Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis
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| "Meet Me In St. Louis, Louis" | |
 Cover, sheet music, 1904 |
|
| Music by | Kerry Mills |
|---|---|
| Lyrics by | Andrew B. Sterling |
| Published | 1904 |
| Language | English |
"Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis", better known as just Meet Me in St. Louis, was a popular song from 1904 which celebrated the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, i.e., the St. Louis World's Fair. The words were by Andrew B. Sterling; the music, by Kerry Mills. The song was published in 1904 in New York by Mills's firm operating under the name F. A. Mills. It was recorded by many artists such as Billy Murray.
The song and the fair were focal points of the Judy Garland movie, Meet Me in St. Louis.
"Louis" in the song is pronounced "LOO-ee", akin to the French. The song is one of the few instances of pronouncing the city's name that way. It is normally pronounced "LOO-is".
The song, which is generally styled in the form of a limerick, has many and varied verses, few of which are remembered today — unlike the chorus.
Contents |
[edit] Verse 1
- When Louis came home to the flat
- He hung up his coat and his hat
- He gazed all around
- But no wifey he found
- So he said, "Where can Flossie be at?"
- A note on the table he spied
- He read it just once, then he cried
- It ran, "Louis, dear,"
- "It's too slow for me here,"
- "So I think I will go for a ride..."
[edit] Verse 2
- The dresses that hung in the hall
- Were gone, she had taken them all
- She took all his rings
- And the rest of his things
- The picture he missed from the wall
- "What, moving?" the janitor said
- "Your rent is paid three months ahead!"
- "What good is the flat?"
- Said poor Louis, "Read that!"
- And the janitor smiled as he read...
[edit] Chorus
- Meet me in St. Louis, Louis,
- Meet me at the Fair
- Don't tell me the lights are shining
- Anyplace but there
- We will dance the "Hoochie-Koochie"
- I will be your "Tootsie-Wootsie"
- If you will meet me in St. Louis, Louis,
- Meet me at the Fair.
[edit] Verse 3
- Lew Woods was the name of a horse,
- that ran at the New Orleans course,
- I played him one day
- for a dollar each way,
- and I charged it to profit and loss;
- He started to run in the wet,
- the son of a gun's running yet,
- That crazy old skate,
- he made straight for the gate,
- and I hollered, “Hey Lew! don't forget.”
[edit] Verse 4
- There came to the gay tenderloin,
- a Jay who had money to burn,
- The poor simple soul
- showed a girlie his roll,
- and she said, “for some wine dear, I yearn.”
- A bottle and bird right away,
- she touched him then said, “I can't stay.”
- He sighed, “Tell me, sweet,
- where can you and I meet?”
- and the orchestra started to play.
[edit] Verse 5
- The clerks in the bank said, “It's queer,
- did anyone see the cashier?
- It's way after time,
- and we haven't a dime,
- we can't open the safe 'till he's here.”
- The President shook his gray head,
- “Send out for an expert,” he said,
- The door's opened wide,
- not a cent was inside,
- just a card, that was all, and it read:
[edit] Verse 6
- In church sat a man near the door,
- asleep, he was starting to snore,
- The Minister rose,
- and he said, “We will close
- singing, Meet on the Beautiful Shore.”
- The man in the back then awoke,
- he caught the last words that he spoke;
- He said, “Parson White,
- you can meet me alright,
- but The Beautiful Shore is a joke.”
