A popular song from 1917.
Words and music by Byron Gay.
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
1. Now listen to me patiently, I’m going to deliver
A story ’bout a crazy, good-for-nothing little “flivver”
I bought it for a dollar and an old tobacco sack
And now I wish to goodness that I had my dollar back
Dog-goned thing is noisy as the deuce
They made it out of rattles
Every one of them is loose
But even so it always seems to go
And when it starts to movin’ I will have you know
CHORUS
It is a rambling “flivver” a rambling “flivver”
Step on her tail and then stay with her
She will go, go, when the tank is dry
Do you think it wonderful? I think it is a lie
It is a rambling “flivver” a rambling “flivver”
At racing she was fine
When I timed her for a block
Both hands flew off the clock
Oh that rambling “flivver of mine
2. I took my girl a riding
In my dinky little “flivver”
I told her that I loved her
Then we skidded in the river
As soon as we came up for air
We heard a funny swish
And then we saw the pesky “flivver”
Swimming’ like a fish
Half a dozen crabs began to bite
They just kept on a nibbling
‘Till that “flivver” was a sight
Then with one flop that “flivver” hit the shore
A goin’ twenty miles an hour and maybe more
CHORUS
It is a rambling “flivver” a rambling “flivver”
Step on her tail and then stay with her
She will go, go, like a ton of brick
Every time she takes a hill she acts a little sick
She is a rambling “flivver” a rambling “flivver”
She goes downhill just fine
Ever since I got the bus, all I do is fuss and cuss
At that rambling “flivver” of mine
3. Now once I had a mother-in-law
And knew not what to give her
The devil in me seemed to say
“Just let her have the “flivver”
She jumped right in and grabbed the wheel
And thought it simply grand
And then she took her farewell trip
Into the promised land
With one growl that “flivver” went to work
And like a little hero
Not a duty did it shirk
And like a shot it started on the run
A spitin’ and a poppin’ like a gattling gun
CHORUS
It was a rambling “flivver” a rambling “flivver”
Rambling fast and the old girl with ‘er
On the go, go, going mighty fast
Moaning and a groaning, still a kicking to the last
It was a rambling “flivver” a rambling “flivver”
A rambling “cracker-jack”
For it took her far away, dumped her where she had to stay
Then the gosh-durned “flivver” came back