Lydia, The Tattooed Lady - Groucho Marx

contributed by Unclejack

APOLOGY/ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
What follows is a transcript of the lyrics of E.Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen's classic comic song, "Lydia the Tattooed Lady," as sung by his royal majesty Julian (Groucho) Marx at Carnegie Hall in 1971. It is being presented because loyal, earnest fans who either cannot locate the sheet music nor a copy of "At the Circus" (which film is distinguished primarily by the introduction of this song) desparately wish to learn the lyrics. If anyone is upset with me for printing the lyrics without compensating the publishers, please reply by EMail and I will do what (little) I can to make up for the slight. Remember, the Internet is an educational device; now, you've learned your lesson!

Now join Marvin Hamlisch in the background vocals!

(la la la la la la)

Lydia, oh Lydia, say, have you met Lydia?
Lydia the tattooed lady
She has eyes that men adore so
And a torso even more so
Lydia, oh Lydia, that encyclopedia
Lydia, the queen of tattoo
On her back is the Battle of Waterloo
Beside it the Wreck of the Hesperus, too
And proudly above waves the red, white and blue
You can learn a lot from Lydia

(la la la la la la)

When her robe is unfurled, she will show you the world
If you step up and tell her where
For a dime you can see Kankakee or Paree
Or Washington crossing the Delaware

(la la la la la la)
(la la la la la la)

Lydia, oh Lydia, say, have you met Lydia?
Lydia the tattooed lady
When her muscles start relaxin'
Up the hill comes Andrew Jackson
Lydia, oh Lydia, that encyclopedia
Lydia, the queen of tattoo
For two bits she will do a mazurka in jazz
With a view of Niagara that nobody has
And on a clear day, you can see Alcatraz
You can learn a lot from Lydia

(la la la la la la)
(la la la la la la)

Come along and see Buffalo Bill with his lasso
Just a little classic by Mendel Picasso
Here's Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon
Here's Godiva but with her pajamas on

(la la la la la la)
(la la la la la la)

Lydia, oh Lydia, that encyclopedia
Lydia, the queen of them all
She once swept an admiral clean off his feet
The ships on her hips made his heart skip a beat
And now the old boy's in command of the fleet
For he went and married Lydia

I said Lydia
He said Lydia
I said Lydia
He said Lydia
Ole!

Rest in peace, Grouch!
Your ever-devoted, ever-lovin' Unclejack!


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