LORELEI, THE
George Gershwin (m) Ira Gershwin (l)  1940

as rec by Doris Rhodes w The Joe Sullivan Septet  
March 26th 1940 New York

also rec by Ella Fitzgerald w Nelson Riddle & his Orch '59


Back in the days of knights and armour,
There once lived a lovely charmer;
Swimming in the Rhine,
Her figure was divine!

She had a yen for all the sailors,
Fishermen and gobs and whalers;
She had a most immoral eye,
They called her Lorelei.
She created quite a stir,
And I want to be like her!

I want to be like the gal on the river
Who sang her songs to the ships passing by;
She had the goods and how she could deliver,
The Lorelei!

She used to love in a strange kind of fashion,
With lots of "hey, ho-de-ho, hi-de-hi!",
And I can guarantee I'm full of passion,
Like the Lorelei!

Oh I'm treacherous, ya ya,
And I just can't hold myself in check!
And I'm lecherous, ya ya,
I wanna bite my initials on a sailor's neck!

And each affair has a kick and a wallop,
For what they crave I can always supply!
I wanna be like that other trollop
Called the Lorelei!

I wanna be like the gal on the river
Who sang to the ships passin' by;
She had the goods and how she could deliver,
The Lorelei!

She used to love in a strange kind of fashion,
With "hey, ho-de-ho, hi-de-hi!",
Guarantee I'm full of passion,
Like the Lorelei!

Oh I'm treacherous, ya ya,
And I just can't hold myself in check!
Lecherous, ya ya,
I wanna bite my initials on a sailor's neck!

And each affair has a kick and a wallop,
What they crave I can always supply!
I wanna be like that other Lorelei!





(Contributed by Peter Akers - July 2009)