From the musical “Leave It To Jane”, 1917.
Words and music by Jerome Kern.
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
- In days of old beside the Nile
A famous Queen there dwelt
Her clothes were few, but full of style
Her figure slim and svelt
On ev’ry man that wandered by
She pulled the Theda Bara eye
And ev’ry one observed with awe
That her work was swift, but never raw
Refrain
I’d be like Cleopatterer
If I could have my way
Each man she met she went and kissed
And she’d dozens on her waiting list
I wish that I had lived there
Beside the Pyramid
For a girl today don’t get the scope
That Cleopatterer did
- And when she tired as girls will do
Of Bill or Jack or Jim
The time had come, his friends all knew
To say goodbye to him
She couldn’t stand by any means
Reproachful, stormy farewell scenes
To such coarse stuff she would not stoop
So she just put poison in his soup
Refrain
When out with Cleopatterer
Men always made their wills
They knew there was no time to waste
When the gumbo had that funny taste
They’d take her hand and squeeze it
They’d murmur “Oh, you kid”
But they never liked to start to feed
Till Cleopatterer did
- She danced new dances now and then
The sort that make you blush
Each time she did them, scores of men
Got injured in the rush
They’d stand there, gaping, in a line
And watch her agitate her spine
It simply used to knock them flat
When she went like this and then like that
Refrain
At dancing Cleopatterer
Was always on the spot
She gave these poor Egyptian ginks
Something else to watch besides the sphinx
Mark Antony admitted
That what first made him skid
Was the wibbly, wobbly, wiggle dance
That Cleopatterer did
Sung here by Vancha March: