Who Paid the Rent for Mrs. Rip Van Winkle?
Al Jolson & Bing Crosby Lyrics


Oh, oh, many years ago
Lived the wife of happy Rip Van Winkle
Oh, oh, she sent him away
As the little stars began to twinkle
All that he had he had under his hat
She was glad to see him go
So over the hills he went
Left her without a cent
One thing I'm anxious to know
Who paid the rent for Mrs. Rip Van Winkle
When Rip Van Winkle went away?
And though he slept for twenty years
Who was it kissed away her tears?

She had no friends in the place
No one to embrace
But the landlord always left her with a smile on his face
Oh, who paid the rent for Mrs. Rip Van Winkle
When Rip Van Winkle went away?

C'mon, tell me!

Who paid the rent for Mrs. Rip Van Winkle
When Rip Van Winkle went away?
And though he slept for twenty years
Who was it kissed away her tears?

She never married again
She was lonesome but then
You'll always find a rooster
Lookin' round for a hen

Who paid the rent for Mrs. Rip Van Winkle
When Rip Van Winkle went away?


Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.



Written by: ALFRED BRYAN, FRED FISHER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@tracybondbird9556

Joe Pera has the sheet music!

@ronspin

Hey, I just stumbled upon the original version by Billy Watkins (1914) in an old stack of 78's. Of course I'd never heard of it. what a surprise to see an Al Jolson video and hear the Bing and Al version. As we used to say, " It's a gas!."

@CarlDuke

Nice zong, dats Dutch. Really liked this one from Mammy, with the slight change.

@jonjamg

@ronspin Would really like to hear that version!

@Teentimetv

Notice how they cleaned it up for network radio? The real line is "But the landlord always left her with a smile on his face." Bing and Al sanitized it for a family audience by changing one word: "But the landlord always SAW her with a smile on her face." Kind of ruins the joke, but makes it less obvious and open to interpretation.

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