The Ragtime Violin (1911)
by Irving Berlin
257084The Ragtime Violin1911Irving Berlin

[1st verse:]

Cover page to the sheet music.

Mister Brown, Mister Brown had a violin

Went around, all around with his violin

Lawdy, how he play'd it, sway'd it, made it moan so beautiful

Anna Lize, Anna Lize heard his violin

Roll'd her eyes, roll'd her eyes at his violin

Lawdy, how he lov'd her, turtledoved 'er

When Anna would cry


[Refrain:]

Fiddle up, fiddle up on your violin

Lay right on it, rest your chin upon it

Doggone you better begin

And play an overture upon your violin

Hurry up, hurry up with your violin

Make it sooner, don't you stop to tune 'er

Fid, fid, fid, fiddle the middle of your ragtime violin


[2nd verse:]

Mister Brown, Mister Brown at a fancy ball

Sat around, sat around, sat around the hall

Wouldn't take a chance to dance because the band was terrible

Anna Lize, Anna Lize hit upon a plan

Roll'd her eyes, roll'd her eyes at the leaderman

Took his fiddle down to Mister Brown to

Just kiss him and cry

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.


The longest-living author of this work died in 1989, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 34 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

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