One by one we'll be adding the lyrics to songs from our upcoming album, Freeedom in a Box, to this blog. Gradually, we'll add entries including lesson plans, activity sheets, and more. Here's the album's opening track:Nellie Bly
words & music by Lloyd Miller;
arrangement by Chris Johnson, Ely Levin, Anand Mukherjee, and Lloyd Miller
Booker Dee - piano, vocals
Innocent Dee - acoustic guitar, vocals
Otto von Dee - drums, vocals
Ulysses S. Dee - upright bass, vocals
Brooklyn kids - vocals
As a publicity stunt for the New York World newspaper, fearless reporter Nellie Bly set off around the world with the goal of beating the ficitional record set in the book Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Vernes. She made the trip in 72 days and became the most famous woman in the world.
This is the latest of many songs about her. By the way, the original song "Nellie Bly," written by Stephen Foster, isn't about her, but it's where she got her pen name (her real name was Elizabeth Jane Cochran).
The drawing up and to the right features the Deedle Deedle Dees serenading Nellie Bly while she rides in a rickshaw. Nellie's look is based on a series of beautiful trading cards that were among the many Nellie Bly-themed products that were sold to capitalize on her fame.
LYRICS:
Nellie Bly... ...Nellie Bly!
Eighteen eighty-nine... ...eighteen eighty-nine!
Around the world... ...around the world!
Seventy-two days, girl
Ho-ho-hoboken... ...Ho-ho-boken
Ho-hong Kong... ...Ho-ho Kong
Egypt, London... ... Egypt, London
And back home to New York
She didn't fly an airplane... ...No airplane!
She didn't ride a bus... ...No bus!
She didn't drive a mini-van... ...No mini-van!
How'd she go? I don't know
S-A-M-P-A-N Sampan Is that a boat?
It's a Chinese boat!
Nellie Bly rode lots of boats and the sampan is my favorite, yo yo yo yo...
Nellie Bly... ...Nellie Bly!
Eighteen eighty-nine... ...eighteen eighty-nine!
Around the world... ...around the world!
Seventy-two days, girl
Ho-ho-hoboken... ...Ho-ho-boken
Ho-hong Kong... ...Ho-ho Kong
Egypt, London... ... Egypt, London
And back home to New York
She didn't fly an airplane... ...No airplane!
She didn't ride a bus... ...No bus!
She didn't drive a mini-van... ...No mini-van!
How'd she go? I don't know
R-I-C-K-S-H-A-W... Is that a chair?
It's a chair with wheels!
But Nellie Bly didn't sit in a rickshaw too long
She used horses and her own feet to get along long long long...
Nellie Bly... ...Nellie Bly!
Eighteen eighty-nine... ...eighteen eighty-nine!
Around the world... ...around the world!
Seventy-two days, girl
Ho-ho-hoboken... ...Ho-ho-boken
Ho-hong Kong... ...Ho-ho Kong
Egypt, London... ... Egypt, London
And back home to good old New York
