SONG FOR BELLY DANCER

from New York musical "Mr President) sung by Kaye Ballard
(Irving Berlin 1962)

Kaye Ballard
with Mitchell Ayres & his Orchestra
recorded October 2nd 1962 New York


My youth was spent
In The Orient,
Where they never taught me to waltz;
You'd be surprised
When I exercised,
It was never done to a waltz!
It was done like this,
But never to a waltz!

In ancient Siam,
Women like I am,
Indoors or on the street,
No woman dances with her feet!
Egyptian, Persian,
Only one version,
No other stands a chance,
Feet are for walking, not for dance!

To an oriental fiddle,
You can see them shake their middle;
The feet don't mean a thing,
Middles are all they swing!
Even an Egyptian mummy
Wiggles her tummy,
Wiggles it so an' so,
That is the only dance I know!

You don't need an Arthur Murray,
Just a fringe that's on the surrey
Will satisfy your needs,
Dancing between the beads!
Everybody, shake your torso,
Sexy but more so!
Shake it, come on, let's go,
Let's do the only dance I know!




(Transcribed by Peter Akers - February 2018)