NAPOLEON
(Harold Arlen (m) E Y "Yip" Harburg (l) )

as recorded by Blossom Dearie
(vocal & piano)
with orchestra conducted by Russell Garcia
February 1960


Napoleon's a pastry,
Bismark is a herring,
Alexander's a creme de cocoa mixed with rum,
And Herbie Hoover is a vacu-um!

Columbus is a Circle and a day off,
Pershing is a Square, what a payoff,
Julius Caesar is just a salad on a shelf,
So little brother, get wise to yourself!

Life's a bowl and it's
Full of cherry pits,
Play it big and it throws you for a loop.
That's the way with fate,
Comes today we're great,
Comes tomorrow we're tomato soup!

Napoleon's a pastry,
Get this under your brow,
What once used to be a rooster
Is just a duster now!

DuBarry is a lipstick,
Pompadour's a hairdo,
Good Queen Mary just floats along from pier to pier,
Venus de Milo's just a pink brassiere!

Sir Gladstone is a bag, ain't it shocking,
And the mighty Kaiser's just a stocking!
Czar of Russia is now a jar of caviar,
And Cleopatra is a black cigar!

Yes my honey lamb,
Swift is just a ham,
Lincoln's a tunnel, Coolidge is a dam!
Yes my noble lads,
Comes today we're fads,
Comes tomorrow we're subway ads!

Homer is a swo-ot,
Get this under your brow,
All these big wheel controversials are just commercials now,
Better get your jug of wine and loaf of bread before that final bow!




(Transcribed by Peter Akers - April 2017)