[1st verse:] People here are going wild Every woman, man and child Has some ragtime on the brain Every band and orchestra Playing in America Plays a syncopated strain It's floating in the air You hear it everywhere [Refrain:] Everything in America is ragtime They talk in ragtime It seems to be the fashion Their only passion is swaying to and fro Snapping fingers so Acting as though they were having a jag-time The U.S.A. is a land of syncopation It seems the nation Is just a million acres Of shoulder shakers Composers, just as thick as bees Writing raggy melodies They're even making Gaby Deslys sing ragtime [2nd verse:] In the subway every night Folks start swaying left and right While they read the evening news When a baby starts to cry Longing for a lullaby Mother sings the Memphis Blues You can't drive it away Because it's here to stay
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