other of the versions. It ends, "Tata tattoo forever". Tata as in goodbye. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: SharonA Date: 01 Mar 05 - 04:42 PM I found the folowing version, which seems to be the one Gem was looking for back in 2000, on a website about a man from Poole, Nebraska, USA who's memorialized in cyberspace by his children. According to the site, the man learned the song "from the Ramseys, a traveling medicine show that came to Kearney (Poole?) when he was just a kid in the 1920s." Link to the site: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~stovpipe/Pipeline/GCS_latter_days.html "Let the Rest of the World Go By" (parody) To a dance I did go, Where the gowns were cut low, Held up only by a strap. One girl wore a dress, That was odd I'll confess, It was made out of a map. On her back there was Brazil, Her chest a Bunker Hill, And just a little below was Mexico. Her shoulder blades were Japanese, On her bosom there was Greece. Her hips were Hindustan, Her lap was No Man's Land, I couldn't quite make out her thighs. For just then I saw my wife, And to save a lot of strife, I let the rest of the world go by! ---------------------------------------------- This, of course, was a parody of the original "Let the Rest of the World Go By" by J. Keirn Brennan & Ernest R. Ball, 1919, which goes: Is the struggle and strife we find in this life Really worth while, after all I've been wishing today I could just run away Out where the west winds call With someone like you, a pal good and true, I'd like to leave it all behind and go and find A place that's known to God alone, Just a spot to call our own. We'll find perfect peace, where joys shall never cease, Somewhere beneath the kindly sky; We'll build a sweet little nest somewhere out in the west And let the rest of the world go by. Is the future to hold just struggles for gold While the real world waits outside Away out on the breast of the wonderful west Across the Great Divide With someone like you, a pal good and true, I'd like to leave it all behind and go and find A place that's known to God alone, Just a spot to call our own. We'll find perfect peace, where joys shall never cease, Somewhere beneath the kindly sky; We'll build a sweet little nest somewhere out in the west And let the rest of the world go by. (Guitar chords for the refrain are here: http://www.theguitarguy.com/letther2.htm ) |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: Arkie Date: 02 Mar 05 - 03:21 PM Wouldn't you know. The Record Lady just posted this song to her site. Anyone interested can listen in living color. Go to "Requests Page Fourteen" and scroll down to the bottom. Tattooed Lady |
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Subject: Lyr Add: TATTOOED LADY (Homer & Jethro) From: Arkie Date: 02 Mar 05 - 09:55 PM Here is the Homer and Jethro version transcribed from the Record Lady site. Their version is actually a combination of the Indiana Home and Let the Rest of the World Go By parodies, with some lyric changes. There was one line I was not sure about and it is in italics. TATTOOED LADY Homer & Jethro version Now once I married a tattooed lady It was on a sunny day And tattooed on her body Was the map of the USA Now every night when she would go to sleep I'd flip them kivvers back and take a peek Upon her neck was Louisiana On her chest was old Tennessee Up on her back was ole Hackensack In the state of you joined me And just below was old Kentucky In those hills I love to roam But when I saw the moonlight shining on the Wabash Then I recognized my Indiana home On her back was Brazil, On her chest was Bunker Hill, And jist a bit below Was dear old Mexico. Upon her knee was Tennessee That is where I long to be. Around her waist was Greece And down the road a piece I saw the West Virginny sky Just then I saw my wife, And to save future strife, I let the rest of the world go by! |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 02 Mar 05 - 11:01 PM No it isn't! |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: Charley Noble Date: 15 Feb 06 - 08:42 AM Maybe this is my FINAL update on the 1934 Rudy Vallee version of "The Tattooed Lady." I finally found our family copy of the Victor 78 rpm recording with "The Drunkard" (Victor 24739A) and "The Tattooed Lady-Fox Trot" (Victor 24739B). Unfortunately the record is broken but it does mention on the label that the lyrics are credited to Walter O'Keefe who had a long association with Rudy. Rudy and his chorus are credited with the refrain. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: Janie Date: 15 Feb 06 - 08:52 AM I always thought the "bees and dandelions" was "ran a string of valentines" Queens line makes more sense...to the extent there is any sense Janie |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: GUEST,Lori Spring Date: 28 May 10 - 01:52 PM I learned this back in the 60's, from Paul Sykes. Here is his version: To a dance I did go, where the gowns were cut low Held up only by a strap There was one startling dress that intrigued me, I confess- It was made out of a map Her back was Brazil, her chest was Bunker Hill And just a little bit below was Mexico Her shoulder blades were Nipponese, And on her bosom, there was Greece Her waist was Siam, her hips were Hindustan I'm not quite certain of her thighs Because just then I saw my wife, and to avoid a lot of strife I let the rest of the world go by. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: Charley Noble Date: 28 May 10 - 03:53 PM Lori- That's a creative variation. a dress rather than a tattoo. Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: Smokey. Date: 29 May 10 - 02:34 PM A bit of semi-relevant trivia: The same man (E. Y. "Yip" Harburg) who wrote the lyrics to "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" also wrote "Brother can you Spare a Dime", and all the lyrics in "The Wizard of Oz" and "Finian's Rainbow". (and much more that escapes my memory) He was also the first person to put a mixed race chorus line on Broadway and was blacklisted by McCarthy. Does anyone know the parody of "Galway Bay" about a map of Ireland tattooed on a woman's back? |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: GUEST Date: 16 Jan 12 - 12:11 AM "Let the Rest of the World Go By" (parody) To a dance I did go, Where the gowns were cut low," My late father, born in 1906, told me he'd heard this parody when he attended vaudeville shows. I'll assume he was at least a teen, so that probably would have been the early part of the 1920s. He was delighted when I found the lyrics on the internet. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: Nigel Parsons Date: 16 Jan 12 - 04:13 AM Kermit The Frog also performed Lydia |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: Micca Date: 16 Jan 12 - 04:36 AM Smokey, to the best of my memory (which int too good) " Oh Maybe someday I'll go back to Ireland If my only wife should ever pass away for I'll never forget the way she always nagged me she has a mouth as big as Galway bay In my dreams I see her in the Public houses and the barman says your drunk you'll have to go and she answers in a desperate sort of language a language that the clergy didn't know Then she'll put away ten pints of Arthur Guiness and walk it home and wouldnt even sway If the sea was beer instead of salty water she would live a happy life in Galway Bay On her back she had tattood a map of Ireland and when she had her bath on Saturday she would rub the Sunlight soap around by Claddagh Just to watch the suds run into Galway Bay Repeat verse one That is from the singing of my Uncle Neddy when I was quite small In Limerick |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: Gda Music Date: 16 Jan 12 - 12:08 PM A Caribbean version (Talbot) The Mighty Sparrow - *Tattooed Lady* NATIONAL NLP 5515 c.1966 Now listen to my story boys, I need your sympathy That big fat Tattooed gal in the circus, fell in love with me And to prove her love was sweet as sugar cane... Tralee! She had my picture tattooed on her body. She had the landing of the pilgrims on her shoulder And on her back she had the sunset of the west And right beside her dimpled knees is the great big apple trees And the pyramids look lovely on her chest When she decided that she`d like to add my picture She simply couldn`t find a vacant spot you see So she tattooed my poor face in the most peculiar place Now whenever that gal sit down she sit down on me Whenever that gal sit down she sit down on me She has a lovely blue gardenia by her elbow And on her hips she has the lovely queen of may And right beside her shapely spine if you see that pal of mine You will see the famous road to Mandalay She has a rusty hinge that`s tattooed on her knee cap It looks so real it squeaks each time she bends her knee But she filled me with disgrace where she tattooed my poor face Now whenever that gal sit down she sits on me...poor me! Whenever that gal sit down she sit down on me Now do you wonder why I look so sad and worried Do you wonder why I`m feeling mighty low I would like to take a chance and give her one kick in the pants But if I do I`ll only kick myself I know Only time that anyone can see my picture Is when that big fat tattoo gal take a bath ...oh gee! I get black and blue of course any time she rides a horse For whenever that gal sit down she sits on me Oh, whenever that gal sit down she sits down on me. GJ |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: GUEST Date: 30 Dec 20 - 04:00 PM Skeets McDonald with Johnny White and His Rhythm performed "The Tattooed Lady" [F] Once I [Bb] married a tattooed [F] lady, (well tell me about her Skeets) it was on a [G7] cold and winter [C7] day. [F] And tattooed [Bb] all around her [F] body (what was that?) was the [G7] map of the good old US[C]A. [Bb] And every night before I'd go to [F] sleep, (what’d ya do Skeets?) I'd [G7] jerk down the quilt and I'd take a [C] peep. [NC] But good gracious alive!Upon her [F] leg was Minne[G]sota, On her [C7] shoulder Tennes[F]see. And tattooed [Bb] on her back was good old [F] Rackensack, the [G7] place where I long to [C] be. [C7] Upon her [F] (wolf whistle) was West Vir[G7]ginnie, Through them [C] hills I did love to [F] roam. When I [Bb] saw the the moonlight on her Missi[F]ssippi That's when I [G] recognized my [G] home sweet [C] home. [F]Instrumental of a verseUpon her [F] leg was Minne[G]sota, On her [C7] shoulder Tennes[F]see. And tattooed [Bb] on her back was good old [F] Rackensack, the [G7] place where I long to [C7] be. Upon her [F] (wolf whistle) was West Vir[G7]ginnie, Through them [C] hills I did love to [F] roam around. When I [Bb] saw the the moonlight on her Missi[F]ssippi That's when I [G] recognized my [G] home sweet [F] home.That's when I [G] recognized my [G] home sweet [F] home. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tattooed Lady From: Charley Noble Date: 31 Dec 20 - 01:24 PM The beat goes on! Cheerily, Charlie Ipcar |
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