The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #147770 Message #3426690
Posted By: Joe Offer
26-Oct-12 - 11:37 PM
Thread Name: Origins: The Streets Of Cairo
Subject: ADD: The Streets Of Cairo (James Thornton)
I think this song has the tune of the song I knew with these words:
Oh the girls in France, they wear tissue paper pants da-da-da da-da da-da-da-da
There's a good transcription of the entire song at monologues.co.uk
STREETS OF CAIRO [The Poor Little Country Girl] (James Thornton)
I will sing you a song, and it won't be very long 'Bout a maiden sweet, and she never would do wrong Everyone said she was pretty; she was not long in the city All alone, oh, what a pity, poor little maid.
CHORUS: She never saw the streets of Cairo On the Midway she had never strayed She never saw the kutchy, kutchy Poor little country maid.
She went out one night, did this innocent divine With a nice young man, who invited her to dine Now he's sorry that he met her, and he never will forget her In the future he'll know better, poor little maid. CHORUS
She was engaged as a picture for to pose To appear each night in abbreviated clothes All the dudes were in a flurry, for to catch her they did hurry One who caught her now is sorry, poor little maid.
FINAL CHORUS: She was much fairer far than Trilby Lots of more men sorry will be If they don't try to keep away from this Poor little country maid.
Written and composed by James Thornton - 1893 Performed by Ellaline Terriss (1871-1971) Performed by Bonnie Thornton (1871-1920)
everything2.com which says Sol Bloom claimed to have been the first to set down the melody, as the theme to the 'Cairo' section of the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 - but the melody may have even older roots.
arabkitsch.com if nothing else, you gotta love the name of the Website.
And there's an excellent and exhaustive study of the song at a belly-dance Website, shira.net. Shira's conclusion: the melody is not an authentic melody for belly dance, and might be offensive if used for belly dance in some countries.