From the revue “The Third Little Show”, 1931
Words and music by Herman Hupfeld
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
His name was Yuba
He was homely, he was dumb
And so was Yuba
Just a big ambitious bum
He wouldn’t do-a
So much as chew a piece of gum
So this is news to me
I understand-a
He’s an overnight success
He’s in demand-a
Why? I never could have guessed
Well, he found a big bass tuba
Then he bummed his way to Cuba
And the rest is history
Refrain
Down in Havana there’s a funny lookin’ boob-a
He plays the rhumba on the tuba down in Cuba
Oh, any sap’ll sell an apple
But this chap’d rather grapple
With his umpa, umpa, umpa
They prefer it to the booba, doopa, doopa
They love the rhumba on the tuba down in Cuba
It doesn’t take him very long to get a tumble
For all the rhumba lovers go into their rumble
Oh, how I’d love to be his double
For without a bit of trouble
With his umpa, umpa, umpa
He can knock eleven ladies for a loop-a
They love the rhumba on the tuba down in Cuba
He’s not a green horn
He blows a mean horn
A must-be seen horn
Oh he’s a whiz
Why, all Havana loves the funny lookin’ boob-a
He plays the rhumba on the tuba down in Cuba
I can’t believe it but they tell us
Every peanut vendor’s jealous
Of his umpa, umpa, umpa
They prefer it to the boopa, doopa, doopa
They love the rhumba on the tuba down in Cuba
They love his umpa, umpa, umpa, umpa, ump
Sung here by Laurence Rubenstein: