Frenchman, The; or Tra la la Bong!

The Frenchman
Sung by Miss Jenny Engel
 
When first I came here from Parree
I did go to Union Square,
Took an Apartment nice, oh very,
Up on top of all the stairs
In the next room was a lady
On the piano she would play
Music charming, oh, so very!
And she sang too all the day.
 
Tral La La La! Tral La La La!
Tral La La La! Tral La La La!
Bong, Bong, Bong, Bong!
She would sing Tral La La La! Bong!
 
One day I said “Bonjour Madame”
Madame said to me “Good day”
Then I asked for her permission,
“Will she let me see her play?”
She says “Come,” I sat beside her
My heart beat like anything;
My head danced with love and music
Every time she went for to sing.
 
She played so grande! She played so softly
That I felt as I could cry
Then I caught her lovely hand and said
“Madame, love me, or I shall die”
While I kissed her little finger
While I knelt upon the floor;
While I swore my passion tender
Some man walked in the door.
 
Spoken: Ten thousand tons of [thunder?]! He was from England, he said “Ha! You’re one of them Frenchman, what [shall?] you want here?” I say “Pardonnez, mon ami, I only came here to see the Madame play”.. chorus
 
Then he scratched my head all over
Then he came and blow my nose
Then he turned me upside down, Sacre!
Then he caught me by my [clothes?]
While I ask him: Give me pardon!
He shook me so, so and he swears
Then he took me by my collar,
And dropped me down the stairs.
 
Spoken: He dropped me over the banister, and I go bumperzey, bumperzey, bumperzey - all the way to the bottom. Oh, my poor head! and Oh! my poor tail! But I swear revenge at him: I say “He shall die!” Then he looked out [of the window], put his nose to his thumb, stuck out his fingers and he sang .. chorus

A song written by GW Hunt which survived in the repertoire of at least one traditional singer in the 1950s when Francis Collinson transcribed the words from the singing of Mrs M Phillips.

It was sung in the Halls by Henri Clark, who was advertising it as part of his repertoire as early as 1871:

I was able to find the words in Billy Andrew’s Comic Songster, published in New York in 1873 , and suggesting that the song was in Jennie Engel’s repertoire . So the song was clearly being sung on both sides of the Atlantic before it was published as sheet music. The words as published make it clear that it was expected to be performed in extremely stylised comic French, to such an extent that it’s hard unpick exactly what is being said or sung. I have chosen to convert it into (I hope) more readable form.