THE SKELETON IN THE CLOSET
From the film "Pennies From Heaven" (1936)
Johnny Burke / Arthur Johnston)

Louis Armstrong with Jimmy Dorsey & His Orch. - 1936

Also recorded by : Bob Barnard; Putney Dandridge; 
Nat Gonella; Grand Dominion Jazz Band; Marty Grosz; 
Bent Persson; Jimmy Rowles; Artie Shaw.


(Spoken)
Boy, don't you go in there
Come outa there, boy
Don't you know that house is haunted

(Sung)
There's an old deserted mansion
On an old forgotten road
Where the better ghosts and goblins
Always hang out.
One night they threw a party
In a manner à la mode
And they cordially invited
All the gang out
At a dark bewitchin' hour
When the fun was loud and hearty
A notorious wall flower
Became the life of the party
Mmm! The spooks were havin' their midnight fling
The merry makin' was in full swing
They shrieked themselves into a cheerful trance
When the skeleton in the closet started to dance
Now a goblin giggled with fiendish glee
A shout rang out from a big banshee
Amazement was in every ghostly glance
When the skeleton in the closet started to dance
All the witches were in stitches
While his steps made rhythmic thumps
And they nearly dropped their broomsticks
When he tried to do the bumps
You never heard such unearthly laughter
Such hilarious groans
When the skeleton in the closet rattled his bones


(Transcribed by Bill Huntley - February 2005)