Lyr Req: Let's all go down to our house

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Let's all go down to our house
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 31 Aug 19 - 06:51 AM

Mark - We aim to please!

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Let's all go down to our house
From: GUEST,GUEST: Mark Wingate
Date: 31 Aug 19 - 12:44 AM

You people are good! That is definitely the song I was/am looking for. I still don't know the charming recording I heard on WUNC but this is definitely the song. And it took this community a minute shy of 2 hours to solve my puzzle. Many thanks! Sorry it took me so long to get back to you, Mick and Jim.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Let's all go down to our house
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 21 Dec 18 - 01:28 PM

There's a copy of the sheet music at Indian on this page Kirk Collection (go down to title and there's a pdf link). Only 2 verses and 1 unchanging chorus given. I've marked the text changes (except for capitalization/punctuation).

torrents should replace storms and gone on the rocks should replace come on the rocks in Jim's transcription above.

That word after Millions could be feudals.

Mick

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LET'S ALL GO AROUND TO MARY ANN'S
(Words by Ballard Macdonald; music by Harry Carroll)

1. Sunday night in our town's like Sunday night in yours:
Nothing to do on the outside and nothing to do indoors.
They even shut the movies as soon as it gets dark.
They chase the couples in off the stoops and then they lock the park.
But there’s one place if you can find your way,
And just as soon as the drug store shuts you’ll hear somebody say:

CHORUS: Let’s all go around to Mary Ann's
And tickle a tune upon the Pianola.
There’s something nice
always on the ice,
And you don’t have to ask her twice for a drink of Coco Cola.
Her front door has never known a lock.
It’s always standing open and you never have to knock.
Nobody knows what time it is, 'cause the hands are off the clock.
So you never go home until morning around at Mary Ann's.

2. On the great Atlantic, the waves were rolling high—
Terrible thunder and lightning and torrents from out the sky.
The good ship "Helen Blazes" had just gone on the rocks.
One half the passengers lost their lives; the first mate lost his socks.
“Men,” the captain cried, “it’s up to you.”
And then the second assistant cook said: “I know what we’ll do.” CHORUS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Let's all go down to our house
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 21 Dec 18 - 01:00 PM

If sounds like Millions of fun'rals

General he's the pharaoh

There are also interjections between the end of the verses and the start of the chorus:
1. Why
2. Wheeee
3. What?


The notes to the version on youtube also include this extra verse (not in the recording):

Back in ancient Egypt, Cleo was on the throne,
She wanted to see her Anthony, She rang him on the 'phone.
Then this brave old Roman Cranked up his limousine,
He rattled along and quickly stopped — He was out of gasoline!
And, as he cursed And wished that he were dead,
A bellhop brought him a telegram Which, when de-coded read: Oh,


Mick

Subject: Lyr Add: LET'S ALL GO AROUND TO MARY ANN'S
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 21 Dec 18 - 09:47 AM

Several libraries have cataloged the sheet music for a song with the following description (unfortunately, none of them has posted images online):

LET'S ALL GO AROUND TO MARY ANN'S.
Words by Ballard Macdonald; music by Harry Carroll.
New York: Shapiro, Bernstein & Co. Inc., ©1913.

First line verse: Let's all go around to Mary Ann's and tickle a tune upon the Pianola.
First line of chorus: Sunday night in our town's like Sunday night in yours.

At YouTube you can hear a recording by Arthur Collins & Byron G. Harlan from 1914, titled: "LET'S ALL GO 'ROUND TO MARY ANN'S." You can also see an image of the record label. Here’s my transcription, with a couple of gaps:

1. Sunday night in our town's like Sunday night in yours:
Nothing to do on the outside and nothing to do indoors.
They even shut the movies as soon as it gets dark.
They chase the couples in off the stoop and then they lock the park.
But there’s one place if you can find your way,
And just as soon as the drugstore’s shut you’ll hear somebody say:

CHORUS: Let’s all go around to Mary Ann's
And tickle a tune upon the pianola.
There’s something nice
Always on the ice,
And you don’t have to ask her twice for a drink of Coca-Cola.
Her front door has never known a lock.
It’s always standing open and you never have to knock.
Nobody knows what time it is, for the hands are off the clock.*
So we’ll never go home until morning around to Mary Ann's.

2. On the great Atlantic, the waves were rolling high—
Terrible thunder and lightning and storms from out the sky.
The good ship Helen Blazes had just come on the rocks.
One half the passengers lost their lives; the first mate lost his socks.
“Oh, men,” the captain cried, “it’s up to you.”
And then the second assistant cook said: “I know what we’ll do.” CHORUS

3. Cannonballs were flying; the fight was almost won.
Millions of … were dying; they hadn’t a chance to run.
General …, the pride of Mexico,
Was digging a hole to China; there was no other place to go.
As he dropped his spade to take a rest,
Up rode an orderly on a mule and yelled: “Hey! I suggest—.” CHORUS

* [This line varies as the chorus is repeated:]
2. Mary is Irish and so is the cop who beats around the block.
3. Many a man for Mary Ann has left his watch in hock.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Let's all go down to our house
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 20 Dec 18 - 06:26 PM

There this Round To Maryanne's. It does rhyme pianola and coca-cola in the chorus. (I haven't done any further research in case this is not the song required).

Mick

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ROUND TO MARYANNE's

Sunday night in your town,
Sunday night in ours,
Nothing to do on the outside,
nothing to do indoors.
They even shut the movies,
soon as it is dark;
They drive the people off the streets,
and then they lock the park.
But there's one place you can always find to go,
And as soon as the drugstore closes,
you will hear somebody say:

Chorus
“Let's all go around to Maryanne's
And pick 'em a tune upon the pianola!
There's something nice, it's always on the ice,
And you don't have to ask her twice
For a drink of Coca-Cola.
Her front-door key's always in the lock,
The door is standing open,
and you never have to knock,
For Mary is Irish,
and so is the cop that beats it around the block,
So you'll never go home till morning.
You're round to Maryanne's !”

Terrible thunder and lightning and storm from out the sky,
The good ship Helen Blaise is just struck on the rock.
One-half of the passengers lost their lives,
And the first mate lost his sock.
Well, then the captain cried, “It's up to you!”
And then the second assistant cook says,
“I know what let's do: (Chorus)

Cannonballs was flying, the fight was almost won,
Millions of people were dying, they had no place to run.
The general, he's the byros [sic], the pride of Mexico,
Was digging a hole to China, there or some other place to go.
And as he dropped his spade to take a rest,
The captain fell off from a bucking mule and cried,
“Well, I suggest: (Chorus)

Subject: Lyr Req: Let's all go down to our house
From: GUEST,Mark Wingate
Date: 20 Dec 18 - 04:27 PM

I heard this song on WUNC out of Chapel Hill, NC, in the 1980s, maybe early '90s.
It is a humorous song, sung by a woman. It sounds like a field recording, no instrumental accompaniment. Judging from the accent, it was from the Midwest, or at least not from the South.

Not a ballad form, more of a music hall or novelty song, even vaudeville, kind of like Charlie Poole might have sung, but free of any "rounder-ism" or extreme sentimentality. Straightforward words, nothing overly clever or artful.

It had a really nice friendly, good-hearted tone, like something a group of friends might sing together back when people did such things. And since the song references that very kind of getting together, maybe it was already fading.

The only lyric fragments I can remember is that it rhymed "Coca-Cola" with "Pianola," and the general theme, if not the exact title, was "Let's all go down to our house" where good times are had.

Mark Wingate
Brevard, NC