A popular song from 1915
Words by Chas McCarron and Alex Gerber
Music by Harry Jentes
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
- In bed the other night before I dimmed my light
I started reading history, I came upon a mystery
About a fountain rare, no one was ever there
A place where you could get back youth
Explorers looked for it most everywhere
I fell asleep and dreamed that I was there
Chorus:
At the Fountain of Youth
At the Fountain of Youth
I saw thin old ladies turn right into babies
Old ginks with kinks started to shrink
Got gay when they started to drink
At the Fountain of Youth
At the Fountain of Youth
You ought to see what I saw there
One old maid by the name of Kitty
Dived right in and came out so pretty
Mother Machree looked like a chicken to me
Down at the Fountain of Youth
- Suppose the things I dreamed
Were really what they seemed
There’ll be no coffin makers
Goodbye to undertakers
And chorus girls who wed old millionaires
Instead would wed a wealthy, healthy youth
To the poor “Old Ladies Home”
The boys would troop
Because it would look like a chicken coop
Chorus:
At the Fountain of Youth,
At the Fountain of Youth,
I saw old rheumatics doing acrobatics
Even saw old Rockfeller there
He was busy combing his hair
At the Fountain of Youth
At the Fountain of Youth
That wasn’t all that I saw there
One old man who had fought life’s battle
Came out shaking a baby’s rattle
I’m telling the truth
I saw him cut his first tooth
Down at the Fountain of Youth
Extra choruses from 1915 Victor 78rpm record with Dan W. Quinn
Chorus 3
At the Fountain of Youth, At the Fountain of Youth,
I saw thin old ladies turn right into babies.
Rip Van Winkle laid down and snored.
A Packard car turned into a Ford.
At the Fountain of Youth, at the Fountain of Youth,
You ought to see what I saw there.
Father Time got so blame disgusted,
His hourglass he got mad and busted.
The poor married men were all single again,
Down at the Fountain of Youth.
Chorus 4
At the Fountain of Youth, at the Fountain of Youth,
I saw old rheumatics doing acrobatics.
Even saw old Rock’feller there;
He was busy combing his hair.
At the Fountain of Youth, at the Fountain of Youth,
That isn’t all that I saw there.
One old guy who was almost dying
Took one drink, and he started flying.
A fellow named Brush was nearly killed in the rush.
Down at the Fountain of Youth.
Sung here by Laurence Rubenstein: