A 1923 popular song.
Words by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II
Music by Vincent Youmans and Herbert Stothart
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
With thou come with me to the fair?
Bambalina will be there
Who is Bambalina, what sort of man is he?
He’s a fiddler man by trade
Both beloved by man and maid
Good for Bambalina , a bright old man is he
He’ll start into fiddle and stop in the middle
Of a dance as quick as a wink
And there you stand in your sweetheart’s arms
Before you’ve time to think
It makes old Bambalina grin
To see the fix the girls are in
Chorus
When we’re dancing at the fair
We have to watch and keep aware
When good old Bambalina calls a stop
That means I must stand still in your arms
And hold your hand still
For we dare not dance or skip or kick or hop
Times when he may choose to stop
Give me a good excuse to prop
My little head against my partners chest
So you see the reason why
Tho’ other dances I may try
I always like the Bambalina best
Sung here by Fred Feild: