| Lyrics: | 1st verse:]
Sam Johnson as op'ra mad
He sho' had the fever bad
He said, "Those
ordinary ragtime tunes are mild
Some music from Verdi's hand
Or any old op'ra
grand
Would never fail to set this op'ra darkie wild"
One evening at a ball
They
heard Sam Johnson call
Unto the leaderman to play some "William Tell"
The leader swelled
his chest and said, "I'll do my best"
So when he played they heard Sam Johnson
yell
[chorus:]
Hear dat strain
Mister Verdi come to life again
Oh that
operatic sweet refrain
Sho' would drive a crazy man insane
Just let me die and meet those
brainy men
Who manufactured notes of opera grand
Oh! Verdi where, where oh art
thou?
Let me shake you by the hand, man, you know what's grand
Good Lord, it's over,
they're playin' "Home Sweet Home"
[2nd verse:]
Old Sam was a painter man
One
day with a brush in hand
He stood upon a scaffold 'way up in the air
A German band
below
Was playin' some "Rig'letto"
Sam said, "I know that's op'ra, be it here or
there"
While he daubed up the wall
He tried hard not to fall
But in the street the
band kept right on playin' fair
They played some "Faust" below, just then old Sam let
go
He tumbled down below a-shouting in the air |
