Oom-Pah-Pah
Oliver 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 song "Oom-Pah-Pah" from Oliver! 2009 London Cast is performed by a character named Nancy who starts by mocking the audience for their lack of culture and then launches into the old school song with the help of the rest of the company. The song seems to be about the people of the city who enjoy a good drink and a good time. The lyrics mention various characters, such as Mister Percy Snodgrass, who indulges in a secret drink and dreams of being an Earl with a girl on each knee, and Pretty Little Sally, who reveals her ankles to men and gets paid for it. The lyrics then talk about a girl who was from the country and got led along by a feller and is now glad to bring in the coin and sing along to the song.


All throughout the song, the refrain is "Oom-Pah-Pah" which is a reference to the musical style of oompah which is characterized by a repetitive bass and chords. The song aims to be a fun and lively tune that the audience can sing along to and enjoy, and to evoke the essence of the characters in the story of Oliver Twist.


Line by Line Meaning

There's a little ditty
There's a little song


They're singing in the city
People are singing it in the city


Espeshly when they've been
Especially when they have been


On the gin
Drinking gin


Or the beer
Or drinking beer


If you've got the patience,
If you have the patience,


Your own imaginations
Your own imagination


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


Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
The song goes Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!


That's how it goes,
That's the way it goes,


Ev'ryone knows.
Everyone knows.


They all suppose what they want to suppose
They all assume what they want to assume


When they hear...oom-pah-pah!!
When they hear the song Oom-pah-pah!!


Mister Percy Snodgrass
A man named Mister Percy Snodgrass


Would often have the odd glass --
Would often have a drink --


But never when he thought anybody could see.
But never when he thought anyone could see him.


Secretly he'd buy it,
Secretly he would buy it,


And drink it on the quiet,
And drink it privately,


And dream he was an Earl
And dream he was a nobleman


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


What is the cause of his red shiny nose?
Why is his nose red and shiny?


Could it be...oom-pah-pah!?
Could it be the song Oom-pah-pah!?


Pretty little Sally
A pretty girl named Sally


Goes walking down the alley,
Walks down the alley,


Displays her pretty ankles to all of the men.
Shows her pretty ankles to all the men.


They could see her garters,
They could see her garters,


But not for free-and-gratis--
But not for free --


An inch or two, and then she knows
Just enough to entice and then she stops


When to say when!
When to stop!


Whether it's hidden, or whether it shows --
Whether it's hidden or visible --


It's the same...oom-pah-pah!
It always stays the same... Oom-pah-pah!


She was from the country,
She used to live in the country,


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 feed her and lead her astray


What's the good o' cryin'?
What's the use of crying?


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


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


And join in this song!
And sing along!


She is no longer the same blushing rose
She is not the same innocent girl anymore


Ever since ... oom-pah-pah!
Ever since she heard... Oom-pah-pah!




Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

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