Lydia The Tattooed Lady
E.Y. "Yip" Harburg/Harold Arlen Lyrics

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Lydia, oh! Lydia, say have you met Lydia
Oh! 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 the waves
The Red, White and Blue
You can learn a lot from Lydia

She can give you a view of the world
In tattoo if you step up and tell her where
For a dime you can see Kankakee or Paree
Or Washington crossing the Delaware

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 champ of them all

For two bits she will do a Mazurka in Jazz
With a view of Niag'ra that no artist 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
And Godiva, but with her pajamas on
La la la La la la La la la La la la

Here is Grover Whalen unveilin' the Trylon
Over on the west coast we have Treasure Islan'
Here's Nijinsky a doin' the Rhumba
Here's her Social Security numba
La la la La la la La la la La la la

Lydia, oh! Lydia, say have you met Lydia
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

Overall Meaning

The song Lydia The Tattooed Lady, written by E.Y. "Yip" Harburg and Harold Arlen and famously performed by the likes of Groucho Marx and Kermit the Frog, tells the story of Lydia, an exotic woman covered in tattoos. The first verse describes her physical attributes, with her stunning eyes and even more impressive torso. The chorus chants her praises as the Queen of tattoos, calling her a walking Encyclopedia. The second verse is a bit more quirky, suggesting that for a dime, Lydia can give you a view of the world in tattoo form. From Kankakee to Paree, or even Washington crossing the Delaware, Lydia has you covered.

The third verse delves even deeper into Lydia's talents, with her muscles causing Andrew Jackson himself to climb up a hill. She's a champ, and for two bits, she'll perform a Mazurka in Jazz and give you a view of Niagara that no artist has. The song's bridge takes us on a tour of famous people and places, from Buffalo Bill and Mendel Picasso to Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon and Godiva wearing pajamas. The final verse hones in on Lydia's most impressive feat, causing an Admiral to fall in love with her and putting him in command of the fleet thanks to the ships on her hips.

Line by Line Meaning

Lydia, oh! Lydia, say have you met Lydia
Introduction to Lydia, asking if anyone has met her

Oh! Lydia, the tattooed lady
Describing Lydia as a woman covered in tattoos

She has eyes that folks adore so
Lydia has beautiful eyes

And a torso even more so
Her body is even more alluring

Lydia, oh! Lydia, that "Encyclopedia"
Lydia is knowledgeable about many things

Oh! Lydia, the Queen of tattoo
Lydia is the top tattooed lady

On her back is the Battle of Waterloo
Lydia has a tattoo of the Battle of Waterloo on her back

Beside it the Wreck of the Hesperus too
She also has a tattoo of the Wreck of the Hesperus nearby

And proudly above the waves
Her tattoos show the flag of her country

The Red, White and Blue
The flag is the colors of the United States of America

You can learn a lot from Lydia
She has a lot to teach people

She can give you a view of the world
Her tattoos represent different places in the world

In tattoo if you step up and tell her where
Lydia can tell you about a place if you point to it on her tattoos

For a dime you can see Kankakee or Paree
For a small fee, she can show you tattoos of Kankakee or Paris

Or Washington crossing the Delaware
She has a tattoo of George Washington crossing the Delaware River

When her muscles start relaxin'
When she's relaxed

Up the hill comes Andrew Jackson
She has a tattoo of Andrew Jackson riding a horse up a hill

Oh! Lydia, the champ of them all
Lydia is the greatest tattooed lady of all

For two bits she will do a Mazurka in Jazz
For a slightly higher fee, she will perform a dance

With a view of Niag'ra that no artist has
As she dances, you can see a tattooed Niagara Falls that is unique

And on a clear day you can see Alcatraz
If the weather is good, you can see a tattooed Alcatraz prison

Come along and see Buff'lo Bill with his lasso
Lydia has a tattoo of Buffalo Bill with a lasso

Just a little classic by Mendel Picasso
She has a tattoo of a painting by Mendel Picasso

Here is Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon
A tattoo of Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon Jungle

And Godiva, but with her pajamas on
Lydia has a tattoo of Lady Godiva, but with pajamas on instead of being naked on a horse

Here is Grover Whalen unveilin' the Trylon
Her tattoos include the Trylon, a feature of the 1939 World's Fair and Grover Whalen, its organizer

Over on the west coast we have Treasure Islan'
She also has a tattoo of Treasure Island in San Francisco

Here's Nijinsky a doin' the Rhumba
There's a tattoo of Njinsky, a famous dancer, doing the rhumba

Here's her Social Security numba
Lydia's tattoo includes her Social Security number

She once swept an Admiral clear off his feet
Lydia's beauty and tattoos made an admiral fall for her

The ships on her hips made his heart skip a beat
Specifically, her tattoos of ships on her hips caught his eye

And now the old boy's in command of the fleet
He is now in charge of the navy

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GEORGE FENTON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

yohan

46w

Oh Lydia, oh, Lydia, say have you met Lydia
Oh, 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 the 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
She can give you a view of the world
In tattoo if you step up and tell her where
For a dime you can see Kankakee or Paree
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 champ of them all
For two bits she will do a Mazurka in Jazz
With a view of Niagara that no artist 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 Buffalo Bill with his lasso
Just a little classic by Mendel Picasso
Here is Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon
And Godiva, but with her pajamas on
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 she stands, her laps go littler
When she sits, she sits on Hitler
Lydia, oh, Lydia, that encyclopedia
Oh, Lydia, the queen 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)
I say Lydia (we said Lydia)
La la