The 20th Century Rag

A popular song from 1914
Words by Grant Clarke and Edgar Leslie
Music by Maurice Abrahams


The sheet music:


Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:


Lyrics

  1. The other day, the papers say
    Mister Rockefeller made a speech, a peach
    He said, “Now days there’s many ways
    For each boy to be a Rockefeller like me
    Take my advice, bank books are nice
    Little boys should save up every penny they earn
    In these hard times save all your dimes
    For Heaven help the man who hasn’t any we learn
    Because it’s

Chorus
Hustle, bustle, life is just a tussle
Everybody seems to holler
Let me have another dollar
Millionaires all worry
How am I goin’ to get another million in a hurry
Nab it, grab it, get the dollar habit
Life is just a money bag
From the Wall street chaps to the newsies shootin’ craps
There’s just one idea underneath their caps
To be broke is deadly, that’s a medley
Called the Twentieth Century Rag

  1. If you peruse the daily news
    You’ll find that new millionaires appear each year
    There’s gold in store for many more
    If they don’t expect it to be brought to their door
    Go take a chance, try to advance
    Don’t be satisfied to live on just ham and beans
    Go right to work, work like a Turk
    For that’s the only way to own those big limousines
    Because it’s

Sung here by Laurence Rubenstein: