Need lyrics to 'Lydia the Tattooed Lady'
David Jeffords Giddens
I was listening to a public radio program the other day when I
happened to hear a recording of Groucho Marx singing a song
called 'Lydia the Tattooed Lady'. The song was hilarious! As
I have a friend named Lydia (who has played countless jokes on
me over the past few years), I would love to get the lyrics to
the tune (or, even better, the name of a company or service
where I can purchase a recording of the song!) so that I can
my friend Lydia can enjoy it (along with the rest of our friends).
If anyone has information about my magnificent obsession of the
week, please reply by e-mail. Thanks! :)
Steve Bush
>
>If anyone has information about my magnificent obsession of the
>week, please reply by e-mail. Thanks! :)
well...
That song was used in Terry Gilliam's movie The Fisher King, starring Robin
Williams and Jeff Bridges. It is on the soundtrack, though not in its full
form. Robin Williams sang it to a Lydia in the movie... here are what lyrics
were on the soundtrack (before they fade off into an entirely different song)
"Lydia The Tatooed Lady" --as transcribed from the Fisher King soundtrack
------------------------
Oh Lydia, oh Lydia, say, have you met Lydia?
Lydia the tatooed lady.
She has eyes that man adores so,
and her torso, even more so.
Oh Lydia, oh Lydia, say, have you met Lydia?
Lydia, the queen of tatoos.
On her back is the battle of Waterloo.
Beside it the wreck of the Hesperas [sp?] too,
And proudly above waves the red, white, and blue.
You can learn a lot from Lydia.
La la la, la la la,
La la la, la la la.
When her robe is unfurled, she will show you the world,
If you step up and tell her where.
For a dime you can see Cankakee [sp?] or Paris [pronounced Paree],
Or Washington crossing the Delaware.
La la la, la la la,
La la la, la la la.
Oh Lydia, oh Lydia, say, have you met Lydia?
Lydia the tatooed lady.
When her muscles start relaxing,
Up the hill comes Michael Jackson.
[the original probably used Andrew Jackson]
Oh Lydia, oh Lydia, that encyclopedia [pronounced to rhyme with Lydia]
Lydia the.... [song fades away on soundtrack, not sure if there is more in the
original movie]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--Steve Bush (ez00...@hamlet.ucdavis.edu)
"There was a point to this narrative, but it has presently escaped
the chronicler's mind." --Douglas Adams
Jeffrey Robertson
Steve Bush <ez00...@dale.ucdavis.edu> wrote:
>David Jeffords Giddens <ey...@cleveland.Freenet.Edu> wrote:
>>
>>If anyone has information about my magnificent obsession of the
>>week, please reply by e-mail. Thanks! :)
>
>well...
>That song was used in Terry Gilliam's movie The Fisher King, starring Robin
>Williams and Jeff Bridges. It is on the soundtrack, though not in its full
>form. Robin Williams sang it to a Lydia in the movie... here are what lyrics
>were on the soundtrack (before they fade off into an entirely different song)
>
>"Lydia The Tatooed Lady" --as transcribed from the Fisher King soundtrack
>------------------------
The Muppets also performed a version of this. Kermit sang, and a
custom-made muppet played Lydia. The lyrics as cited above were
present, along with others. One additional verse went something like
this (from memory):
She once swept an admiral clean off his feet
The ships on her hips made his heart skip a beat
And now the old boy's in command of the fleet
'Cause he went and married Lydia!
Also, I believe it's the "wreck of the Hesperus II" (not "too").
I believe that's a reference to a famous painting.
--
-------------------------------------+----------------+-----------------
Jeffrey Robertson | je...@bnr.ca | BNR, Ottawa
"I speak for myself, not BNR" - Me +----------------+ (Meriline)
"Verbing weirds language" - Calvin OC-48 FiberWorld
Jim Smith
It was originally in the Marx Brother movie
"At the Circus", where Groucho sings it in
it's glorious entirity.