Lyr Add: Everybody Wants a Key to My Cellar

Subject: Lyr Add: EVERYBODY WANTS A KEY TO MY CELLAR
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 28 Oct 03 - 09:35 AM

Here's a delightful prohibition-era song, sung by Bert Williams:

Duke University has online images of the sheet music.

At Halcyon Days Music you can find a midi file, an image of the sheet music cover, and the following lyrics.

EVERYBODY WANTS A KEY TO MY CELLAR
(Ed Rose, Billy Baskette, and Lew Pollack, 1919.)

VERSE 1. Down in my cellar, down in my cellar,
I've been changing everything around.
I've a secret hidden there. I'll guard it with my life.
There's only one mistake I made. I told it to my wife.

CHORUS: Now everybody wants a key to my cellar, my cellar, my cellar.
People who before wouldn't give me a tumble,
Even perfect strangers are beginning to grumble,
'Cause I won't let them have a key to my cellar.
They'll never get in. just let them try.
They can have my money. They can have my car.
They can have my wife if they want to go that far,
But they can't have the key that opens my cellar,
If the whole darn world goes dry.

VERSE 2. Down in my cellar, down in my cellar,
I've been having parties every night.
People that I never knew come up and talk to me.
They're trying hard to find out where I hang my cellar key.

*
Bert Williams sings it somewhat differently. He omits the second verse, and sings two versions of the chorus. You can hear the entire performance at Archeophone Records.

EVERYBODY WANTS A KEY TO MY CELLAR
(As sung by Bert Williams, 1919)

VERSE: Down in my cellar, down in my cellar,
I've been changin' ev'rything around.
I've got a secret hidden there. I'll guard it with my life.
There's only one mistake I made. I told it to my wife.

CHORUS 1: Now ev'rybody wants a key to my cellar, my cellar, my cellar.
Folks who never even gave me a tumble,
Even perfect strangers are beginning to grumble,
'Cause they all wants a key to open my cellar.
I'd like to see 'em get one. Let 'em try.
You can have my money, yassuh! Take my car.
Take my wife if you want to go that far.
But nix on a key to open my cellar,
If the whole darn world goes dry.

CHORUS 2: Ev'rybody wants a key to my cellar, my cellar, my cellar.
Folks who never even gave me a tumble,
Even perfect strangers are beginning to grumble,
'Cause they all wants a key to open my cellar.
I'd like to see 'em get one. Let 'em try.
Discharge all the servants; I don't trust a soul.
Never mind the furnace; I can shovel all the coal.
But nix on a key to open my cellar.
I'll be wet, yes sir, when they are dry.