Much Obliged To You 1907

by James Pitt-Payne, London UK - 31 Aug 2005

When Sylvester Johnson Lee
hit New York from Tennessee,
he thought he'd make his fortune right away.
He worked aroun' in swell hotels
a shinin' shoes an' hoppin' bells,
but some how couldn't seem to make it pay.
One day to himself, sez he,
something mus' be wrong with me
I can't seem to make a cent from no one,
I wonder why.
No one hands me any "tips"
or nothin' else but heavy grips,
I'm goin' to bid these swell hotels goodbye.

It's mighty strange! It's mighty strange!
No one ever says:
"Sylvester you keep the change!"
I try to do as folks tell me to
but they all get absentminded
when my work is through
I don't know why
the more I try
somehow or other all the coin gets by
it's time I blew for some job that's new,
all I get here is
"Much obliged to you!"

It's mighty strange! It's mighty strange!
No one ever says:
"Sylvester you keep the change!"
I try to do as folks tell me to
but they all get absentminded
when my work is through
I don't know why
the more I try
somehow or other all the coin gets by
it's time I blew for some job that's new,
all I get here is
"Much obliged to you!"

The next job that came his way,
found him in a swell café,
he'd heard so much about
a waiter's "graft"
but poor Sylvester hardly knew
an omlette from a kidney stew,
so when they saw him coming, people laughed.
One day in a lady came,
with a bull dog on a chain,
Poor Sylvester had to stand
and hold him outside the door,
when she finished out she went
and handed him a measly cent,
no wonder that he cried out as before.

It's mighty strange! It's mighty strange!
No one ever says:
"Sylvester you keep the change!"
I try to do as folks tell me to
but they all get absentminded
when my work is through
I don't know why
the more I try
somehow or other all the coin gets by
it's time I blew for some job that's new,
all I get here is
"Much obliged to you!"

It's mighty strange! It's mighty strange!
No one ever says:
"Sylvester you keep the change!"
I try to do as folks tell me to
but they all get absentminded
when my work is through
I don't know why
the more I try
somehow or other all the coin gets by
it's time I blew for some job that's new,
all I get here is
"Much obliged to you!"

One day, back to Tennessee,
"beat" Sylvester Johnson Lee,
disgusted with the ways of New York town:
Sez he: "I've worked at ev'ry trade,
the Lord or devil ever made,
and I ain't seen no fortunes lyin' roun'
Good old Nashville, Tennessee,
always did look good to me,
I ain't goin to work no more
for no one an lose my health,
while I'm feelin' strong an' well,
I'm goin' to take a restin' spell,
I'm sick and tried of chasin' after wealth."

It's mighty strange! It's mighty strange!
No one ever says:
"Sylvester you keep the change!"
I try to do as folks tell me to
but they all get absentminded
when my work is through
I don't know why
the more I try
somehow or other all the coin gets by
it's time I blew for some job that's new,
all I get here is
"Much obliged to you!"

It's mighty strange! It's mighty strange!
No one ever says:
"Sylvester you keep the change!"
I try to do as folks tell me to
but they all get absentminded
when my work is through
I don't know why
the more I try
somehow or other all the coin gets by
it's time I blew for some job that's new,
all I get here is
"Much obliged to you!"

Soft karaoke
Words
piano 1
piano 2
piano 3
piano 4
lyric
pizz str bass
*
Much Obliged To You 1907
Written and Composed by Benjamin Hapgood Burt
© MCMVII by Jerome H. Remick & Co., New York & Detroit
*
sequence and karaoke by James Pitt-Payne, London UK
on Wednesday 31 August 2005 at 10.24
in association with Doug Grierson
*