That Chop-Stick Rag 1912 Over The River

by James Pitt-Payne, London UK - 15 Jul 2007
2007

Some folks think the poor old chink
hasn't any rag time tune,
but if they went down to China Town
they'd find out pretty soon
'cause an old Chinee named Charley Lee
who works all day in a hand laundry
plays a funny gag, called the chopstick rag
in an oriental key.

When that fellow Lee
played that melody
called the chop, chop, chopstick rag
down in China Town
they gather round
held spellbound by that sound
instrumental, oriental, gentle harmony
This is just an imitation
of that funny syncopation
as played by the yellow nation
he can dope, dope, dopeyum
just like opium
playing that chop stick rag.

When that fellow Lee
played that melody
called the chop, chop, chopstick rag
down in China Town
they gather round
held spellbound by that sound
instrumental, oriental, gentle harmony
This is just an imitation
of that funny syncopation
as played by the yellow nation
he can dope, dope, dopeyum
just like opium
playing that chop stick rag.

Soon a deep and dopee sleep
over came that pig tail crowd
and a hopfiend girl called Poppy Pearl
went sailing on a cloud.
For that dopee strain and weird refrain
had crept its way into her brain
and her eyes half closed
she would start to doze
as old Charley played again...

When that fellow Lee
played that melody
called the chop, chop, chopstick rag
down in China Town
they gather round
held spellbound by that sound
instrumental, oriental, gentle harmony
This is just an imitation
of that funny syncopation
as played by the yellow nation
he can dope, dope, dopeyum
just like opium
playing that chop stick rag.

When that fellow Lee
played that melody
called the chop, chop, chopstick rag
down in China Town
they gather round
held spellbound by that sound
instrumental, oriental, gentle harmony
This is just an imitation
of that funny syncopation
as played by the yellow nation
he can dope, dope, dopeyum
just like opium
playing that chop stick rag.

Soft karaoke
Words
piano 1
piano 2
piano 3
piano 4
lyric
pizz str bass
*
That Chop-Stick Rag 1912
Music by Jean Schwartz
Lyrics by Grant Clarke
© MCMXII by Jerome & Schwartz Pub.Co. N.Y.
*
introduced in Chas. Dillingham's Production
"Over The River" presenting Eddie Foy
*
sequence & karaoke by James Pitt-Payne, London  UK
on Sunday 15 July 2007 at 7.27pm
in association with Doug Grierson
*