A comedy fox-trot song from 1930
Words by Gus Kahn
Music by Art Kassel
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
He was a major of Grenadiers,
Grenadiers are handsome and tall. (He was a dashing brute…)
She was the fairest in all Algiers,
In Algiers the fairest of all. (She was so sweet and cute…)
He had to leave her behind and so,
The so and so had broken her heart. (He didn’t care a hoot…)
She has a terrible tale of woe,
Tale of woe that she will impart.
Chorus
Around the corner and under the tree,
The gallant major said: “Stroll with me.”
I said: “Nay, nay!” I said: “No, no!”
But ever since I’ve been there once, I always want to go.
Around the corner and under the tree,
The handsome major made love to me.
He kissed me once, he kissed me twice.
It wasn’t just the thing to do,
But gosh! It was so nice.
Verse 2
He was a man with an oily tongue,
Oily tongues tell many a tale. (Oh, how that man could lie…)
She was so trusty and oh, so young,
Oh, so young and now she’s so pale. (You ought to hear her sigh…)
He wore a drooping mustachio,
One you know that curls on the end. (Villain of deepest die…)
Girls ought to know a mustachio
Doesn’t grow on any good friend.
Chorus 2
Around the corner and under the tree,
The breeze was sighing, and so was he.
He held my hand, he talked so grand,
Then went away and stayed away, while every night I stand
Around the corner and under the tree.
The cruel major’s forgotten me.
He wrote a note. Here’s how it went:
“I would have married you,
But couldn’t get my wife’s consent.”
Sung by Laurence Rubenstein: