Tattooed Lady 1931

Pictured below a tattooed lady from Ringling Brothers Circus circa 1931.

Lydia the Tattooed Lady

My life was wrapped around the circus.

Her name was Lydia.

I met her at the world's fair in 1900,

marked down from 1940.

Ah, Lydia.

She was the most glorious creature

Under the su-un.

Guiess. DuBarry. Garbo.

Rolled into one.

Oooooooh

Lydia oh Lydia, say have you met Lydia,

Lydia, the Tattooed Lady.

She has eyes that folks adore so,

And a torso even more so.

Lydia oh Lydia, that encyclopidia,

Oh Lydia the Queen of Tattoo.

On her back is the Battle of Waterloo.

Beside it the wreck of the Hesperus, 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 Kankakee or Paris,

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,

Oh Lydia the Tattooed Lady

When her muscles start relaxin',

Up the hill comes Andrew Jackson

Lydia oh Lydia, that encyclopidia,

oh Lydia the queen of them all!

For two bits she will do a mazurka in jazz,

With a view of Niagara that nobody has.

And on a clear day you can see Alcatraz.

You can learn a lot from Lydia.

La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la

Come along and see Buff'lo Bill with his lasso.

Just a little classic by Mendel Picasso.

Here is Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon.

Here's Godiva but with her pajamas on.

La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la

Here is Grover Whalen unveilin' the Trilon.

Over on the West Coast we have Treaure Island.

Here's Najinsky a-doin' the rhumba.

Here's her social security numba.

{whistles}La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la

Oh Lydia, oh Lydia that encyclopidia,

Oh Lydia the champ of them all.

She once swept an Admiral clear 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,

For he went and married Lydia.

I said Lydia

{He said Lydia}

They said Lydia

{We said Lydia}

La La!