ABDUL ABULBUL AMIR
(Original Title: Abdulla Bulbul Ameer)
(Percy French - 1877)

Frank Crumit - 1928
Ben Pollack & His Orch. - 1935
George Melly - 1959

Also recorded by: The Sons of the Pioneers;
Brendan O'Dowda; Charlie King; Bert Parks.



The sons of the Prophet are brave men and bold
And quite unaccustomed to fear
But the bravest by far in the ranks of the Shah
Was Abdul Abulbul Amir

If you wanted a man to encourage the van
Or harass the foe from the rear
Storm fort or redoubt, you had only to shout
For Abdul Abulbul Amir

Now the heroes were plenty and well known to fame
In the troops that were led by the Czar
And the bravest of these was a man by the name
Of Ivan Skavinsky Skavar

One day this bold Russian, he shouldered his gun
And donned his most truculent sneer
Downtown he did go where he trod on the toe
Of Abdul Abulbul Amir

"Young man," quoth Abdul, "Has life grown so dull
That you wish to end your career?
Vile infidel know, you have trod on the toe
Of Abdul Abulbul Amir"

"So take your last look at the sunshine and brook
And send your regrets to the Czar
For by this I imply, you are going to die
Count Ivan Skavinsky Skavar"

"My friend, your remarks in the end
Will avail you but little, I fear
For you ne'er will survive to repeat them alive
Mister Abdul Abulbul Amir"

Then this bold Mameluke drew his trusty skibouk
Singing, "Allah! Il Allah! Al-lah!"
And with murderous intent he ferociously went
For Ivan Skavinsky Skavar

They parried and thrust, they side-stepped and cussed
Of blood they spilled a great part
The philologist blokes, who seldom crack jokes
Say that hash was first made on the spot

They fought all that night neath the pale yellow moon
The din, it was heard from afar
And huge multitudes came, so great was the fame
Of Abdul and Ivan Skavar

As Abdul's long knife was extracting the life
In fact he was shouting, "Huzzah!"
He felt himself struck by that wily Calmuck
Count Ivan Skavinsky Skavar

The Sultan drove by in his red-breasted fly
Expecting the victor to cheer
But he only drew nigh to hear the last sigh
Of Abdul Abulbul Amir

Czar Petrovich, too, in his spectacles blue
Sauntered up in his gold-plated car
And arrived just in time to exchange a last line
With Ivan Skavinsky Skavar

There's a tomb rises up where the Blue Danube rolls
And engraved there in characters clear
Is, "Stranger, when passing, oh pray for the soul
Of Abdul Abulbul Amir"

A splash in the Black Sea one dark moonless night
Caused ripples to spread wide and far
It was made by a sack fitting close to the back
Of Ivan Skavinsky Skavar

A Muscovite maiden her lone vigil keeps
Neath the light of the cold northern star
And the name that she murmurs in vain as she weeps
Is Ivan Skavinsky Skavar


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ALTERNATE VERSION:


THE BALLAD OF IVAN PETROFSKY SKEVAR


The sons of the Prophet are valiant and bold
And wholly impervious to fear
But the bravest of all was a man by the name
Of Abdulla Bulbul Ameer

If you wanted a man to encourage the van
Or harass the foe from the rear
Or to storm a redoubt, you had only to shout
For Abdulla Bulbul Ameer

This son of the desert in batle aroused
Could spit twenty men on his spear
A terrible creature, sober or soused
Was Abdulla Bulbul Ameer

There are brave men in plenty, and well known to fame
In the army that's run by the Czar
But the bravest of all was a man by the name
Of Ivan Petrofsky Skevar

He cuold imitate Irving, tell fortunes by cards
And play on the Spanish guitar
In fact quite the cream of the Muscovite team
Was Ivan Petrofsky Skevar

The ladies all loved him, his rivals were few
He could drink them all under the bar
As gallant or tank there was no one to rank
With Ivan Petrofsky Skevar

One day that bold Russian, he shouldered his gun
And with his most cynical sneer
Was going down town, when he came right upon
Brave Abdulla Bulbul Ameer

"Young man," said Bulbul, "Is existence so dull
That you hanker to end your career?
For infidel know, you have trod on the toe
Of Abdulla Bulbul Ameer"

"So take your last look upon sky, sea, brook
And send your regrets to the Czar
For by this I imply, you are going to die
Oh, you Ivan Petrofsky Skevar"

"But your murderous threats are to me but a joke
For my pleasure and pastime is war
And I'll tread on your toes whene'er I may choose"
Quoth Ivan Petrofsky Skevar

Then that brave Mameluke drew his trusty chabook
Singing, "Allah! Il Allah! Akhbar!"
And with murder intent he ferociously went
At Ivan Petrofsky Skevar

But the Russian gave back not a step at the attack
For Ivan had never known fear
And with quickly aimed gun, put a stop to the fun
Of Abdulla Bulbul Ameer

Yet the whistling chabook did like lightning descend
And caught Ivan right over the ear
But the bayonet of Ivan pressed right through the heart
Of Abdulla Bulbul Ameer

The Russian commander spurred thither in haste
To seek for his favourite Hussar
Lo, pierced through the snoot from the fatal chabook
Lay Ivan Petrofsky Skevar

The Sultan rode up the disturbance to quell
Or to give to the victor a cheer
But he arrived just in time to take hasty farewell
Of Abdulla Bulbul Ameer

Then Gotchikoff, Skabeloff, Menchikoff too
Drove up in the Emperor's car
But only in time to bid rapid adieu
To Ivan Petrofsky Skevar

There lieth a stone where the Danube doth roll
And on it in characters clear
Is, "Stranger, remember to pray for the soul
Of Abdulla Bulbul Ameer"

A Muscovite maiden, her sad vigil keeps
In her home by the cold northern star
And the name that she murmurs so oft in her sleep
Is Ivan Petrofsky Skevar


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TRIVIA:
"Abdul Abulbul Amir" was a musical monologue written in 1877 by Percy
French for a concert at Trinity College, Dublin. Frank Crumit, who
was famous for his renditions of it, wrote three sequels: "The Return
of Abdul Abulbul Amir", "The Grandson Of Abdul Abulbul Amir",
and "Minnie Skavinsky Skavar".