That Revolutionary Rag (1919 THE ROYAL VAGABOND)

From “THE ROYAL VAGABOND”, 1919.
Title on Cover: “Revolutionary Rag”.
Words and Music by Irving Berlin.
Copyright ©20 Feb 1919.
Sheet Music from the collection of Michael Deatz.

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The sheet music:

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Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:

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Lyrics

1. Where the Russian breezes blow
   There’s a piece of calico
   Every thread dyed in red
   You can see it on a pole
   Or in Trotsky’s buttonhole
   Long haired Russian foxes
   Wave it from old soap boxes

Chorus:
That revolutionary rag
‘Twas made across the sea
By a tricky, slicky Bolsheviki
Run with your little money bag
Or else they’ll steal it away, wheel it away
As they go raving, madly waving
That revolutionary rag
It’s not a melody
It’s a crimson flag
All the Royalties across the seas
Shake in their B.V.D.s
When they see that revolutionary rag

2. Little Mary Antoinette
   Was a lovely queen you bet
   Till one day, sad to say
   From her window she could see
   Little Miss Democracy
   Mary’s brain was whirling
   When France began unfurling

Chorus:
That revolutionary rag
‘Twas made across the sea
By a tricky, slicky Bolsheviki
Run with your little money bag
Or else they’ll steal it away, wheel it away
As they go raving, madly waving
That revolutionary rag
It’s not a melody
It’s a crimson flag
All the Kings and Queens in foreign scenes
Know that they’ve spilled the beans
When they see that revolutionary rag

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Sung by Laurence Rubenstein: