On The Party Line 1917

by James Pitt-Payne, Lonson UK - 22 Oct 2006
2006

Hello, Central, give me Party J, one nine,
Listen to the gossip on the party line,
ev'rybody listens on the telephone,
they just can't leave you alone.
They know all your secrets
and the latest news,
they know if your mother
wears your father's shoes,
your pedigree and history,
and they know, if you pay your dues.

On the party line
everything is cheerful,
on the party line,
you can get an earful,
you can hear all the scandal
that's going round the town,
when a girlie calls you up,
the neighbors call you down;
if you're newly wed
ev'rybody listens,
as an indoor sport, it's fine,
when a girl says: "Bill, I love you so,"
and your wife's voice says:
"Is that you, Joe?"
Then it's fifty fifty, boy, you know,
when you're talking on the party line.

On the party line,
they don't read the papers,
on the party line,
they know all your capers,
when they hold that receiver,
a lot of things they hear,
that's the only instrument
the neighbors play by ear;
you don't have to go to a fortune teller,
get your news, where I get mine,
when the girl you love is not about,
someone else will call her up, no doubt,
if he finds her in,
you'll find her out,
if you listen on the party line.

If you ask a little girl to be your own,
you can never tell who's list'ning on the 'phone.
For you may be telling that old story o'er,
to some girl you told before.
Don't ask her to marry on the party line,
in a breach of promise case
then you'd look fine,
the evidence would be immense,
that is where all the neighbors shine.

On the party line
everything is cheerful,
on the party line,
you can get an earful,
you can hear all the scandal
that's going round the town,
when a girlie calls you up,
the neighbors call you down;
if you're newly wed
ev'rybody listens,
as an indoor sport, it's fine,
when a girl says: "Bill, I love you so,"
and your wife's voice says:
"Is that you, Joe?"
Then it's fifty fifty, boy, you know,
when you're talking on the party line.

On the party line,
they don't read the papers,
on the party line,
they know all your capers,
when they hold that receiver,
a lot of things they hear,
that's the only instrument
the neighbors play by ear;
you don't have to go to a fortune teller,
get your news, where I get mine,
when the girl you love is not about,
someone else will call her up, no doubt,
if he finds her in,
you'll find her out,
if you listen on the party line.

Soft karaoke
Words
piano
piano
piano
piano
*
On The Party Line 1917
Music by Percy Wenrich
Lyrics by Jack Mahoney
© MCMXVII by Leo Feist Inc.
*
sequence & karaoke by James Pitt-Payne, London UK
on Sunday 22 October 2006 at 1.45am
in association with Doug Grierson
*