a 1914 song associated with WW1
words by Robert P. Weston
music by Herman E. Darewski
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
1. Sister Susie’s sewing in the kitchen on a “Singer”
There’s miles and miles of flannel on the floor and up the stairs
And father says it’s rotten getting mixed up with the cotton
And sitting on the needles that she leaves upon the chairs
And should you knock at our street door Ma whispers “Come inside”
Then when you ask where Susie is, she says with loving pride
Chorus
Sister Susie’s sewing shirts for soldiers
Such skill at sewing shirts our shy young sister Susie shows
Some soldiers send epistles
Say they’d sooner sleep in thistles
Than the saucy, soft, short shirts
For soldiers sister Susie sews
2. Piles and piles and piles of shirts she sends out to the soldiers
And sailors won’t be jealous when they see them, not at all
And when we say her stitching will set all the soldiers itching
She says our soldiers fight best when their back’s against the wall
And little brother Gussie he who lisps when he says “yes”
Says where’s the cotton gone from off my kite? Oh, I can gueth
3. I forgot to tell you that our sister Susie’s married
And when she isn’t sewing shirts she’s sewing other things
Then little sister Molly says, “Oh, sister’s bought a dolly
She’s making all the clothes for it with pretty bows and strings
Says Susie, don’t be silly as she blushes and she sighs
Then mother smiles and whispers with a twinkle in her eyes
Sung here by Fred Feild: