|
|
|
|
Abdul Abulbul Amir
|
| |
|
| |
"Abdul Abulbul Amir" is a folk song written in 1877 by Percy French and later set to music. It tells the story of two valiant heroes — a Russian and one of the Persian Shah's mamelukes — who because of their pride end up in a fight and kill each other.
Frank Crumit, who was famous for his renditions of it, wrote three sequels: "The Return of Abdul Abulbul Amir", "The Grandson Of Abdul Abulbul Amir", and "Minnie Skavinsky Skavar".
The song was adapted in 1941 into an MGM cartoon, Abdul the Bulbul-Ameer, produced by Fred Quimby, directed by Hugh Harman and featuring Groucho Marx, Lou Costello and Harry Ritz as news reporters.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Abdul Abulbul Amir' Start a new discussion about 'Abdul Abulbul Amir' Answer questions from other users |
Encyclopedia
"Abdul Abulbul Amir" is a folk song written in 1877 by Percy French and later set to music. It tells the story of two valiant heroes — a Russian and one of the Persian Shah's mamelukes — who because of their pride end up in a fight and kill each other.
Frank Crumit, who was famous for his renditions of it, wrote three sequels: "The Return of Abdul Abulbul Amir", "The Grandson Of Abdul Abulbul Amir", and "Minnie Skavinsky Skavar".
The song was adapted in 1941 into an MGM cartoon, Abdul the Bulbul-Ameer, produced by Fred Quimby, directed by Hugh Harman and featuring Groucho Marx, Lou Costello and Harry Ritz as news reporters. In this version Abdul is depicted as a bully who picks on Ivan's dwarf friend, provoking Ivan into treading on the Turk's toe. He has many traits of 1930s and 1940s cartoon villains like Bluto including thick lips, a beard and a big belly. There is a brief swordfight which soon changes into a brawl that ends with Ivan and Abdul literally "out cold". The more positive portrayal of the Russians could be due to the alliance between Britain and the USSR following Hitler's invasion of Russia.
In the 1980s Whitbread adapted the song using their own lyrics for a series of commercials on British television, suggesting that the two protagonists were great fans of their beer who squabbled over trivialities. It starred Stephen Fry as Ivan, Tony Cosmo as Abdul, Tim McInnerny and Roy Castle.
Lyrics
| Lyrics as sung by Frank Crumit |
|---|
The sons of the Prophet were brave men and bold
And quite unaccustomed to fear.
But the bravest by far in the ranks of the Shah
Was Abdul Abulbul Amir.
Now the heroes were plenty and well known to fame
In the troops that were led by the Tsar.
And the bravest of these was a man by the name
Of Ivan Skavinsky Skavar.
One day this bold Russian had shouldered his gun,
And donned his most truculent sneer.
Downtown he did go, where he trod on the toe
Of Abdul Abulbul Amir.
"Young man," Quoth Abdul,"Has life grown so dull,
That you wish to end your career?
Vile Infidel, know, you have trod on the toe
Of Abdul Abulbul Amir."
Said Ivan, "My friend, your remarks, in the end,
Will avail you but little, I fear."
"For you ne'er will survive to repeat them alive.
Mr. Abdul Abulbul Amir."
"So take your last look at sunshine and brook.
And send your regrets to the Tsar.
By this I imply, you are going to die
Count Ivan Skavinsky Skavar."
Then that bold Mameluke drew his trusty skibouk.
With a cry of, "Allah-Akbar!"
And with murderous intent, he ferociously went
For Ivan Skavinsky Skavar.
They fought all that night, 'neath the pale yellow moon.
The din, it was heard from afar.
And huge multitudes came, so great was the fame,
Of Abdul and Ivan Skavar.
As Abdul's long knife was extracting the life —
in fact he was shouting "Huzzah!"
He felt himself struck by that wily Kalmyk,
Count Ivan Skavinsky Skavar.
The Sultan drove by in his red-crested fly,
Expecting the victor to cheer.
But he only drew nigh to hear the last sigh,
Of Abdul Abulbul Amir.
Tsar Petrovich, too, in his spectacles blue,
Rode up in his new crested car.
He arrived just in time to exchange a last line,
With Ivan Skavinsky Skavar.
There's a tomb rises up, where the blue Danube flows,
Engraved there in characters clear:
"Ah, stranger when passing, oh pray for the soul
Of Abdul Abulbul Amir.
A Muscovite maiden her lone vigil keeps
'Neath the light of the pale polar star
And the name that she murmurs so oft as she weeps,
Is Ivan Skavinsky Skavar. |
The Return of Abdul Abulbul Amir
| Lyrics as sung by Frank Crumit |
|---|
By the sea of Sargossa I wandered one night
The moon it was shining quite clear
For no reason at all I heard someone call
For Abdul Abulbul Amir
Now Abdul Abulbul I knew to be dead
The story had spread near and far
How he lost his life while plunging his knife
Into Ivan Skavinsky Skavar
While I pondered the moonbeams descended quite low
Casting shadows suffusely, and then
I discovered that I was standing close by
The tombs of those two famous men
Then in the tombs shadows there rose from a grave
The form of a Russian Hussar
And my skin nearly peeled, as he stood there revealed
It was Ivan Skavinsky Skavar
'Twas he who was calling, I hardly dared breathe
My heart 'most stopped beating from fear
When out of a grave, in need of a shave
Arose Abdul Abulbul Amir
"Well, wouldst speak with me Ivan?", quoth Abdul quite low
"I wouldst", replied Ivan quite clear
"That quarrel we had, 'twas all to the bad
Friend Abdul Abulbul Amir"
"I've lain here for ages with that on my mind
And that's why I called you tonight"
"Well, I'm in the same state", quoth Abdul the great
"Twas foolish for we two to fight"
"Oh friend, thou art blameless", cried Ivan in haste
"The fault lies in my hands alone"
But Abdul said "Nay, 'twas never that way
The fault was no one's but mine own"
"Well, dost think I'm a coward?", quoth Ivan Skavar
"Step forth and I'll slice off thine ear"
"Oh, son of a cat, you'll never do that"
Quoth Abdul Abulbul Amir
So once more they battled and fought as before
The multitudes came from afar
And lauded with cheers these bold buccaneers
This Turk, and this Russian Hussar
The ghost of the Czar on a fiery black steed
Came rushing to witness the fray
While the Sultan sat there in his royal gold chair
It was just like a scene from a play
'Twas just at that moment each sword found its mark
And I heard a blood-curdling scream
I opened my eyes and to my surprise
I found it was only a dream
|
Whitbread's version
| Lyrics as sung by Tim McInnerny |
|---|
Now stories are told of a brave man of old
Whose interest was Whitbread best beer.
But he knew a klutz who drove him nearly nuts
That was Abdul Abulbul Amir.
That snake in the grass was a pain in the neck
Claiming Whitbread tastes best from the jar
And that man quite irate with his own glass quite straight
Was Count Ivan Skavinsky Skavar.
Those boastful old goats went out gathering votes
But one thing they both did forget
Be it straight glass or jar Whitbread's not particular
The best best needs no etiquette.
Now legend lampoons old one-humpy galloon
Who loved Whitbread best bitter beer
But he got an eyeful of his canny rival
One Abdul the Bulbul-Ameer.
That man with his can really shook poor Ivan
Thinking drinking from tins irregular
"If it's take all he needs let him take on this steed!"
Said Ivan Skavinsky Skavar.
Abdul had this ploy of a female decoy
Fooling Ivan whose views he rejects
Be it glass or in cans we don't give a .....
Because the best best needs no etiquette
From the old history books come two battling bazouks
Count Ivan and Abdul Amir
But on the dot at half five they knock off feeling dry
And request Whitbread best bitter beer
Abdul liked his jug in the men-only snug
Telling blue jokes not for ladies' ears
While Ivan's lip curled: "Whitbread's best with the girls
And I think the advantage is clear"
So we now see Abdul break his men-only rule
But at Whitbread they say "what the heck?"
With ladies or gents it makes no difference
Cos the best best needs no etiquette
|
In popular culture
- In (1935), Dick Melville (Dick Powell) is forced by upper classmen to sing 100 verses of Abdul Abulbul Amir in the shower to "get the crooner out of him and the midshipman into him".
- In Franny and Zooey (1961), Zooey find one of Seymour's diary entries, which says that Franny sang this song to him on his 21st birthday.
- In (1969), Ray Brock (James Broderick) is singing part of the verse describing Ivan Skavinsky Skavar as they renovate the church and as Arlo Guthrie arrives there for the first time in the movie.
See also
The plot of the song resembles that of Alexander Pushkin's much shorter poem Delibas written in 1829, and inspired by the Russo–Turkish War (1828–1829).
External links
- lyrics and a photo of French
- lyrics and a MIDI of the tune
- lyrics and Star Trek reference
- 35th Fighter Wing (1966) Songbook -- minor variant lyrics and pornographic variant
|
| |
|
|
