Lydia the Tattooed Lady – song lyrics

Lydia the Tattooed Lady, sung by Groucho Marx in At the Circus
Lydia the Tattooed Lady, sung by Groucho Marx in At the Circus

Lyrics to Lydia the Tattooed Lady sung by Groucho Marx  in the Marx Brothers movie At the Circus

Interestingly, Lydia the Tattooed Lady was the favorite song of Jim Henson and was sung on the very first episode of The Muppet Show.  In addition, it was sung by muppet performers at his funeral.

My life was wrapped around the circus.
Her name was Lydia.
I met her at the world’s fair in 1900,
marked down from 1940.

Lydia the Tattooed Lady, sung by Groucho Marx in At the Circus

Ah, Lydia.
She was the most glorious creature
Under the su-un.
Guiess. DuBarry. Garbo.
Rolled into one.
Oooooooh
Lydia oh Lydia, say have you met Lydia,
Lydia, the Tattooed Lady.
She has eyes that folks adore so,
And a torso even more so.
Lydia oh Lydia, that encyclopedia,
Oh Lydia the Queen of Tattoo.
On her back is the Battle of Waterloo.
Beside it the wreck of the Hesperus, too.
And proudly above waves the Red, White, and Blue,
You can learn a lot from Lydia.
La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la

When her robe is unfurled, she will show you the world,
If you step up and tell her where.
For a dime you can see Kankakee or Paris,
Or Washington crossing the Delaware.
La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la

Oh Lydia oh Lydia, say have you met Lydia,
Oh Lydia the Tattooed Lady
When her muscles start relaxin’,
Up the hill comes Andrew Jackson
Lydia oh Lydia, that encyclopedia,
oh Lydia the queen of them all!

For two bits she will do a mazurka in jazz,
With a view of Niagara that nobody has.
And on a clear day you can see Alcatraz.
You can learn a lot from Lydia.
La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la

Come along and see Buff’lo Bill with his lasso.
Just a little classic by Mendel Picasso.
Here is  Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon.
Here’s Godiva but with her pajamas on.
La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la

Here is Grover Whalen unveilin’ the Trilon.
Over on the West Coast we have Treasure Island.
Here’s Nijinsky a-doin’  the rhumba.
Here’s her social security numba.
[whistles] La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la

Oh Lydia, oh Lydia that encyclopedia,
Oh Lydia the champ of them all.
She once swept an Admiral clear off his feet.
The ships on her hips made his heart skip a beat.
And now the old boy’s in command of the fleet,
For he went and married Lydia.

I said Lydia
[He said Lydia]
They said Lydia
[We said Lydia]
La La!

About tom.raymond 1562 Articles
Professional clown for over 25 years - happily married, with 5 children and 1 grandson