A march in 6/8 from the show “Florodora”, 1900.
words by Frank A. Clement
music by Leslie Stuart
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
- Oh, the man that’s dressed as usual
Is out of it today
For a regular dandy man
No single woman cares
She won’t look upon your suit, or you
I’ve heard the worldly say
Till you’ve donned the garb
That Tommy Atkin’s wears
I want to be a military man
There came a cry to arms
The frock coat lost it’s charms
And so the topper came a cropper
At the rataplan (Rataplan, rataplan)
You loose a lot of chances
And you don’t get asked to dances
If you’re not dressed all in khaki
Like a military man
Refrain
I want to join the military-tary
I’ve got no chance with Jane, or Flo or Mary
I want to hear the martial rataplan
I want to be a military man
(That is my plan it is)
I want to be a military man
- If you stroll down Piccadilly
In the middle of the day
And a very smart gentleman
In khaki comes along
You may think he’s Lord Tom Noddy
Or Sir Algy Popinjay
But I think it’s very likely you’ll be wrong
I want to be a military man
You really must confess
That in the latest dress
The better classes and the masses
Look as like as they can (Rataplan, rataplan)
While to gaze at him you tarry
Someone says, “‘Wot cher there’s Harry
Gone and dressed ‘is-self in khaki
Like a military man - Now as this is from the Stable
Well, I hope you’ll keep it dark
But the straightest of tips I had
From Tattersall’s today
And I hear that all the races courses
Right down to Kempton Park
Will be laid with khaki turf without delay
I want to be a military man
And all the jockeys you will see
Will ride a khaki gee
And the starter will look smarter
In the sober tan (Rataplan, rataplan)
And the vague inpression’s growing
That the Prince of Wales is going
To the races dressed in khaki
Like a military man
Sung here by Fred Feild: