Reply To: Music
Two Lovely Black Eyes
A Ragged Trousered Philanthropists follow up.
Here is the original song to Bert White’s World-famed Pandorama scene — “The bloke on the ground is a Socialist, and the reason why they’re kickin’ ‘is face in is because ‘e said that the only difference between Slumrent and Mandriver was that they was both alike.”
The children innocently sing the familiar chorus.
Strolling so happily down Bethnal Green
—This gay youth you might have seen
Tompkins and I, with his girl between
—Oh what a surprise.
I praised the Conservatives frank and free
—Tompkins got angry so speedily
All in a moment he handed to me
—Two lovely black eyes.
Chorus:
—Two lovely black eyes
—Oh what a surprise
—Only for telling a man he was wrong
—Two lovely black eyes.
Next time, I argued, I though it best
—To give the Conservative side a rest
The merits of Gladstone I freely pressed
—When Oh what a surprise.
The chap I had met was a Tory true
—Nothing the Liberals right could do.
This was my share of that argument too
—Two lovely black eyes.
The moral you’ve caught I can hardly doubt
—Never on politics rave and shout
Leave it to others to fight it out
—If you would be wise.
Better by far, better it is to let
—Liberals and Tories alone you bet
Unless you are willing and anxious to get
—Two lovely black eyes.
—
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Veni sul Mar — Come to the Sea
Enrico Caruso (recorded 1918, digitally remastered — traditional Neapolitan song)
This is the original tune to “Two Lovely Black Eyes”.
