THE WASHINGTON WADDLE

(as sung by campers, adapted from the Police Quartette arrangement, originally by Theodore Morse)

Contemporary camp song:

[-] Let's all go down to Washing
  ton D.- C.- [BaDum, Ba]
[Dum] That's where they play the sweetest
  ragtime -- melo - dies- [BaDum, Ba]
[Dum] Let's all begin with lesson
  number- one-- And you
Waddle and you waddle till the 
  [-] day- is done- / It's the

Washington wad- dle, get the
  tune in your nod- dle [--]
Let- your- feet have- fun
  [-----] Come on and

	Waddle with me- My honey
	  Waddle with me-- Like a













	Rag- time- ship- on a 
	  Ragtime- sea---

	Waddle! [--] Waddle! [--]
	  Waddle! [--] Waddle! [--]
	[-] Come on and waddle with me 
	  - [BaDum, BaDum] ---


      

Adapted 1927 barbershop arrangement:

[-] My honey, come with me to
  Washington, D.C. [Bum Bum Bum]
[Bum] They've got the grandest ragtime
  [-] mel- ody [Bum Bum Bum]
[Bum] Come on, I'll give you lesson
  [-] num- ber one- Just a
Waddle along- as if you
  [-] weighed- a ton- / Get the
  
Tune in your nod- dle, do that
  Washington Wad- dle / Let your
feet- have- lots- of-
  fun---- [---]

	Waddle along,- my honey,
	  Waddle along- [Bum Bum Bum]
	Right to my heart,- my honey,
	  You can't go wrong [---]
	Give my your hand,- my honey,
	  You understand [---]
	Waddle your way- right to my
	  heart---- [---]
  
		My-------
		Hon-------
		ey-------

	Your feet are free,- so come a
	  rocking with me- Just like a
	Ragtime- ship- upon a
	  ragtime- sea---
  
	Waddle Waddle Waddle Waddle
	  Come on and tod- dle / Do that
	Washington wad- dle with-
	  me----- [--]

Repeat chorus















	Waddle along,- my honey,
	  Waddle along- [Bum Bum Bum]
	Right to my heart,- my honey,
	  You can't go wrong [---]
	Give my your hand,- my honey,
	  You understand [---]
	Waddle your way- right to my
	  heart---- [---]
  
		My-------
		Hon-------
		ey-------

	Your feet are free,- so come a
	  rocking with me- Just like a
	Ragtime- ship- upon a
	  ragtime- sea---
  
	Waddle Waddle Waddle Waddle
	  Come on and tod- dle / Do that
	Washington wad- dle with-
	  me----- [--]


  

      

Original 1911 sheet music:

[-] My sweetie, come with me to 
  Washington, D.C. [---]
[-] That's where they've got the only 
  ragtime novelty [---]
[-] I'll show you how it's done 
  for lesson number one [--] Just
Waddle all around until you 
  [-] weigh- a ton- / Get the

Tune in- your noddle, that's the 
  Washing- ton Waddle / Let your
feet have-- lots- of- 
  fun---- [---]

	Waddle along,--- just 
	  Waddle along-- [--]
	From side to side,- my honey, 
	  You can't go wrong-- [--]
	Get in your stride,--- now 
	  right from the start-- [--]
	Waddle your way- to- my 
	  heart,- let's- wad- dle-





	Your feet are free,-- keep a
	  rocking with glee-- Like a 
	rag- time ship- upon a 
	  rag- time sea- [---]

	Waddle! [--] Waddle! [--]
	  Come on and tod- dle! Do the
	Washington Wad- dle- with 
	  me!---- [---]

Second verse and chorus

[-] Ragtime is on the wane, but 
  when I hear that strain, [---]
[-] My heart goes waddling up in 
  a rag aeroplane [---]
[-] Let's go a waddling down to 
  see old Parson Brown [--] I'd
like to see you waddle in a 
  [-] wed- ding gown- / While the

orches- tra's tuning, come rag
  time hon- eymooning / And we'll 
waddle-- out- of- 
  town---- [---]

	Waddle along,--- just 
	  Waddle along-- [--]
	From side to side,- my honey, 
	  You can't go wrong-- [--]
	Get in your stride,--- now 
	  right from the start-- [--]
	Waddle your way- to- my 
	  heart,- let's- wad- dle-





	Your feet are free,-- keep a
	  rocking with glee-- Like a 
	rag- time ship- upon a 
	  rag- time sea- [---]

	Waddle! [--] Waddle! [--]
	  Come on and tod- dle! Do the
	Washington Wad- dle- with 
	  me!---- [---]

recording: Kristin Hall (solo singer, closest to our version?) [Kristin Hall's Songbook]

notation: Kristin Hall (lyrics with chords) [Kristin Hall's Songbook]

sheet music: Sheet Music (1911) [Duke University]

recording: Premiere Quartette (1911, Edison wax cylinder) [UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive]

recording: Player Piano (1911, piano roll; 2010, video with lyrics transcribed from sheet music) [YouTube]

recording: The Police Quartette (1927, Warner Bros Vitaphone film) [YouTube]

background: history of Vitaphone ("pre-talkie" short films with sound) [Wikipedia]

recording: Camp staff, YMCA Camp Jorn, Wisconsin (2013, video) [Vimeo]

recording: Campers, Black River Farm & Ranch, Michigan (20xx, audio, includes extra words above) [Black River]

recording: Girl Scouts, Camp Scott, Oklahoma (2018, audio with transcription) [Oklahoma State University]

recording: Lauren, Girl Scouts of Western Ohio (2021, video) [YouTube]

lyrics: Girl Scouts of Western Ohio Summer Camp Songbook (2017) [Girl Scouts]