From the musical “Good News!”, 1927
Words and music by B. G. De Sylva, Lew Brown and Ray Henderson
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by Denese Coulbeck:
Lyrics
We’ve always thought, knowledge is naught
We should be taught to dance
Right here in Tait, we’re up-to-date
We teach a great new dance
Don’t think that I brag, I speak of the drag
Why should a Sheik learn how to speak
Latin and Greek badly?
Give ’em a neat motto complete
Say it with feet glady
First lesson right now
You’ll love it and how!
Chorus
Here is the drag, see how it goes
Down on the heels, up on the toes
That’s the way to do the varsity drag
Hotter than hot, newer than new
Meaner than mean, bluer than blue
Gets as much applause as waving the Flag
You can pass many a class
Whether you’re dumb or wise
If you all answer the call
When your professor cries
“Everybody down on the heels
Up on the toes
Stay after school, learn how it goes
Everybody do the Varsity Drag”
Sung here by Laurence Rubenstein: