Hard-Hearted Hanna (1924)
(wm) Jack Yellen, Bob Bigelow, Charles Bates. (I) Frances Williams. Recorded by Belle Baker, Cliff Edwards. (R) 1955 Film: Pete Kelly’s Blues by Ella Fitzgerald.
Oh please gather round me brethren and listen to this hymn
‘Bout how evil battles hurt you and the fight to sink or swim
There’s a lost sheep that I know of
Caught in Satan’s web of sin
And I sing for the forgiveness of the evil plight she’s in

They call her Hard Hearted Hannah, the vamp of Savannah,
The meanest gal in town;
Leather is tough, but Hannah’s heart is tougher,
She’s a gal who loves to see men suffer!
To tease ’em, and thrill ’em, to torture and kill ’em,
Is her delight, they say,
I saw her at the seashore with a great big pan,
There was Hannah pouring water on a drowning man!
She’s Hard Hearted Hannah, the vamp of Savannah, GA!

In old Savannah, I said Savannah,
The weather there is nice and warm!
The climate’s of a Southern brand,
But here’s what I don’t understand:
They got a gal there, a pretty gal there,
Who’s colder than an Arctic storm,
She’s got a heart just like a stone,
Even ice men leave her alone!

They call her Hard Hearted Hannah, the vamp of Savannah,
The meanest gal in town;
She’s so cold; never let her phone you
From her breathe a man can get pnemonia
To tease ’em, and thrill ’em, to torture and kill ’em,
Is her delight, they say,
If you sit upon her lap, you’ll never do it twice
‘Cause it’s just the same as sitting on a cake of ice
She’s Hard Hearted Hannah, the vamp of Savannah, GA!

You ought to see her, you ought to see her,
outside, she’s just as soft as silk;
But socially she’s hard as nails,
She’s just a gal who hates the males!
And when she’s nasty,oh, when she’s nasty,
She’s ’bout as sweet as sour milk;
Nothin’ she likes better than feedin’ poisoned food to a man.

They call her Hard Hearted Hannah, the vamp of Savannah,
The meanest gal in town;
Talk about your cold, refrigeratin’ mama,
Brother, she’s a polar bear’s pajamas!
To tease ’em, and thrill ’em, to torture and kill ’em,
Is her delight, they say,
An evening spent with Hannah sittin’ on your knees,
Is like travlin’ through Alaska in your B - V - Ds.
She’s just Hard Hearted Hannah, the vamp of Savannah, GA!

Can you imagine a woman as cold as Hannah?
She’s got the right name, the vamp of Savannah
Any time a woman can take a great big pan
Start pouring water on a drowning man
She’s Hard Hearted Hannah, the vamp of Savannah, GA!

Spoken: Ohh... she’s sweet as sour milk