My Brudda Sylvest

My Brudda Sylvest.
(from 1908 US Sheet Music)

Oh you heard about the great stong-a man,
Oh the great-a big-a John Sullivan,
And you heard about the Jeffries fight,
He's-a strong all right, he whip-a fifty men in one-a night,
But I got a brudda got the bunch-a beat,
Got a chest-a measure forty-sev'n-a feet, 
Got a peanut stand on Mulberry Street, he's-a tough-a man to beat.

My great big brudda Sylvest take a great-a big-a ship on the chest,
Kill-a fifty thousand Indians out West, he no take-a no rest,
He got a one strong grip
With-a one-a punch-a sink-a da ship,
Oh it takes a whole-a army to whip, my brudda Sylvest.

Up a town there was a fire a last week 
Police a man a call a fire engine quick 
Fire engine a make a root-tootle toot the fire out to put everybody tried nobody could 
Oh Sylvest a then he come along and shout 
I will show you just a how to go a boat 
Oh he swell his chest a big an a stout and he'd blow the fire out


[Extra verses by Fred Fischer]

Oh, my brudda work a on da steam boat,
Down the East River one a day he float,
Underneath the Brooklyn Bridge so tall,somebody
"Hey, look look da bridge he gone a
But Sylvest a say "Cheer up, nobody die"
And he push a push da bridge away up high,
And he hold him like forty horse,
And fifty thousand people walk across

Oh, Sylvest a engineer, the B & O.
Run a train from Baltimore to Buffalo,
When he see a baby on the track, he tried to check,
The engine he no can a push him
He get mad and grab a telegraph a pole,
Wreck da train and push a push. him in da hole,
Saved the little baby just the same,
But kill all the passengers on da train

Oh, my brudda he was in the Spanish War,
And he make a fight upon the Cuban Shore,
Oh, the bullets flattened on his head, the soldier said,
But nobody could kill Sylvest a dead,
Oh, he smash a Moro Castle with his fist,
With a one lick and never hurt his wrist,
Take a Spaniard throw him in the sea,
Drown four-hundred-twenty-three.

Oh, the Ring a ling a circus gave a show
Ev'rybody in the whole a town he go,
Oh the lion, big a one broke out,
Without a doubt, he'd kill a everybody in the crowd,
But Sylvest a say no make monkey biz
He just take the lion tail and swing like this
Then he put his hand right in his mouth,
And he turn him inside out.

Oh, Sylvest a throw bail three thousand feet,
He3's got a da great a Mike a Donlin beat,
If the giants say they need a help put them on the shelf,
Sylvest a play the league by himself,
Last a week the bat a slip a from the hand,
Smash the Umpire in the back, and beat the Band, .
Then he bounce a off a stone in the sand,
Break da whole a Grand a'Stand,

Oh, Sylvest a, down the mine he dig a coal,
And he make a one great a big a hole,
Hundred-thousand ton of coal he break, the earth he shake,
A hole from here to Italy he make,
When the boss he say, you go too far, Valjo,
Then Sylvest a say "I know just where go,"
Oh the bottom Of the mine it a fell,
And Sylvest a went to ......



Big Strong Man as sung by the Wolfe Tones

Have you heard about the big strong man?
That lives in a caravan.
Have you heard about the Jeffrey Johnson fight?
Oh, Lord what a hell of a fight.
You can take all of the heavyweights you've got.
We've got a lad that can beat the whole lot.
He used to ring bells in the belfry,
Now he's gonna fight Jack Demspey.

That was my brother Sylvest' (What's he got?)
A row of forty medals on his chest (big chest!)
He killed fifty bad men in the west; he knows no rest.
Think of a man, hells' fire, don't push, just shove,
Plenty of room for you and me.
He's got an arm like a leg (a ladies' leg!)
And a punch that would sink a battleship (big ship!)
It takes all of the Army and the Navy to put the wind up Sylvest'.

Now, he thought he'd take a trip to Italy.
He thought that he'd go by sea.
He jumped off the harbor in New York,
And swam like a man made of cork.
He saw the Lusitania in distress. (What he do?)
He put the Lusitania on his chest. (Big chest!)
He drank all of the water in the sea,
And he walked all the way to Italy.

That was my brother Sylvest' (What's he got?)
A row of forty medals on his chest (big chest!)
He killed fifty bad men in the west; he knows no rest.
Think of a man, hells' fire, don't push, just shove,
Plenty of room for you and me.
He's got an arm like a leg (a ladies' leg!)
And a punch that would sink a battleship (big ship!)
It takes all of the Army and the Navy to put the wind up Sylvest'.

He thought he take a trip to old Japan.
They turned out the whole brass band.
He played every instrument they got,
Like a lad sure he beat the whole lot.
And the old church bells will ring (Hells bells!)
The old church choir will sing (Hells fire!)
They all turned out to say farewell to my big brother Sylvest'.

That was my brother Sylvest' (What's he got?)
A row of forty medals on his chest (big chest!)
He killed fifty bad men in the west; he knows no rest.
Think of a man, hells' fire, don't push, just shove,
Plenty of room for you and me.
He's got an arm like a leg (a ladies' leg!)
And a punch that would sink a battleship (big ship!)
It takes all of the Army and the Navy to put the wind up Sylvest'.