PUTTING ON THE STYLE
(George P. Wright / Norman Cazden)
Vernon Dalhart - 1926
Rod McKuen - 1956
Lonnie Donegan - 1957
Vipers Skiffle Group - 1957
Chad Mitchell Trio - 1961
Travellers 3 - 1963
Faraway Folk - 1970
The Fleadh Cowboys - 1997
Eighteen and eighty-four, June the twenty-first
Thought I'd write a poem, if I could a verse
Sitting by the window something made me smile
I saw a fellow passing, putting on the style
Putting on the agony, putting on the style
What the stylish people are a-doing all the while
When I look around me I very often smile
To see so many people putting on the style
Young man and his true love a-going to see the scenes
Looking mostly like a bunch of garden greens
Gingerbread and candy eating all the while
Going to see the show, boys, putting on the style
Putting on the agony, putting on the style
What the stylish people are a-doing all the while
When I look around me I very often smile
To see so many people putting on the style
Young man in the the carriage, going like mad
Pair of spanking horses he borrowed from his dad
Cracked his whip so suddenly he made the ladies smile
Oh, isn't he a-going it, putting on the style
Putting on the agony, putting on the style
What the stylish people are a-doing all the while
When I look around me I very often smile
To see so many people putting on the style
Young man in the dramshop, smokes the dirty pipe
Looking like a pumpkin only partly ripe
Drinks, swears, and gambles, thinking all the while
That this is something equal to putting on the style
Putting on the agony, putting on the style
What the stylish people are a-doing all the while
When I look around me I very often smile
To see so many people putting on the style
Preacher in the pulpit shouts with all his might
"Glory Hallelujah!" with the people in a fright
Thinking of pretences come out on double file
But the preacher's only putting on the style
Putting on the agony, putting on the style
What the stylish people are a-doing all the while
When I look around me I very often smile
To see so many people putting on the style
Sweet sixteen at meetin', going to see the boys,
She turns her head and sniggers at every little noise
She turns her head on this side, and then on that a while
Oh, isn't she a swell, boys, putting on the style
Putting on the agony, putting on the style
What the stylish people are a-doing all the while
When I look around me I very often smile
To see so many people putting on the style
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As recorded by the CHAD MITCHELL TRIO:
Young man in a carriage, driving like he's mad
With a team of horses, he's borrowed from his dad
He cracks his whip so lively, just to see his lady's smile
But she knows he's only putting on the style
Putting on the agony, putting on the style
That's what all the young folks are doing all the while
And as I look around me, I'm very apt to smile
To see so many people putting on the style
Sweet sixteen, she goes to church, just to see the boys
She laughs and she giggles at every little noise
She turns this way a little, she turns that way a while
But everybody knows she's only putting on the style
Putting on the agony, putting on the style
That's what all the young folks are doing all the while
And as I look around me, I'm very apt to smile
To see so many people putting on the style
Young man in a restaurant smokes a dirty pipe
Looking like a pumpkin that's only halfway ripe
Smoking, drinking, chewing, and thinking all the way
There is nothing equal to putting on the style
Putting on the agony, putting on the style
That's what all the young folks are doing all the while
And as I look around me, I'm very apt to smile
To see so many people putting on the style
Preacher in the pulpit shouting with all his might
Glory Hallelujah, puts the people in a fright
You might think that Satan's coming up the aisle
But it's only preacher putting on the style
Putting on the agony, putting on the style
That's what all the young folks are doing all the while
And as I look around me, I'm very apt to smile
To see so many people putting on the style
Young man just back from college makes a big display
With a great big jawbreak that he can hardly say
It can't be found in Webster, and won't be for a while
But everybody knows he's only putting on the style
Putting on the agony, putting on the style
That's what all the young folks are doing all the while
And as I look around me, I'm very apt to smile
To see so many people putting on the style
Doctor comes to see you, just to hold your hand
Feeds you pills and medicines and tells you you'll feel grand
And all the times he's talking, he wears a great big smile
Thinks he'll make a lot of money putting on the style
Putting on the agony, putting on the style
That's what all the young folks are doing all the while
And as I look around me, I'm very apt to smile
To see so many people putting on the style
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As recorded by LONNIE DONEGAN:
Sweet sixteen goes to church just to see the boys
Laughs and screams and giggles at every little noise
Turns her face a little, and turns her head awhile
But everybody knows she's only putting on the style
She's putting on the agony, putting on the style
That's what all the young folks are doing all the while
And as I look around me I sometimes have to smile
Seeing all the young folks putting on the style
Well the young man in the hot rod car, driving like he's mad
In a pair of yellow gloves he's borrowed from his dad
He makes it roar so lively just to make his girlfriend smile
But she knows he's only putting on the style
He's putting on the agony, putting on the style
That's what all the young folks are doing all the while
And as I look around me I sometimes have to smile
Seeing all the young folks putting on the style
Preacher in the pulpit, roars with all his might
Sings Glory Hallelujah, puts the folks all in a fright
Now you might think it's Satan coming down the aisle
But it's only our poor preacher boys putting on the style
Putting on the agony, putting on the style
That's what all the young folks are doing all the while
And as I look around me I sometimes have to smile
Seeing all the young folks putting on the style
Putting on the agony, putting on the style
That's what all the young folks are doing all the while
And as I look around me I sometimes have to smile
Seeing all the young folks putting on the style
Putting on the agony, putting on the style
That's what all the young folks are doing all the while
And as I look around me I sometimes have to smile
Seeing all the young folks putting on the style
**************************
A MODERN VARIATION:
Puttin' on the agony, puttin' on the style
That's what folks around us are doing all the while
And, as I look around me, I really have to smile
To see so many people puttin' on the style
Young man in a roadster, driving like he's mad.
There's no double about it, he borrowed it from dad
He zooms around a U-turn just to see his girl friend smile
But she knows he's only puttin' on the style
Puttin' on the agony, puttin' on the style
That's what folks around us are doing all the while
And, as I look around me, I really have to smile
To see so many people puttin' on the style
Lady wears a mink coat, diamonds 'round her wrist
And her wealthy escort adds to the glowing list
And that's the way she gets him to march her down the aisle
Though we know she's only puttin' on the style
Puttin' on the agony, puttin' on the style
That's what folks around us are doing all the while
And, as I look around me, I really have to smile
To see so many people puttin' on the style
Take a look at Congress, passing all those bills
Thinking they will cure us of all the nation's ills
The way they promise plenty to all the rank and file
Pardon me, I call it puttin' on the style
Puttin' on the agony, puttin' on the style
That's what folks around us are doing all the while
And, as I look around me, I really have to smile
To see so many people puttin' on the style
Preacher in the pulpit, doctor by a bed
Lawyer in his office, accountant in the red
Men who go a-courting, women who beguile,
Ev'rywhere you see folks puttin' on the style
Puttin' on the agony, puttin' on the style
That's what folks around us are doing all the while
And, as I look around me, I really have to smile
To see so many people puttin' on the style
Folks who go campaigning, asking for your vote
Folks who keep explaining things that Shakespeare wrote
Since the days of Cleo, temptress of the Nile
Ev'rywhere we've had folks puttin' on the style
Puttin' on the agony, puttin' on the style
That's what folks around us are doing all the while
And, as I look around me, I really have to smile
To see so many people puttin' on the style
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