From the musical “Watch Your Step”, 1914
Words and music by Irving Berlin
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
- Strange, but there’s a change
In how the people walk these days
Yes! you must confess
That ever since the dancing craze
Ev’rybody has a syncopated walk
Where it’s in the air
You’ll find them swaying as they go
Smile but all the while
You must admit that it is so
For they do, they do
If you don’t think it’s true
Chorus
Look at ’em doin’ it! Look at ’em doin’ it!
That syncopated walk
Look at ’em doin’ it! Look at ’em doin’ it!
I know who introduced it
Wait’ll he reaches you
Wait’ll he teaches you
That syncopated walk
You’ll be doing it, too
Because it’s done by ev’ryone
You’ll find it’s international
That irrational step
It’s full of “Pep”, full of “Pep”
And in the morning when they rise
For their morning exercise
They take a syncopated walk
- Say what e’er you may
It’s in the air without a doubt
You will do it too
Before you know what you’re about
You’ll be walking with a syncopated walk
Don’t you say you won’t
Because you don’t know what you say
Friend, you can depend
That it will strike you some fine day
E’er you know you’ll go
If you don’t think it’s so
Sung here by Laurence Rubenstein: