Honky Tonky Monkey Rag 1911

by James Pitt-Payne, London UK - 14 Jul 2007
2007

In Africa ev'ry evening in the bamboo trees,
some chimpanzees,
Monkey banjos nightly would be strummin'
They would be a hummin'
'twas worse than buzzin' bees
a big baboon had a band,
'Twas the best in jungle land,
played ragtime grand,
This big baboon was requested
to compose a tune,
one night in June,
so he wrote a tune that's Honky Tonky
then he named the piece the Monkey
and gave it to his band to play
at a ball one night 'twas a sight
every monkey on the place felt gay,
that day, right away.

When the Monkeys dance that Monkey Rag,
you'd think each Monk was on a jag
you would laugh until your sides would crack
when they curl their tails and wiggle their backs
now ev'rybody's talking 'bout that rag,
that drag, that honky tonky Monkey Rag.

When the Monkeys dance that Monkey Rag,
you'd think each Monk was on a jag
you would laugh until your sides would crack
when they curl their tails and wiggle their backs
now ev'rybody's talking 'bout that rag,
that drag, that honky tonky Monkey Rag.

Old Sousa's Band heard about the lovin' tune
so grand, in jungle land,
so he came there and began to play it,
Monks commenced to sway it,
'Tain't hard to understand
now ev'ry monk in the town,
and for miles and miles aroun'
they'd all sit down
and listen when old Sousa'd play the brand new rag,
That monkey rag,
which the baboon wrote up in the jungle
right among the burrs and bungles
one sunny, sunny day in May
it's a dance you see full of glee
'cause it's ginger from the start
oh say it's some sight to see.

When the Monkeys dance that Monkey Rag,
you'd think each Monk was on a jag
you would laugh until your sides would crack
when they curl their tails and wiggle their backs
now ev'rybody's talking 'bout that rag,
that drag, that honky tonky Monkey Rag.

When the Monkeys dance that Monkey Rag,
you'd think each Monk was on a jag
you would laugh until your sides would crack
when they curl their tails and wiggle their backs
now ev'rybody's talking 'bout that rag,
that drag, that honky tonky Monkey Rag.

Soft karaoke
Words
piano 1
piano 2
piano 3
piano 4
lyric
pizz str bass
*
Honky Tonky Monkey Rag 1911
Words & Music by Chris Smith
© MCMXI by Thompson & Co.  Chicajo, Illinois
*
sequence by James Pitt-Payne, London UK
on Saturday 14 July 2007 at 1.43pm
in association with Doug Grierson
*