Alexander's Ragtime Band
Jolson Al & Crosby Bing Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Come on and hear, come on and hear Alexander's Ragtime Band
Come on and hear, come on and hear 'bout the best band in the land
They can play a bugle call like you never heard before
So natural that you want to go to war

That's just the bestest band what am, oh honey lamb
Come on along, come on along, let me take you by the hand
Up to the man, up to the man who's the leader of the band
And if you care to hear the Swanee River played in ragtime
Come on and hear, come on and hear Alexander's Ragtime Band

Come on and hear, come on and hear Alexander's Ragtime Band
Come on and hear, come on and hear it's the best band in the land
They can play a bugle call like you never heard before

That's just the bestest band what am, oh honey lamb
Come on along, come on along, let me take you by the hand
Up to the man, I'm talking about the man, the leader of the band
And if you care to hear the Swanee River played in ragtime




Come on and hear, come on and hear Alexander's Ragtime Band
Alexander's Ragtime Band

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Alexander's Ragtime Band" by Jolson Al & Crosby Bing speak to the power of music to bring people together, to move them emotionally and to stir them towards action. The song is an invitation to the listener to come and hear the best band in the land, Alexander's Ragtime Band, who are able to play a bugle call in such a natural way that it inspires a desire to go to war. The repeated line "That's just the bestest band what am, oh honey lamb" reinforces the idea that this band is uniquely special and worth experiencing.


Line by Line Meaning

Come on and hear, come on and hear Alexander's Ragtime Band
Join us and listen to Alexander's Ragtime Band


Come on and hear, come on and hear 'bout the best band in the land
Discover the top brass band around


They can play a bugle call like you never heard before
They produce a unique bugle sound unlike any other


So natural that you want to go to war
So powerful that it makes you feel like fighting for your country


That's just the bestest band what am, oh honey lamb
It’s the finest band ever created, my dearest love


Come on along, come on along, let me take you by the hand
Take my hand and let me show you who they are


Up to the man, up to the man who's the leader of the band
Introducing the mastermind behind this band


And if you care to hear the Swanee River played in ragtime
If you're interested in hearing a classic tune, Swanee River, played with ragtime rhythm


Come on and hear, come on and hear Alexander's Ragtime Band
Come and indulge in Alexander's Ragtime Band


Come on and hear, come on and hear it's the best band in the land
Come along and listen, it really is the greatest band available


That's just the bestest band what am, oh honey lamb
It’s the finest band ever created, my dearest love


Come on along, come on along, let me take you by the hand
Take my hand and let me show you who they are


Up to the man, I'm talking about the man, the leader of the band
Introducing the mastermind behind this band


And if you care to hear the Swanee River played in ragtime
If you're interested in hearing a classic tune, Swanee River, played with ragtime rhythm


Come on and hear, come on and hear Alexander's Ragtime Band
Join us and listen to Alexander's Ragtime Band


Alexander's Ragtime Band
Alexander's Ragtime Band is the name of the band




Lyrics © IMAGEM U.S. LLC
Written by: F. KARLIN, I. BERLIN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@NutmegRose

My grandmothers favorite song! Born 1911. Missing her today, ❤

@losodio1

I hear this with my grandfather. Thanks a lot!

@oliviabernasorhandle45678

i like this music ragtime band bing crosby and al jolson alexanders singers.

@walkwithshelley3827

I love Bing Crosby, thx for uploading.

@davidtodora6173

Incredible orchestra on this Irving Berlin popular song. I love it when Al Jolson says Bestes of them all

@davidtodora6173

He always said “You Dog”. And call the conductor or other person in charge “Professor”.

@jcoats150

Yeah man!😄

@liamjones5883

I used to sing this with my grandad

@bababui69foru

Thanks Fallout 4 radio mod Mix 96 for introducing me to this song. I didnt know it was Jolson doing blackface so that tempers my enjoyment of the song.

@BataviaDispereertNiet

He did blackface to support the black perfomanceres because they werent allowed to perform on stage in a lot of places

More Comments

More Versions