South America, Take It Away! 1947 'Starlight Roof'

Dr. Pitt-Payne in London UK - 19 Jun 2002

Up here in the land of the hot dog stand,
the atom bomb and the Good Humor man,
we think our South American
neighbors are grand.
We love them to beat the band!
South America!
Babalou, babalou, ay yay, babalou!
One favour you can do, ay yay, you can do!
You beautiful lands below
don't know what you began.
To put it plainly,
I'm tired of shaking
to that PanAmerican Plan!

Take back your samba Ay!
your rhumba Ay!
your conga Ay, yay, yay!
I can't keep moving Ay!
my chassis Ay!
any longer Ay, yay yay!
Now maybe Latins Ay!
in their middles Ay!
are built stronger, Ay, yay yay!
But all this taking to the quaking
and this making with the shaking
leaves me aching Holay!

First you shake around and settle there!
Then you shake around and settle here!
Then you shake around and settle there!
That's enough, that's enough,
take it back,
my spine's out of whack!
There's a strange click clack
in the back of my sacroiliac!

Take back your conga Ay!
your samba Ay!
Your rhumba Ay, yay, yay!
Why can't you send us Ay!
a less strenu Ay! ous number!
Ay, yay, yay!

I've got more bumps now Ay!
than on a Ay! cucumber Ay, yay, yay!
While all those Latin drums
are clopping like a jumping Jack
I'm hopping without stopping Holay!
South America Take it away!

Take back your samba Ay!
your rhumba Ay!
your conga Ay, yay, yay!
I can't keep moving Ay!
my chassis Ay!
any longer Ay, yay yay!
Now maybe Latins Ay!
in their middles Ay!
are built stronger, Ay, yay yay!
But all this taking to the quaking
and this making with the shaking
leaves me aching Holay!

First you shake around and settle there!
Then you shake around and settle here!
Then you shake around and settle there!
That's enough, that's enough,
take it back,
my spine's out of whack!
There's a strange click clack
in the back of my sacroiliac!

Take back your conga Ay!
your samba Ay!
Your rhumba Ay, yay, yay!
Why can't you send us Ay!
a less strenu Ay! ous number!
Ay, yay, yay!

I've got more bumps now Ay!
than on a Ay! cucumber Ay, yay, yay!
While all those Latin drums
are clopping like a jumping Jack
I'm hopping without stopping Holay!

Tho' I like neighborly relations,
all those crazy new gyrations
try my patience Holay!
I know there's danger really lurking
if my shoulders keep on working
at this jerking, Holay!
South America Take it away!

Soft karaoke
Words
treble clef 1
treble clef 2
lyric line
bass
*
South America, Take It Away! 1947
Music and words by Harold Rome
copyright 1947 by M. Witmark and Sons, New York
sequence and karaoke by Dr. Pitt-Payne in London UK
on Wednesday 19 June 2002 at 21.36
in association with Doug Grierson
*
From Val Parnell's London Hippodrome Production
'Starlight Roof'
where Dame Julie Andrews made her first stage appearance.
*