Tammany

Performed by Billy Murray
Words by Vincent Bryan
Music by Gus Edwards
Recorded 1905

Hiawatha was an Indian, so was Navajo,
Paleface organ-grinders killed them many moons ago;
But there is a band of Indians that will never die,
When they're at the Indian Club Big Chief sits in his tepee
This is their battle cry:

[chorus]
Tammany, Tammany
Big Chief sits in his tepee,cheering braves to victory,
Tammany, Tammany
Swamp 'em swamp 'em, get the "wampum,"
Tammany

On the island of Manhattan by the bitter sea,
Lived this tribe of noble Red Men, tribe of Tammany,
From the Totem of the Greenlight Wampum they would bring,
When their big Chief Man Behind,
Would pass the pipe and sing:

Tammany, Tammany
Stick together at the poll, you'll have long green wampum rolls.
Tammany, Tammany
Politicians get positions,
Tammany

EXTRA VERSES:
3.
Chris Columbo sailed from Spain, across the deep blue sea,
Brought along the Dago vote to beat out Tammy.
Tammany found Columbo's crew were living on a boat,
Big Chief said: "They're floaters," and he would not let them vote,
The to the tribe he wrote:

Tammany, Tammany,
Get those Dagoes jobs at once, they can vote in twelve more months.
Tammany, Tammany,
Make those floaters Tammany voters, Tammany

4.
Fiften thousand Irishment from Erin came across,
Tammany put these Irish Indians on the Police force.
I asked one cop, if he wanted three potatoes or four,
He said, "Keep your old potatoes, I've got a cuspidor, What would I want with more?"

Tammany, Tammany,
Your policeman can't be beat, They can sleep on any street.
Tammany, Tammany,
Dusk is creeping, they're all sleeping, Tammany.

5.
When Reformers think its time to show activity,
They blame everything that's bad on poor old Tammany.
All the farmers think that Tammy, caused old Adam's fall,
They say when a bad man dies he goes to Tammany Hall, Tammany's blamed for all.

Tammany, Tammany,
When a farmer's tax is due, he puts all the blame on you.
Tammany, Tammany,
On the level you're a devil, Tammany.

6.
Doctor Osler says all men of sixty we should kill,
That would give olde Tammany a lot of jobs to fill,
They would chloroform old Doctory Parkhurst first I know
After that they'd fix Tom Platt, because they love him so, And then Depew would go.

Tammany, Tammany,
When you chloroform to kill, don't forget old Dave. B. Hill.
Tammany, Tammany,
Rope'em Rope'em, and we'll dope'em, Tammany.

7.
If we'd let the women vote, they would all get rich soon,
Think how old man Platt gave all his money to a con.
Mrs. chadwick is a girl, who'd lead in politics,
She could show our politicians lots of little tricks, the Wall street vote she'd fix.

Tammany, Tammany,
Cassie Chadwick leads them all, she should be in Tammany Hall.
Tammany, Tammany,
Who got rich quick? Cassie Chadwick, Tammany.

8.
Tammany's chief is digging out a railroad station here,
He shutt off the water mains, on folks who can't buy beer,
He put in steam shovels, to lay off the workingmen,
Tammany will never see a chief like him again, He's the poor man's friend.

Tammany, Tammany,
Murphy is your big Chief's name, he's a Rothschild just the same.
Tammany, Tammany,
Willie Hearst will do his worst to Tammany.

[lyrics from the sheet music]