A California Ball
[Air: "Wait For the Wagon"]

'Twould make our eastern people cave
To see the great and small,
The old, with one foot in the grave,
All "splurging" at a ball.

CHORUS:
Wait for the music!
Wait for the music!
Wait for the music,
And we'll all have a dance!

On foot they through the diggings wind,
And over mountains tall,
With young ones tagging on behind,
"Flat-footed" for the ball!
CHORUS

A dozen babies on the bed,
And all begin to squall;
The mothers wish the brats were dead,
For crying at the ball!
CHORUS

The manager begins to curse,
And swaggers through the hall,
For mothers they've gone out to nurse
Their babies at the ball!
CHORUS

Old women in their Bloomer rigs
Are fond of "balance all!"
And "weighty" when it comes to jigs,
And so on, at the ball!
CHORUS

A yearling miss fills out the sett,
Although not very tall;
"I'm anxious now," she says, "you bet,
To proceed with the ball !"
CHORUS

A married woman—gentle dove—
With nary tooth at all,
Sits in the corner making love
To some "pimp" at the ball!
CHORUS

A drunken loafer at the dance
Informs them one and all,
With bowie knife stuck in his pants,
"The best man at the ball!"
CHORUS

The Spanish hags of ill repute
For brandy loudly call,
And no one dares their right dispute
To freedom at the ball!
CHORUS

The gambler all the money wins,
To bed the drunkest crawl;
And fighting then of course begins
With rowdies at the ball!
CHORUS

They rush it like a rail-road car;
And often is the call
Of, "Promenade up to the bar,"
For whisky at the ball!
CHORUS

"Old Alky" makes their bowels yearn,
They stagger round and fall;
And ladies say when they return,
"Oh, what a splendid ball !"
CHORUS

Put's Golden Songster, pages 13-15

---

Got It Cheap
Tom Palmer came home yesterday, and his wife says, "My dear, what shall we have for dinner?"
"Why, one of your lovely smiles," replied Tom, "I can dine on that any day."
"Yes, but I can't," said his wife.
"Well, then take this," said he, giving her a kiss. He then went out, and came back soon after for his dinner.
"This steak is excellent," said Tom, "What did you give for it?"
"why, what you gave me this morning," said his wife.

---

Tune and lyrics in Dwyer & Lingenfelter, The Songs of the Gold Rush, p. 127-128

---

Click to play (pdmusic.org)

[Tune notes by Artful Codger]
"Wait for the Wagon" is a minstrel song from the early 1850's. Although often attributed to George P. Knauff, who published music for it in Baltimore in 1851, it was first copyrighted in 1850 in New Orleans by Weisenthal with "words by a lady."

Sheet music [PDF] in the Lester S. Levy Collection.
Digital Tradition: Wait for the Wagon
YouTube: The Skirtlifters: Wait for the Wagon

[Back to Contents]