Crankin' It Up

Palesteena is a happy Fox-Trot from 1920 that is fun to dance to. If you hear it sung, you would call it a novelty song, with lyrics that are humorous, even by modern standards.

In the Bronx of New York City
Lived a girl, she's not so pretty
Lena is her name.
Such a clever girl is Lena
How she played her concertina
Really, it's a shame.
She's such a good musician
She got a swell position
To go across the sea and entertain.
And so they shipped poor Lena
Way out to Palesteena
From what I hear now, she don't look the same.

They say that Lena is the Queen o' Palesteena
Just because she plays the concertina.
She only knows one song,
She plays it all day long
Sometimes she plays it wrong,
But how they love it
Want more of it
I heard her play once or twice.
Oh! Murder! Still, it was nice.
All the girls, there dress like Lena
Some wear oatmeal, some Farina
Down old Palesteena way.

Lena's girlfriend Arabella
Let her meet an Arab fella
That she thought was grand.
On a camel's back a-swaying
You could hear Miss Lena playing
O'er the desert sand.
She didn't play such new ones
All she knew were blue ones
And Yusef sat and listened by his tent
And as he tried to kiss her
You heard that Arab whisper,
"Oh Lena, please play your instrument!"

Frank Crumit was one singer who recorded this song, and I would love to share it with you, but I don't have an original copy. It was published in a four CD set titled 'The Roaring Twenties' by Intersound (www.intersoundmusic.com) in 1998, so you can probably find a copy if you look for it.