Oom-Pah-Pah
[Cast] Lyrics


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CHAIRMAN
(spoken) Ladies and gentlemen, brethren and sinners all! I call upon our Goddess of the Virtues to give us her well known rendition of the old school song -- Oom-Pah-Pah!
NANCY
(spoken) All right, shut up, you lot! A bit of culture now! 'Ere we go...
(sung) There's a little ditty
They're singing in the city
Espeshly when they've been
On the gin
Or the beer
If you've got the patience,
Your own imaginations
Will tell you just exactly what you want to hear...
ALL
Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
That's how it goes,
Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
Ev'ryone knows.
NANCY
They all suppose what they want to suppose
When they hear...oom-pah-pah!!
Mister Percy Snodgrass
Would often have the odd glass --
But never when he thought anybody could see.
Secretly he'd buy it,
And drink it on the quiet,
And dream he was an Earl
Wiv a girl on each knee!
CUSTOMERS AND NANCY
Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
That's how it goes.
Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
Ev'ryone knows...
NANCY
What is the cause of his red shiny nose?
Could it be...oom-pah-pah!?
Pretty little Sally
Goes walking down the alley,
Displays her pretty ankles to all of the men.
They could see her garters,
But not for free-and-gratis--
An inch or two, and then she knows
When to say when!
ALL
Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
That's how it goes.
Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
Ev'ryone knows...
NANCY
Whether it's hidden, or whether it shows --
It's the same...oom-pah-pah!
She was from the country,
But now she's up a gum-tree --
She let a feller feed 'er, then lead 'er along
What's the good o' cryin'?
She's made a bed to lie in
She's glad to bring the coin in,
And join in this song!
ALL
Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
That's how it goes!
Oom-pah-pah!Oom-pah-pah!
Ev'ryone knows.
NANCY
She is no longer the same blushing rose
Ever since ... oom-pah-pah!
(spoken) Altogether now!
NANCY
(sung) There's a little ditty
They're singing in the city
Espeshly when they've been
On the gin
Or the beer
If you've got the patience,
Your own imaginations
Will tell you just exactly what you want to hear...
COMPANY
Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
That's how it goes,
Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
Ev'ryone knows.
They all suppose what they want to suppose
When they hear...oom-pah-pah!!
ALL
Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
That's how it goes,
Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
Ev'ryone knows.
NANCY
They all suppose what they want to suppose
When they hear...oom-pah-pah!!




ALL
Oom-pah-pah!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Cast's song Oom-Pah-Pah tell the story of various characters in the city, connected by the tune of the well-known ditty. The song starts with Nancy, the Goddess of the Virtues, introducing the song and its catchy melody. The chorus of the song repeats the sound of the tune, "Oom-Pah-Pah," and declares that everyone knows it. The verses then introduce different characters and their stories, such as Mister Percy Snodgrass, who hides his drinking habits from others, and pretty little Sally, who walks down the alley showing off her ankles. The lyrics suggest that people use the tune of Oom-Pah-Pah to make assumptions about these characters and their lives, whether or not they are accurate.


The song draws its inspiration from the music hall traditions of 19th century England, and it became even more popular in the 1960s with the musical "Oliver!" based on Charles Dickens' novel "Oliver Twist." Cast's version of the song features a mix of spoken and sung sections, and the lively rhythm and humorous lyrics make it a fun and memorable tune.


Line by Line Meaning

There's a little ditty
The following lines describe a certain type of song


They're singing in the city
This song is popular among city dwellers


Espeshly when they've been
The song is especially popular when people have been


On the gin
drinking gin


Or the beer
drinking beer


If you've got the patience,
If you have the patience to listen to the song


Your own imaginations
Your own imagination will supply the details


Will tell you just exactly what you want to hear...
You will hear what you want to hear


Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
This is the chorus of the song


That's how it goes,
That's how the song is sung


Ev'ryone knows.
Everyone knows this song


They all suppose what they want to suppose
People interpret the song however they want


When they hear...oom-pah-pah!!
Whenever they hear the chorus


Mister Percy Snodgrass
A man named Percy Snodgrass


Would often have the odd glass --
He would occasionally have a drink


But never when he thought anybody could see.
He only drank in secret


Secretly he'd buy it,
He would buy his drinks discreetly


And drink it on the quiet,
He would drink it secretly


And dream he was an Earl
He would imagine himself as an Earl


Wiv a girl on each knee!
With a girl on each knee


What is the cause of his red shiny nose?
Why does he have a red, shiny nose?


Could it be...oom-pah-pah!?
Is it because of the song?


Pretty little Sally
A woman named Sally


Goes walking down the alley,
She walks down the alley


Displays her pretty ankles to all of the men.
She shows off her pretty ankles to all the men


They could see her garters,
The men could see her garters


But not for free-and-gratis--
But they had to pay for the privilege


An inch or two, and then she knows
She knows just how much to show


When to say when!
She knows when to stop


Whether it's hidden, or whether it shows --
Whether it's concealed or revealed


It's the same...oom-pah-pah!
The same song is playing


She was from the country,
She was from the countryside


But now she's up a gum-tree --
But now she's in trouble


She let a feller feed 'er, then lead 'er along
She let a man seduce her


What's the good o' cryin'?
What's the use in crying about it?


She's made a bed to lie in
She's responsible for her own actions


She's glad to bring the coin in,
She's happy to earn money


And join in this song!
And sing along with everyone else


She is no longer the same blushing rose
She's not the innocent girl she once was


Ever since ... oom-pah-pah!
Since she started hearing this song


Altogether now!
Everyone sing together now


They all suppose what they want to suppose
People interpret the song however they want


When they hear...oom-pah-pah!!
Whenever they hear the chorus


Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
This is the chorus of the song


That's how it goes,
That's how the song is sung


Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
This is the chorus of the song


Ev'ryone knows.
Everyone knows this song


They all suppose what they want to suppose
People interpret the song however they want


When they hear...oom-pah-pah!!
Whenever they hear the chorus


Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
This is the chorus of the song


That's how it goes,
That's how the song is sung


Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
This is the chorus of the song


Ev'ryone knows.
Everyone knows this song


They all suppose what they want to suppose
People interpret the song however they want


When they hear...oom-pah-pah!!
Whenever they hear the chorus


Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
This is the chorus of the song




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@slashdisco

"Nancy, my dear," said Fagin in a soothing manner, "what do YOU say?"


"That it won't do; so it's no use a-trying it on, Fagin," replied Nancy.


"What do you mean by that?" said Mr. Sikes, looking up in a surly manner.


"What I say, Bill," replied the lady collectedly.


"Why, you're just the very person for it," reasoned Mr. Sikes: "nobody about here knows anything of you."


"And as I don't want 'em to, neither," replied Nancy in the same composed manner, "it's rather more no than yes with me, Bill."

"She'll go, Fagin," said Sikes.

"No, she won't, Fagin," said Nancy.

NO, SHE WON'T, FAGIN. 💅💄💋💕💕



All comments from YouTube:

@ianman15

To this day, I feel Shani Wallis should have won an Academy Award for her role as Nancy.

@emanuelardeleanu8748

Hear hear!!

@tobyprice2538

Hear hear!

@ysgol3

Yes, brilliant comment, absolutely !

@ICSAMMAN

Yes

@rayoflight6505

Agree it was a very layered performance. Georgia Brown wouldn't have done it better.

20 More Replies...

@queenmaoasada8447

This entire film is perfection. Perfect casting, perfect choreography, perfect direction.

@haintedhouse3052

Amen. They don't make em like this anymore.

@zilansahin5132

The only thing that i didnt like was Nancy died

@darkfandom8260

@@zilansahin5132 yh but it had to happen like in the book

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