Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
[KO-KO]
The criminal cried, as he dropped him down
In a state of wild alarm -
With a frightful, frantic, fearful frown
I bared my big right arm
I seized him by his little pig-tail
And on his knees fell he
As he squirmed and struggled
And gurgled and guggled
I drew my snickersnee
My snickersnee!
Oh, never shall I
Forget the cry
Or the shriek that shrieked he
As I gnashed my teeth
When from its sheath
I drew my snickersnee!
[Chorus]
We know him well
He cannot tell
Untrue or groundless tales —
He always tries
To utter lies
And every time he fails
[PITTI-SING]
He shivered and shook as he gave the sign
For the stroke he didn't deserve;
When all of a sudden his eye met mine
And it seemed to brace his nerve;
For he nodded his head and kissed his hand
And he whistled an air, did he
As the sabre true
Cut cleanly through
His cervical vertebrae
His vertebrae!
When a man's afraid
A beautiful maid
Is a cheering sight to see;
And it's oh, I'm glad
That moment sad
Was soothed by sight of me!
[Chorus]
Her terrible tale
You can't assail
With truth it quite agrees:
Her taste exact
For faultless fact
Amounts to a disease
[POOH-BAH]
Now though you'd have said that head was dead
(For its owner dead was he)
It stood on its neck, with a smile well-bred
And bowed three times to me!
It was none of your impudent off-hand nods
But as humble as could be;
For it clearly knew
The deference due
To a man of pedigree
Of pedigree!
And it's oh, I vow
This deathly bow
Was a touching sight to see;
Though trunkless, yet
It couldn't forget
The deference due to me!
[Chorus]
This haughty youth
He speaks the truth
Whenever he finds it pays:
And in this case
It all took place
Exactly as he says!
Exactly, exactly, exactly
Exactly as he says!
The criminal cried as he dropped him down was written by W.S. Gilbert.
The criminal cried as he dropped him down was produced by Richard D’Oyly Carte.
Gilbert and Sullivan released The criminal cried as he dropped him down on Sat Mar 14 1885.