[Warning: racial terms. Original presented as part of music history.]
A 1899 song. You can’t stop it.
An Afro-Chinese song of high temperature.
Words and music by Al Trahern.
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
1. Wing Lee bought a clock the other day
He considered it no crime
But it caused him trouble people say
Just because it ticked ragtime
Coons all heard about this ragtime clock
They rushed in his laundry broke the lock
Wing Lee half asleep jumped out of bed
When he saw them dancing said
Chorus
No likee ragtime, no likee coon
All lookee samee to me
No likee ragtime, no likee coon
Shouted poor Wing Lee
He lost his temper pulled out his hair
Yelled for the darkies to stop
All the rag time coons were there
Dancing to the ragtime clock
2. Wing was almost crazy wanted fight
Didn’t like the coons rough ways
Tried to stop the clock ’twas wound up tight
Sure to tick for eight long days
Then he called a copper dressed in blue
But he was a nigger dancer, too
When he heard the ragtime danced all night
Poor Wing yelled with all his might
Vocal song demo: