A woman named Lena from Palesteena, 1920.
Words and music by Con Conrad and J. Russel Robinson.
The sheet music:
Accompaniment track:
Lyrics
1. In the Bronx of New York City
Lives a girl, she’s not so pretty
Lena is her name
Such a clever girl is Lena
How she plays a concertina
Really it’s a shame
She’s such a good musician
She got a swell position
To go across the sea to entertain
And so they shipped poor Lena
‘Way out to Palesteena
But now I hear that she don’t look the same
Chorus
They say that Lena is the Queen O’ Palesteena
Just because they like her concertina
She plays it day and night
She plays with all her might
She never gets it right
But how they love it, want more of it
I heard ‘er play once or twice
Oh! murder! still it was nice
She was fat but she got leaner
Pushing on her concertina
Down old Palesteena Way
2. Lena’s girl friend Arabella
Let her meet an Arab fella
She thought he was grand
On a camel’s back a-swayin’
You could hear Miss Lena playin’
O’er the desert sand
She didn’t play such new ones
For all she knew were blue ones
Still Yousoff sat and listened by his tent
And as he tried to kiss her
She heard that Arab whisper
“Oh! Lena, how I love your instrument”
Chorus
They say that Lena is the Queen O’ Palesteena
Just because they like her concertina
Each movement of her wrist
Just makes them shake and twist
They simply can’t resist
Her music funny gets the money
There’s nottin’ sounds like it should
So rotten it’s really good
All the girls there dress like Lena
Some wear oatmeal, some farina
Down old Palesteena Way
Sung here by Fred Feild: