The Internet Archive has 2 recordings of this song sung by Arthur Collins and Byron G. Harlan: a short version and a longer version.

The following lyrics are from the sheet music at the University of Maine:


‘WAY DOWN IN BORNEO-O-O-O
Words by John H. Flynn, music by Al Piantadosi, ©1916.

1. In the land where chimpanzees
Monkey ‘round the bamboo trees
Just as the sun is setting, wondrous sights you’ll see:
Dusky lovers meet their mates.
‘Neath the date trees they keep dates.
If you could see them spooning, you would want to be:

CHORUS 1: ‘Way down in dear old Borne-O-O-O-O,
Where the banyans grow-O-O-O,
Big chief,
Dress’d in his fig leaf,
Sits by his jungle bungalow,
And when they sing and dance and play,
Why! even monks are led astray.
Dancing girls all wear a smile.
That’s the reason men go wild,
‘Way down in Borne-O-O-O-O.

2. There you see in broad daylight
Darkest Eve with darkest knight
Dancing the Bornese wiggle; some bear* there, all right,
And you see a jamboree,
When a monkey up a tree
Full of that mellow moonshine, goes out on a spree.

CHORUS 2: ‘Way down in dear old Borne-O-O-O-O,
Where the banyans grow-O-O-O,
Big chief,
Dress’d in his fig leaf,
Sits by his jungle bungalow,
And when they sing and dance and play,
Why! even monks are led astray.
Dairy maids then leave their huts,
Go a-milking coconuts,
‘Way down in Borne-O-O-O-O. Whoa!


* Collins and Harlan sing “dance” which makes a bit more sense.