a 1922 tribute to a great minstrel performer
words and music by Val and Ernie Stanton
The sheet music:
Accompaniment:
Lyrics
- I am haunted by a tune, warbled by a ragtime loon
Every time I hear it I am simply wild the whole day long
In his satins he’s so neat, Lawdy how he shakes his feet
Altho’ I love to see him dance I’d rather hear him sing a song
(Just like that)
Chorus
Ida, oh lovin’ Ida won’t you sing it again, sing it again
Ida, please play that haunting refrain, wonderful strain
When you sing those Roly Boly Eyes, that’s when you begin to tantalize
Sweetness, sweetness, oh! boy, that’s paradise
Eddie, you are beloved as a minstrel man, best in the land
You sing those songs like nobody can, for you understand
I’m tired of hearing songs about the pale moonshine
Songs of dear old Dixieland and mammy mine
So, sing me Ida, I’ve got the Eddie Leonard Blues
- All the songs we learned to play, sang them while they had their day
But like Winter, Spring, and Fall they pass along without regret
There’s one tune that seems to cling, enticing folks to dance and sing
A melody that’s come to stay and sway I’ll say the one best bet
(That’s dear old)
Sung here by Fred Feild: