Readers of the winter ‘09 Scope Q article about the Phi Beta Kappa lecture on Darwin’s influence in popular culture might be curious to hear one of the comic songs that was played at that lecture. Many of hese songs are geopolitically incorrect (not to mention disturbingly racist) for our time, but they were considered pretty clever and cute at the turn of the 20th century. Here’s a fairly tame one: a 1904 wax-cylinder recording of J. W. Myers singing “In Zanzibar” (borrowed with permission from Glenn Sage’s tinfoil.com Web site); lyrics are printed below.
The link takes just a few seconds to start up:
(Trouble with this audio file? Click this to visit tinfoil.com and listen there instead.)
In Zanzibar (My Little Chimpanzee)
Words by Will D. Cobb, music by Gus Edwards
First verse.
In Zanzibar, great land of glory –
A monkey Czar, so runs the story –
Came from afar with love o’er laden –
To win and woo a monkey maiden – with twang Darwinian –
Sang this opinion.
Chorus.
My little Chimpanzee, you’re all this world to me –
A branch I’ll find for thee in my own fam’ly tree –
No monkey shine for me –
A wedding fine there’ll be –
In high society – In Zanzibar.
Second verse.
In Zanzibar’s great cocoanut castle –
Hail to the Czar – each monkey vassal –
Great King Gazoo – my great ancestor –
Sang to his bride as he caressed her – with chin bone chattering
His Panzie flattering.
