Cornet Man

Fanny convinces eddie she has talent and he agrees to teach her the specialty

For the next audition. she gets the job.



Fanny:

Well--

I just put the kids to sleep

And swept the shack,

Took my sweet man's satchel down

And watched him pack,

I said, "darlin', while the stove still smolders,

Unpin your woman's hair and rub her shoulders."

I threw myself across the doorway

Beggin', "stay, sweet man, stay,"

But there's more in my man's life

Than this old hag.

It's jelly roll morton, and a shiny cornet,

And jazzin' the rag!

The lady ain't been born

Can take the place of a horn,

With a cornet man.

A-goin' where there's blowin',

Trav'lin' cornet man.

Just anytime they call him

He'll leave his wife and kiddies

Sittin' with their tongues out

To play for peanuts in a dive

And blow his lungs out.

He'll hop a choo-choo on a moment's notice

To play some dates with billy bates

Or rag-time otis!

The lady ain't see light

Can give a horn a fair fight

With a cornet man

A rootin', shootin', ever-tootin' dapper dan

Who carries in his satchel

A powder-blue norfolk suit,

A silver-plated wah-wah mute,

There is whiskey, gamblin'--each one is a curse,

But i'm up against a devil that's worse.

Yes, a horn is my thorn,

My trav'lin' cornet man!



Kill yourself!	tell me about it!  yeah!  yeah!



A powder-blue norfolk suit,

I said a silver-plated wah-wah mute,

Oh he's shy on height,

He's short on weight,

But he's the only man can make my coffee perculate,

A dapper dan,

My cornet-playin' man.



After the performance, nick arnstein comes backstage, elegant in formal dress,

To pay off a gambling debt to keeney.  nick has seen the show and tells fanny

She's going to be a big star some day.  fanny asks how much keeney is paying her,

And nick manages to jack up her salary by pretending to bid on behalf of a competitor.

He gives her his card and kisses her hand. eddie asks fanny out for a date,

But she only wants to be friends; already she has fallen for nick, but imagines she'll

Never see him again.


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