You Got To Play Rag Time 1899

by James Pitt-Payne, London UK - 18 July 2010
2010

I'm goin' to tell you 'bout a masquerade,
Dat happened in Rough House Hall.
Dem ladies dressed in lace and gold,
A regular white man's ball;
But jes' when de fun was at its height,
Old Ephraim Johnson hove in sight,
In Scotchman's clothes
and old bag pipe
Dis tune he loudly played:
But de manager blocked his way
And dese words he did say:

You go to play rag time
If you want to belong
Dat tune is crazy,
Dat ain't no song.
So if you want to stay, sah,
Something else you got ter play, sah,
For we won't stand
for nothin' else hyah but rag time.

You go to play rag time
If you want to belong
Dat tune is crazy,
Dat ain't no song.
So if you want to stay, sah,
Something else you got ter play, sah,
For we won't stand
for nothin' else hyah but rag time.

Den Ephraim Johnson a shook his kilts,
And "Hoot mon" says he.
And starts right out to play again
as darin' as could be.
Dey grabbed him up and held him tight,
sayin', look here, Nigger,
you got to play right,
and think in' he could stop the fight
Old Ephraim played this tune:
As dey hustled him through the door
He heard some niggers roar:

You go to play rag time
If you want to belong
Dat tune is crazy,
Dat ain't no song.
So if you want to stay, sah,
Something else you got ter play, sah,
For we won't stand
for nothin' else hyah but rag time.

You go to play rag time
If you want to belong
Dat tune is crazy,
Dat ain't no song.
So if you want to stay, sah,
Something else you got ter play, sah,
For we won't stand
for nothin' else hyah but rag time.

They threw him down two flights of steps,
And out into the street.
They had a rough house sure enough,
they used their hands and feet.
He landed in the gutter there,
Old Ephraim was knocked out for fair,
And his yells they sounded like de air
He played up in the hall:
From the window up on high
The coons yelled Ephraim, why!

You go to play rag time
If you want to belong
Dat tune is crazy,
Dat ain't no song.
So if you want to stay, sah,
Something else you got ter play, sah,
For we won't stand
for nothin' else hyah but rag time.

You go to play rag time
If you want to belong
Dat tune is crazy,
Dat ain't no song.
So if you want to stay, sah,
Something else you got ter play, sah,
For we won't stand
for nothin' else hyah but rag time.

Next morning Eph complained
that he was done for good and fair,
He says I spent mah money,
and you didn't treat me square:
His coon friends den both large and small,
Went out and got bag pipes for all,
Dat night on Ephraim they did call,
And played dat same old tune:
Old Eph says you was right
To frow me out last night.

You go to play rag time
If you want to belong
Dat tune is crazy,
Dat ain't no song.
So if you want to stay, sah,
Something else you got ter play, sah,
For we won't stand
for nothin' else hyah but rag time.

You go to play rag time
If you want to belong
Dat tune is crazy,
Dat ain't no song.
So if you want to stay, sah,
Something else you got ter play, sah,
For we won't stand
for nothin' else hyah but rag time.

Soft karaoke
Words
piano 1
piano 2
piano 3
piano 4
lyric
pizz str bass
*
You Got To Play Rag Time 1899
Music by A.B.Sloane
Lyrics by Jean C.Havez
© MDCCCXCIX by M.Witmark & Sons
*
sequence & karaoke by James Pitt-Payne, London UK
on Sunday 18 July 2010 at 15.10
in association with Veda Meyer-Castens
*