American Old Time Song Lyrics: 37 Only To See

Theater, Music-Hall, Nostalgic, Irish & Historic Old Songs, Volume 37

ONLY TO SEE.
Copyright, l89l by Francis, Day & Hunter.
Written by Norton Atkens and R. G. Knowles
Sung by R. G. Knowles.

Last night I was dreaming of Summer
And the days of no rain, hail or snow:
And my dreams were a good deal more glimmer
Than they are, as a rule, don't you know;
And as I lay there on my pillow,
As innocent as I could be,
I thought of the recent excitement
And the things that I would like to see.

Chorus.
Only to see a coachman who never went to sleep in his life.
Only to see a mother-in-law that hasn't more jaw than your wife,
Only to see a cabman that doesn't want more than his fare.
Only to see a real giddy girl who ain't dying to dye her hair,
Only to see a waller who never accepted a tip,
Only to see some whiskers sprouting on my upper lip,
Only to see, my darling, a lime egg that's been newly laid,
Only to see of what are our sausages made.

I turned once again on my pillow,
I really can't tell you for why,
But directly I started a-dozing,
On my nose there alighted a fly;
And as I was softly reposing,
With this insect I savagely fought,
But I thought just a few little trifles,
And these are the thinks that I thought:-

Chorus.
Only to see a baby that hasn't a mouth like a sink,
Only to see a policeman who never accepted a drink,
Only to see Scotch whiskey that hasn't got water in,
Only to see a baby that hasn't sat down on a pin,
Only to see a bartender that hasn't a big red nose,
Only to see a husband who doesn't want till the bed clothes,
Only to see an old lady that hasn't got corns on her too,
Only to see, my darling, where all of our dead donkeys go.

These thoughts made me feel so elated,
I awoke with a terrible start;
And, as I have heretofore stated,
It gave me a pain in the heart;
I turned once again on my pillow-
Now don't think I'm trying to gush-
But once more I started a-wishing,
And these are the wishes I wash:

Chorus.
Only to see a lover that's never been bit by a dog,
Only to see a Winter when you can see through the fog,
Only to see a mother that hasn't the best child horn,
Only to see a boozer without a big head in the morn,
Only to see a young man that never was fond of a kiss,
Only to see a girl that don't think it's rapturous bliss,
Only to see a German that don't love his fatherland,
Only to see, when it's raining, no mud on the road of the Strand,
Only to see the man In the moon-what kind of a man he must be-
A sailor told me there was a man up there, and he knows, for he's been to see:
Only to see the woman in the moon-there's a woman up there, I know;
If there wasn't a woman up there, you bet the man would have left long ago.