(Poor Little Me).
From the musical “YIP YIP YAPHANK,” 1918.
Words and Music by Irving Berlin.
Cover Art by Albert W. Barbelle.
Copyright ©15 Sep 1918.
Sheet Music from the collection of Michael Deatz.
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
There’s dirty work to be done in the army
And it’s not much fun
It’s the kind of work that’s done
Without the aid of a gun
The boys who work with the cooks in the kitchen
Holler out for peace
For they have to do the dirty work
And they’re called the Kitchen Police
Chorus
Poor little me, I’m a K. P.
I scrub the mess hall upon bended knee
Against my wishes, I wash the dishes
To make this wide world safe for Democracy
Sung here by Laurence Rubenstein: