Lyr ADD: Two Lovely Black Eyes (Charles Coborn)

Subject: Lyric re: Two lovely black eyes
From: Kipling
Date: 22 Jan 02 - 04:33 PM

In the past I have heard various performers sing a song I know as 'two lovely black eyes' I think that part of the chorus is 'oh what a surprise, only for telling a man he was wrong- two lovely black eyes'. I have an idea it was a popular music hall song, but would like to know the complete song to learn does anyone happen to know it? please help

Subject: RE: Lyric re: Two lovely black eyes
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 22 Jan 02 - 04:49 PM

If you go Here you will find it. You have to register and all that crap, maybe the lyrics are freely available elsewhere.

Murray

Subject: RE: Lyric re: Two lovely black eyes
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 22 Jan 02 - 04:57 PM

This was a song by Charles Coburn which was a very popular music hall song. There is an excellent site on the music hall which has the lyrics Two Lovely Black Eyes

Subject: RE: Lyric re: Two lovely black eyes
From: nutty
Date: 22 Jan 02 - 05:33 PM

The sheet music is here on the Levy site........
TWO LOVELY BLACK EYES! at The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music.

Subject: RE: Lyric re: Two lovely black eyes
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 22 Jan 02 - 05:57 PM

According to the site to which I linked above, the lyrics were by Charles Coborn but the melody was taken from an earlier song called "My Nellie's Blue Eyes", adapted by Coburn with some slight alteration.

Murray

Subject: RE: Lyric re: Two lovely black eyes
From: Kipling
Date: 23 Jan 02 - 02:04 PM

Thanks Murray, Nutty and Matthew. A couple of great websites for future reference and the words!I'll just have to try and learn the others as well now. I find more and more songs i want to learn but unfortunately am limited by brain space. Thanks again.

Subject: Lyr Add: TWO LOVELY BLACK EYES (Charles Coborn)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 01 Feb 02 - 10:04 AM

Copied from the English Music Hall site:

TWO LOVELY BLACK EYES
NO MORE POLITICS FOR ME
(Charles Coborn)

1. Strolling so happy down Bethnal Green
This gay youth you might have seen,
Tompkins and I, with his girl between,
Oh what a surprise!
I praised the Conservatives frank and free,
Tompkins got angry so speedilee,
All in a moment he handed to me,
Two lovely black eyes.

CHORUS: Two lovely black eyes,
Oh what a surprise!
Only for telling a man he was wrong,
Two lovely black eyes!

2. Next time I argued I thought it best,
To give the Conservative side a rest.
The merits of Gladstone I freely pressed,
When oh, what a surprise!
The chap I had met was a Tory true,
Nothing the Liberals right could do,
This was my share of that argument too,
Two lovely black eyes!

3. The moral you've caught I can hardly doubt,
Never on politics rave and shout,
Leave it to others to fight it out,
If you would be wise.
Better, far better, it is to let,
Lib'rals and Tories alone, you bet,
Unless you're willing and anxious to get,
Two lovely black eyes!

---

Click to play

Subject: RE: Lyric re: Two lovely black eyes
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 01 Feb 02 - 11:03 AM

You can also see sheet music (1883) for W.J. Scanlan's My Nellie's Blue Eyes at the  Lester Levy Sheet Music Collection:

My Nellie's Blue Eyes

Subject: Two Lovely Black Eyes
From: RangerSteve
Date: 18 Sep 02 - 09:15 AM

I heard this on the radio the other day. It was from a British 78RPM record. I didn't get the singers name, but it sounded like Charles Coburn. It's not often that we get to hear British music hall tunes here in the US, so I figured I'd turn to the British Mudcatters for help in getting the lyrics. Thanks. Steve.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Two Lovely Black Eyes
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 18 Sep 02 - 09:19 AM

Click Here

Ed

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Two Lovely Black Eyes
From: ard mhacha
Date: 18 Sep 02 - 01:27 PM

The melody for "Two lovely black eyes" came from a traditional Italian song, "Vieni sul mar", I have a CD with Enrico Caruso singing the original song. Ard Mhacha.

Subject: Lyr Add: TWO LOVELY BLACK EYES (Charles Coborn)
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 18 Sep 02 - 04:13 PM

TWO LOVELY BLACK EYES
(Charles Coborn)

Strolling so happy down Bethnal Green
This gay youth you might have seen,
Tompkins and I, with his girl between,
Oh! what a surprise!
I prais'd the Conservatives frank and free,
Tompkins got angry so speedilee,
All in a moment he handed to me,
Two lovely black eyes!

CHORUS: Two lovely black eyes!
Oh! what a surprise!
Only for telling a man he was wrong,
Two lovely black eyes!

Next time, I argued I thought it best,
To give the conservative side a rest.
The merits of Gladstone I freely pressed,
When oh! what a surprise!
The chap I had met was a Tory true,
Nothing the Liberals right could do,
This was my share of that argument too,
Two lovely black eyes!

The moral you've caught I can hardly doubt
Never on politics rave and shout,
Leave it to others to fight it out,
If you would be wise
Better, far better, it is to let,
Lib'rals and Tories alone, you bet,
Unless you're willing and anxious to get,
Two lovely black eyes!

---

Click to play

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Two Lovely Black Eyes
From: RangerSteve
Date: 18 Sep 02 - 09:17 PM

Dick, that's the one I wanted. It's going to take some work Americanizing it, but I'll give it a try. Thanks.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Two Lovely Black Eyes
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Sep 02 - 09:25 PM

Why do you need to 'Americanize' it?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Two Lovely Black Eyes
From: greg stephens
Date: 18 Sep 02 - 09:31 PM

Well I suppose you could change Conservative to Republican, it would still scan. Personally I only have limited experience of American audiences, but I think they could probably understand and enjoy the original quite easily.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Two Lovely Black Eyes
From: GUEST,Pigfoot Muggins
Date: 19 Sep 02 - 05:16 AM

There is a very nice film clip of Coburn singing this song from the UK tv show hosted by Jimmy Perry called "Turns" was broadcast in early 1980's from memory...a real treat.

Cheers.

Gary

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Two Lovely Black Eyes
From: RangerSteve
Date: 19 Sep 02 - 06:06 AM

Guest- I don't need to Americanize it much, but we don't have Tory's here, and Gladstone isn't a well known name here - he was a PM, right?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Two Lovely Black Eyes
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Sep 02 - 06:30 AM

Gladstone was indeed a PM. There's a reasonable biography here

We don't have republicans here, but don't feel the need to change lyrics of songs that include the term.

If more Americans were prepared to find out a bit more about other countries/cultures, the world would be a safer and better place.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Two Lovely Black Eyes
From:
Date: 23 May 04 - 08:06 PM

It's a bit late in the day but whilst Googling for more info on Charles Coburn (and at the same time listening to him singing this song on my iPod!) I came across this site. In the original lyrics reference was made to the late 19th Century Liberal politician and sometime British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone. Following his retirement and subsequent death later (post-1900) versions of this oddly-premised song were revised to "The merits of Liberals I freely pressed". This is the song heard by RangerSteve from the old 78-rpm disc made recorded by the inimitable Mr Coburn in 1929.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Two Lovely Black Eyes
From: Hrothgar
Date: 23 May 04 - 10:58 PM

If that is a school site, Guest, it should use better grammar. Plural verbs for plural subjects would be a good start. Don't bother telling me that the subject is history and not English - it should still be correct.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Two Lovely Black Eyes
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 25 May 04 - 06:55 AM

I believe there are "republicans" in Britain, but it means something different than in America. In Britain, a republican is one who favors forming a republic, that is, abolishing the monarchy. But I don't believe any major political party has that in its agenda.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Two Lovely Black Eyes
From: GUEST
Date: 25 May 04 - 10:46 AM

I have a book of Vauderville/tin pan alley songs lurking somewhere at home, which may have a version that was published in US, as were many popular British Music Hall songs.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Two Lovely Black Eyes
From: Joe_F
Date: 25 May 04 - 08:53 PM

"There are music-hall songs which are better poems than three-quarters of the stuff that gets into the anthologies:

Come where the booze is cheaper,
Come where the pots hold more,
Come where the boss is a bit of a sport,
Come to the pub next door!

Or again:

Two lovely black eyes --
Oh, what a surprise!
Only for calling another man wrong,
Two lovely black eyes!

I would far rather have written either of those than, say, `The Blessed Damozel' or `Love in the Valley'...."

-- George Orwell (1945)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Two Lovely Black Eyes
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 27 May 04 - 08:30 PM

If the sheet music is to be believed, the songwriter is
Charles Coborn (1852-1945)
- not to be confused with the American actor
Charles Coburn (1877-1961).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Two Lovely Black Eyes
From: GUEST
Date: 28 May 04 - 08:16 AM

They both wore monocules.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Two Lovely Black Eyes
From: GUEST,mr chace
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 07:23 PM

As a dangerous American cowboy, I must say that I'm glad, very glad, that not all British people are such preening, humorless prigs as 'GUEST'. Without consulting him, I think 'RangerSteve's' intent was to 'Americanize' the lyrics so that Americans might more easily 'get' the references. Unless, of course, all the members of 'RangerSteve's' audience were handed annotated, foot-noted lyric sheets beforehand.

Also, 'GUEST' the all-knowing should remember that Coburn himself often changed the words to the song on many occasions, sometimes using a proper name, like Gladstone, sometimes using the name of a political party, like Conservative, in its place.

But don't misunderstand me: I fully accept that Europeans generally, and the British specifically, are more mature, more sophisticated and more cosmopolitan than we poor American barbarians. Thanks Europeans for that Twentieth Century!, and all the millennium before!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Two Lovely Black Eyes
From: Artful Codger
Date: 18 Dec 08 - 08:06 PM

Doesn't matter, we Americans are gonna use our giant carbon footprints to stamp out all of y'all, not matter how mature, sophisticated or cosmopolitan you may be. Forty years, tops. ;-}

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Two Lovely Black Eyes (Charles Coborn)
From: GUEST, Arthur Atkinson
Date: 23 Sep 09 - 11:29 AM

You have to chuckle at the way this thread went so contentiously off topic, especially when the moral was hiding in the song all along:

"The moral you've caught I can hardly doubt
Never on politics rave and shout"

Indeed. Black eyes on both sides of the Atlantic, eh! ... I'm sure Mr Coborn would have seen the funny side too.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Two Lovely Black Eyes (Charles Coborn)
From: GUEST,GUEST, Thomas Hewn
Date: 23 Nov 17 - 12:55 AM

At this remove in time I hesitate to make the comment, but GUEST, Arthur Atinkson "nails the tin hat on it". By the by, it is asserted, by a Wikipedia author(!) that the original melody is derived from a song entitled, My Nellie's Blue Eyes, by American, William J. Scanlan.

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: Two Lovely Black Eyes (Charles Coborn)
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Oct 21 - 07:03 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nxoesda-QK0

Lyrics posted on the YT link, second post I think. Other takes on YT also.