Help this caballero find his birthright...
October 29, 2008 7:15 AM Subscribe
DetectiveFilter - Help me track down a ridiculous song that has been passed down to me by my father.
My dad was a bit of a sailor and he used to play this song on the guitar during parties (or when he thought I wasn't listening as a kid). You see, this song is a bit racy, and when I was older and playing guitar, I asked him to send me the lyrics. He finally obliged and now I've been playing it ever since to get a laugh at social gatherings.
The song is in limerick form with a repeating line at the end of each rhyme, building to the final pun at the end. I'm sure I'm missing MANY verses and the words have probably changed over time. Now, I can't find any record of it anywhere, and I'm sure he probably heard this song on a ship. It is sung like a Johnny Cash song with a slow beat. Here goes:
There once was a bold caballero
who hailed from Rio de Janeiro
And his lum bum ba dee
hung down to his knee
with one of his lum bum dieros
He met a pretty senorita
oh, what a pretty senorita
And he said won't you see
My lum bum ba dee
and one of my lum bum dieros
She said I think I had naughta
You see my father's a preacha
But, for a quarter I'll see
Your lum bum ba dee
and one of your lum bum dieros
He whipped out a bright shiny quarter
Oh, what a bright shiny quarter
And she stripped to her knees
Grabbed his lum bum ba dee
and one of his lum bum dieros
The next day he went to the medico
They said that he had the Patigo
and it festered the end
of his lum bum ba dee
and one of his lum bum dieros
So he took out a nice sharp stiletto
Oh, what a nice sharp stiletto
and he lopped of the end
of his lum bum ba dee
and one of his lum bum dieros
[Sung slowwllyyy for effect]
Now each night as he lay on his pillow
and he reaches down to play with his willow
Now all that is their
Is a handful of hair
And one of his lum bum dieros
My dad was a bit of a sailor and he used to play this song on the guitar during parties (or when he thought I wasn't listening as a kid). You see, this song is a bit racy, and when I was older and playing guitar, I asked him to send me the lyrics. He finally obliged and now I've been playing it ever since to get a laugh at social gatherings.
The song is in limerick form with a repeating line at the end of each rhyme, building to the final pun at the end. I'm sure I'm missing MANY verses and the words have probably changed over time. Now, I can't find any record of it anywhere, and I'm sure he probably heard this song on a ship. It is sung like a Johnny Cash song with a slow beat. Here goes:
There once was a bold caballero
who hailed from Rio de Janeiro
And his lum bum ba dee
hung down to his knee
with one of his lum bum dieros
He met a pretty senorita
oh, what a pretty senorita
And he said won't you see
My lum bum ba dee
and one of my lum bum dieros
She said I think I had naughta
You see my father's a preacha
But, for a quarter I'll see
Your lum bum ba dee
and one of your lum bum dieros
He whipped out a bright shiny quarter
Oh, what a bright shiny quarter
And she stripped to her knees
Grabbed his lum bum ba dee
and one of his lum bum dieros
The next day he went to the medico
They said that he had the Patigo
and it festered the end
of his lum bum ba dee
and one of his lum bum dieros
So he took out a nice sharp stiletto
Oh, what a nice sharp stiletto
and he lopped of the end
of his lum bum ba dee
and one of his lum bum dieros
[Sung slowwllyyy for effect]
Now each night as he lay on his pillow
and he reaches down to play with his willow
Now all that is their
Is a handful of hair
And one of his lum bum dieros
Found it (listed in this thread at that same site). It's the "Gay Caballero":
gay caballero
posted by LobsterMitten at 4:13 PM on October 29, 2008
gay caballero
posted by LobsterMitten at 4:13 PM on October 29, 2008
Suggestion here that "Gay Caballero" was written by old-time radio guy Frank Crumit; this probably refers to a cleaner version?
posted by LobsterMitten at 4:18 PM on October 29, 2008
posted by LobsterMitten at 4:18 PM on October 29, 2008
Best answer: cleaner lyrics to Gay Caballero
more clean lyrics to Gay Caballero
dirty version of Gay Caballero from "The Dirty Song Book" compiled by Jerry Silverman - this link has more history of the song. They say it was known in dirty versions as early as WWI, and was cleaned up and made official by Crumit later. Link says that Ed Cray has more versions in "The Erotic Muse".
one dirty version of Gay Caballero from Ed Cray
posted by LobsterMitten at 4:28 PM on October 29, 2008
more clean lyrics to Gay Caballero
dirty version of Gay Caballero from "The Dirty Song Book" compiled by Jerry Silverman - this link has more history of the song. They say it was known in dirty versions as early as WWI, and was cleaned up and made official by Crumit later. Link says that Ed Cray has more versions in "The Erotic Muse".
one dirty version of Gay Caballero from Ed Cray
posted by LobsterMitten at 4:28 PM on October 29, 2008
Response by poster: Unbelievable. Simply unbelievably. I can't believe you found it after all these years. Obviously the words are different than what I'd heard... LobsterMitten, I take my hat off to thee.
Thanks again!
posted by namewithhe1d at 7:57 PM on October 29, 2008
Thanks again!
posted by namewithhe1d at 7:57 PM on October 29, 2008
Cheers! It was very fun to look for, and I've been humming it all day.
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:36 PM on October 30, 2008
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:36 PM on October 30, 2008
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posted by LobsterMitten at 4:09 PM on October 29, 2008