When You’re in Town

(In My Home Town)
A popular song from 1911
Words and music by Irving Berlin


The sheet music:


Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:


Lyrics

  1. One fine day on Broadway
    Simple Sally Brown
    Met a trav’ling salesman
    Who was trav’ling around
    “Howdy do, how are you?
    Let’s go see the town”
    Sally answered, “What a pity
    I would like to but the city
    Folks would talk, they would talk
    You know that they can
    But I’d like to know you better
    Mister Trav’ling Man

Chorus
When you’re in town, in my home town
Look me up, look me up
I’ll be happy to see you
When you’re passing my way
Drop in and stay
If you’ll come, you’re welcome
As flowers in May
And you can hang your samples
On a sour apple tree
And I’ll see that no one’s around
For I’d much rather walk
Where the neighbors don’t talk
When in town call around, goodbye

  1. Sally Brown settled down
    Wed her trav’ling man
    He said, “Dearie
    I’ll be home as much as I can”
    Trav’ling men, now and then
    Get a telegram
    Their employer sends a wire
    “Go and see a certain buyer”
    Looking ’round, Sally found
    In her hubby’s coat
    Seven diff’rent notes
    That seven diff’rent females wrote

Sung here by Laurence Rubenstein: