Elmer the Dancer Songtext
von Peter Cooper

Elmer the dancer sits at the bar
Snow falls soft on South Milwaukee
It′s a beer barrel polka on a red concertina
From the bandstand by the door
And Art plays the spoons
He plays the spoons on the bottles
Make you smile like the crack of a bat
He pours out some comfort for Elmer the dancer
Drains a sharp note right down to A flat

You can ask anyone
She had auburn hair
We'd do the Polish hop
Make ′em stop and stare

Now all that's left are the old songs
Now all that's left are the old songs
Tell me your name again
What are you drinking, friend?


Free round at midnight, you know
Look, Art′s trying to sell this place
And this is the last one

There used to be one just about every corner
You should have seen this town
We howled all up and down
Schmidty can tell you
Ain′t that right, Schmidty?

Look out there on the floor
People can't dance no more

Hey, do you like to play cards?

You can ask anyone
She had auburn hair
We′d do the Polish hop
Make 'em stop and stare

Now all that′s left are the old songs
Now all that's left are the old songs

One in the morning
Snow falling harder now
Schmidty gets up to leave


He raises his voice
He says, "Art, you can′t sell this place
Art, you won't sell this place
It's all you know"
Art says, "Is that what you think?"
And it wasn′t

And Schmidty walks over to us
And Schmidty says, "Young man
You′re sitting next to a fellow who used to be
Quite a dancer"

In heaven there is no beer
That's why we drink it here
And when we′re gone from here
All our friends will be drinking all the beer