A popular song from 1910
Words and music by James Brockman
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
- Oi, Oi! Mother I’m in love
Oi, Oi! Father I’m in love
Oi, Oi! don’t know what to do
Maggie breaks my heart for me in two
Mother said: “Tell me Moritz lad
Maggie’s not a Yiddisha name”
Father said, “I am getting mad
It don’t pay to play a love game
Don’t be a wise guy Moritz
Make your little plan
Love like your father Moritz
Like a Yiddisha man”
Chorus:
“First you find a lady that is smart in the head
Then you ask her pa how much you get when you wed
Never mind the good looks or the fancy pompadoodles
See that she can cook and make gefilta fish and noodles
Ask her if she’ll help you when the bus’ness goes bad
If she’ll take in washing, scrub the floor, not get mad
If she’s honest and frank
And has money in the bank
Oi! Oi! that’s Yiddisha love”
- “Bye bye” Moritz said next day
“Bye bye” Moritz ran away
“Bye bye” Moritz left a note
“Maggie she eloped with me,” he wrote
Passed one week, Moritz said, “I’m sick
Maggie spends more than I can make
Fancy skirt and she makes a flirt
Wears a bundle of hair that’s a fake
She run away this morning
With an Irish lad
Father he gave me warning
I didn’t believe what he said”