They Always Pick On Me
written by harry von tilzer & stanley murphy
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THEY ALWAYS PICK ON ME - MAE QUESTEL AS BETTY BOOP
MINNIE THE MOOCHER (TALKARTOONS) 1932 |
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In the 1932 Talkartoon short Minnie The Moocher Betty Boop sings a song about her mean parents - They Always Pick On Me. That song was recorded in 1911 by Ada Jones - one of the earliest female recording artists. It was written by famous Tin Pan Alley songwriter Harry Von Tilzer, who had run away from home at the age of 14 and joined the circus. He eventually found his true calling as a piano player and songwriter working in Vaudeville and Burlesque shows.
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1911
ADA JONES |
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1943
ALICE FAYE |
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1969
TINY TIM |
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THEY ALWAYS PICK ON ME
When I was born, my Pa and Ma
They looked at me and said, "Oh, pshaw!"
The doctor said, "It's a girl, I think"
And Pa went out and got a drink
Then Ma said I looked just like Pa
And Pa said I took after Ma
Aunt Jane said I looked like a quince
And I've been a stepchild ever since
They always, always pick on me
They never, never let me be
I'm so very lonesome, awfully sad
It's a long time since I've been glad
But I know what I'll do by and by
I'll eat some worms and then I'll die
And when I'm gone, you wait and see
They'll all be sorry that they picked on me
My Ma put me to bed and said
The angels watched me in the bed
They wouldn't let things frighten me
Then the angels started biting me.
When my Ma sends me to the store
I lose the change, then she gets sore
I lost my cat and my bow-wow
I think I'm losing something now
They always, always pick on me
They never, never let me be
I'm so very lonesome, awfully sad
It's a long time since I've been glad
But I know what I'll do by and by
I'll eat some worms and then I'll die
And when I'm gone, you wait and see
They'll all be sorry that they picked on me
One morning just at four o'clock
Somebody tried to pick our lock
I knew 'twas Papa, sure as sin
So I opened the door and let him in
My Ma said, "What time is it, Pa?"
"It's twelve o'clock," my Pa told Ma
Just then the cuckoo cuckooed four
And Pa made me cuckoo eight times more
They always, always pick on me
They never, never let me be
I'm so very lonesome, awfully sad
It's a long time since I've been glad
But I know what I'll do by and by
I'll eat some worms and then I'll die
And when I'm gone, you wait and see
They'll all be sorry that they picked on me
When I was born, my Pa and Ma
They looked at me and said, "Oh, pshaw!"
The doctor said, "It's a girl, I think"
And Pa went out and got a drink
Then Ma said I looked just like Pa
And Pa said I took after Ma
Aunt Jane said I looked like a quince
And I've been a stepchild ever since
They always, always pick on me
They never, never let me be
I'm so very lonesome, awfully sad
It's a long time since I've been glad
But I know what I'll do by and by
I'll eat some worms and then I'll die
And when I'm gone, you wait and see
They'll all be sorry that they picked on me
My Ma put me to bed and said
The angels watched me in the bed
They wouldn't let things frighten me
Then the angels started biting me.
When my Ma sends me to the store
I lose the change, then she gets sore
I lost my cat and my bow-wow
I think I'm losing something now
They always, always pick on me
They never, never let me be
I'm so very lonesome, awfully sad
It's a long time since I've been glad
But I know what I'll do by and by
I'll eat some worms and then I'll die
And when I'm gone, you wait and see
They'll all be sorry that they picked on me
One morning just at four o'clock
Somebody tried to pick our lock
I knew 'twas Papa, sure as sin
So I opened the door and let him in
My Ma said, "What time is it, Pa?"
"It's twelve o'clock," my Pa told Ma
Just then the cuckoo cuckooed four
And Pa made me cuckoo eight times more
They always, always pick on me
They never, never let me be
I'm so very lonesome, awfully sad
It's a long time since I've been glad
But I know what I'll do by and by
I'll eat some worms and then I'll die
And when I'm gone, you wait and see
They'll all be sorry that they picked on me
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