A Daffy Ditty from 1907.
Words by Jack Norworth.
Music by Albert Von Tilzer.
Sheet music provided by Nicholas Leunissen:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
- Now a man will go and take a wife
But he doesn’t take her far
They start in on their married life
Then comes a fam’ly jar
He claims she’s not the proper sort
She claims the same of course
And then he drags her into court
And asks for a divorce
The judge hauls out the papers
In the case and then he reads
He looks them over carefully
And finds the poor man pleads
Chorus
Insanity, insanity
His married life was filled with pain
Then he finds out he was insane
He asks the judge to kindly set him free
The man gets loose for his excuse
Is pure insanity
- Now a man will call to see his girl
And they’ll play some kissing games
He calls her popsey’s precious Pearl
And some other mushy names
Then he holds her on his lap a while
Though she weighs three hundred just
And all the time he tries to smile
But he knows his knees will bust
The girl says, “Dear, let me get up
You know I’m not so light”
But the man says, “No, my precious love
I could hold you here all night”
Chorus
Insanity, insanity
He wants to show that he’s awf’lly sweet
But all the time his foot’s asleep
He thinks it’s love
But just twixt you and me
When wed, no doubt
He’ll then find out
That it’s pure insanity
- There’s a lunatic asylum
Not so very far away
That stands beside a little stream
And there the other day
A man went fishing for that sport
It seems, was his delight
But though he fished six hours
Yet he never got a bite
A lunatic came out and watched
The man with hook and line
Then finally he said
“You’ve got the same complaint as mine”
Chorus
Insanity, insanity
“There hasn’t been a fish in there
Since Washington crossed the Delaware
So come inside and keep me company
Forget the eels and mend your wheels
It’s pure insanity”
Sung here by Vancha March: