Lydia, oh Lydia. Say have you met Lydia?
Oh, Lydia, the tattooed Lady.
She has eyes that folks adore so, and a torso even more so.
Lydia, oh Lydia, that “Encyclopedia.”
Oh Lydia, the queen of tattoo.
On her back is the Battle of Waterloo.
Beside it the Wreck of the Hesperus too.
And proudly above waves the Red, White and Blue.
You can learn a lot from Lydia.

[whistling] [key change]
She can give you a view of the world in tattoo
If you step up and tell her where.
For a dime you can see Kankakee or Par-ee
Or Washington crossing the Delaware.
[whistling] [key change]

Oh, Lydia oh Lydia. Say have you met Lydia?
Oh, Lydia, the tattooed Lady.
When her muscles start relaxin’
Up the hill comes Andrew Jackson.
Lydia, oh Lydia, that “Encyclopedia.”
Oh Lydia, the champ of them all.
For two bits she will do a Mazurka in jazz,
With a view of Niag’ra that no artist has.
And on a clear day you can see Alcatraz.
You can learn a lot from Lydia.
La-la-la. La-la-la.

[key change] La-la-la. La-la-la.
Come along and see Buff’lo Bill with his lasso.
Just a little classic by Mendel Picasso.
Here is Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon.
And Godiva, but with her pajamas on.
La-la-la. La-la-la. La-la-la. La-la-la.
Here is Grover Whalen unveilin’ the Trylon.
Over on the west coast we have Treasure Islan’.
Here’s Nijinsky a doin’ the Rhumba.
Here’s her Social Security numba.
La-la-la. La-la-la.
[key change] La-la-la. La-la-la.

Lydia, oh Lydia. Say have you met Lydia?
Oh, Lydia, the champ of them all.
She once swept an Admiral clear off his feet.
The ships on her hips made his heart skip a beat.
And now the old boy’s in command of the fleet.//
For he went and married Lydia.