A popular song from 1921
Words by Benny Ryan
Music by Violinsky
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by Denese Coulbeck:
Lyrics
- Katie O’Connor from Tenth Avenue
Was dancing with Francis, her Beau
And after they finished a lounge lizard said
“Will you dance with me ‘fore you go?”
But Kate said, “If I’m gonna dance
There’s only one guy stands a chance”
Chorus
“When Francis dances with me
Hully gee, I’m as gay as can be
He takes me to dances ’cause that’s what I love
I fits in his arms like a motorman’s glove
Oh, the Bowery, the Bowery
We don’t go there any more
He wears a tuxedo and gee, how it fits
He looks like a headwaiter up at the Ritz.
And I wears a gown that’s got twenty-eight slits
When Francis dances with me”
- Katie says, “Sometimes I’m lonesome and blue
And sometimes my head starts to ache
And sometimes my corns pop or I catch a cold
I feel like my back wants to break
And if I should fall on my ear
The pain sure would soon disappear
Chorus
“When Francis dances with me
Hully gee, I’m as gay as can be
When we start in waltzing, with heaven I flirt
He steps on my toes, but they don’t seem to hurt
Oh, the Bowery, the Bowery
We don’t go there any more.
His hair shines like diamonds, he combs it with fat
He wears a Palm Beach and a brown derby hat
Now, you know a guy can’t look better than that
When Francis dances with me”
Sung here by Laurence Rubenstein: