"My Word, You Do Look Queer" is a comic
monologue
In theatre, a monologue (from el, μονόλογος, from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes a ...
written by
Bert Lee
William Herbert Lee (11 June 1880 – 23 January 1946) was an English songwriter. He wrote for music hall and the musical stage, often in partnership with R. P. Weston.
Life and career
Lee was born in Ravensthorpe, Yorkshire, England.Richard ...
and
R. P. Weston. It was first performed and recorded in 1922 by English entertainer
Ernest Hastings
Ernest Walter Hastings (15 June 1879 – 2 September 1940) was an English singer, pianist, composer and performer of comic monologues. He was popular from the 1900s to the 1930s, when he was described as "England's Greatest Entertainer at the ...
,
[Ernest Hastings, ''Petrucci Music Library'']
Retrieved 17 January 2021 and revived by
Stanley Holloway
Stanley Augustus Holloway (1 October 1890 – 30 January 1982) was an English actor, comedian, singer and monologist. He was famous for his comic and character roles on stage and screen, especially that of Alfred P. Doolittle in ''My F ...
who recorded it in 1938 and again in 1959.
Lyrics
The song tells of a man recovering from illness, but feeling better. Yet his friends insist on telling him, one after the other, that he looks "queer" (that is, strange or different). He comes to believe that he must indeed be close to death, but revives after a visit to an undertaker's.
[Richard Anthony Baker, ''British Music Hall: an illustrated history'', Pen & Sword, 2014, , p. 146.]"My Word, You Do Look Queer", ''Monologues.co.uk''
Retrieved 17 January 2021
References
External links
Recording by Stanley Holloway
1922 songs
Songs written by R. P. Weston
Songs written by Bert Lee
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