a 1919 popular song
words and music by Irving Berlin
From the book America’s Songs II: “Although Irving Berlin wrote “Mandy” in 1917, for his World War I revue, Yip Yip Yaphank, it did not become a hit until he revised the lyric for the Ziegfeld Follies of 1919. Berlin had previously written a cakewalk called “The Sterling Silver Moon,” with references to a woman named “Mandy” in the lyric. One day, in a music store, he learned that people were asking for a song called “Mandy,” but were told there was no song by that name. Berlin immediately recalled “Sterling Silver Moon” and had its cover replaced with a new title, “Mandy.” For the Follies, he revised the lyric but kept the name.”
The sheet music:
Accompaniment:
Lyrics
I was strolling out one evening
By the silvery moon
I could hear somebody singing
A familiar tune
So, I stopped a while to listen
Not a word I wanted to miss
It was just somebody serenading
Something like this
Refrain
Mandy, there’s a minister handy
And it sure would be dandy
If we’d let him make a fee
So, don’t you linger
Here’s the ring for your finger
Isn’t it a humdinger?
Come along and let the wedding chimes
Bring happy times, for Mandy and me
Sung here by Fred Feild: