I heard a gal named Ruby Roan,
Talkin' on the telephone,
To her lovin' man who'd been away,
From her just a week today;
She said, "You'd better hurry home,
'Cause your mama's all alone;
She's got to have some lovin',
daddy dear,
Let me whisper in your ear!"
Papa, if you want it, you'd better
come and get it,
'Cause I'm savin' it all for you.
If you do, sweet papa, you surely
won't regret it,
I love you truly, 'deed I do!
Sweet mama's got, just what you
need,
It ain't a lot, but it's guaranteed!
So, Papa, if you want it, you'd
better come and get it,
'Cause I'm savin' it all for you.
Papa, if you want it, you'd better
hurry and get it,
'Cause I'm savin' it all for you.
If you do, sweet papa, you surely
won't regret it,
I love you truly, 'deed I do!
Good jellyroll is what I've got,
It might get cold, so get it while
it's hot,
To love me, hon, is quite all right,
I'm all alone, I've nothin' on
for tonight,
I'm full of vim as a cat's meow,
It's too bad, Jim, if you can please
me now,
So, Papa, if you want it, hurry
up and get it,
'Cause I'm tryin' to save it all
for you.
Ethel Waters starred in both the stage and film version of Cabin in the Sky. The movie also starred Lena Horne and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson. Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington had minor roles. Waters commented in her remarkable autobiography, His Eye is on the Sparrow, that she didn't enjoy making the movie -- too much behind-the-scenes back-biting.
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