Abdul Abulbul Amir is a folk song, written in 1877 by Percy French and later set to music. It tells the story of two valiant heroes - a Russian and a one of the Shah's mamelukes, who because of their pride end up in a fight and end up killing each other.
Frank Crumit, who was famous for his renditions of it, wrote three sequels - The Return of Abdul Abulbul Amir, The Grandson Of Abdul Abulbul Amir, and Minnie Skavinsky Skavar.
Lyrics
Being that it is a folk song, many variations on the lyrics exist. This is a more common variation:
- The sons of the Prophet are many and bold
- and quite unaccustomed to fear,
- But the bravest by far in the ranks of the shah,
- Was Abdul Abulbul Amir.
- If you wanted a man to encourage the van,
- Or harass the foe from the rear,
- Storm fort or redoubt, you had only to shout
- for Abdul Abulbul Amir.
- Now the heroes were plenty and well known to fame
- in the troops that were led by the Czar,
- And the bravest of these was a man by the name
- of Ivan Skavinsky Skavar.
- One day this bold Russian, he shouldered his gun
- and donned his most truculent sneer,
- Downtown he did go where he tred on the toe
- of Abdul Abulbul Amir.
- "Young man," quoth Abdul,"has life grown so dull
- That you wish to end your career?
- Vile infidel know, you have trod on the toe
- Of Abdul Abulbul Amir.
- So take your last look upon the sunshine and brook
- And send your regrets to the Czar
- For by this I imply, you are going to die,
- Count Ivan Skavinsky Skavar."
- Then this bold Mameluke drew his trusty skibouk,
- Singing, "Allah! Il Allah! Al-lah!"
- And with murderous intent he ferociously went
- for Ivan Skavinsky Skavar.
- They parried and thrust, they side-stepped and cussed,
- Of blood they spilled a great part,
- The philologist blokes, who seldom crack jokes,
- Say that hash was first made on the spot.
- They fought all that night neath the pale yellow moon;
- The din, it was heard from afar,
- And huge multitudes came, so great was the fame,
- of Abdul and Ivan Skavar.
- As Abdul's long knife was extracting the life,
- In fact he was shouting, "Huzzah!"
- He felt himself struck by that wily Calmuck,
- Count Ivan Skavinsky Skavar.
- The Sultan drove by in his red-breasted fly,
- Expecting the victor to cheer,
- But he only drew nigh to hear the last sigh,
- Of Abdul Abulbul Amir.
- There's a tomb rises up where the Blue Danube rolls,
- And graved there in characters clear,
- Is, "Stranger, when passing, oh pray for the soul
- Of Abdul Abulbul Amir."
- A splash in the Black Sea one dark moonless night
- Caused ripples to spread wide and far,
- It was made by a sack fitting close to the back,
- of Ivan Skavinsky Skavar.
- A Muscovite maiden her lone vigil keeps,
- 'Neath the light of the cold northern star,
- And the name that she murmurs in vain as she weeps,
- is Ivan Skavinsky Skavar.''