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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THAT GENERAL UTILITY RAG, BY OUR OWN IRVING BERLIN, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: I like to hear-yes, yes!-I like to hear
Last Line: Ra-a-a-g!
Alternate Author Name(s): F. P. A.
Subject(s): Bands; Berlin, Irving (1888-1989); Music & Musicians; Symphonies; Orchestras; Concerts


I LIKE to hear—yes, yes!—I like to hear
The music of a big brass band.
I love the tone
Of the slide trombone [Bus. of slide trombone]
And the saxophone [Bus. of saxophone]
So grand.
But I want to be
General utility—
I want to try
That baby-cry [Bus. of baby-cry];
Want to play the rattle [Bus. of rattle] and the castanet [Bus. of
castanet];
Want to bang the tom-tom [Bus. of tom-tom] and the tambourette [Bus. of
tambourette];
Want to jangle
That old triangle [Bus. of triangle];
Cut a caper
With the old sandpaper [Bus. of sandpaper];
Ring those sleighbells [Bus. of sleighbells] and those chimes [Bus. of
chimes]
And crack that whip [Bus. of whip] about a million times.
I want to beat that thunder-sheet [Bus. of thunder-sheet]
I like the smash of the old glass-crash [Bus. of glass-crash]
I want to go on—yes, go on—
I want to go on—yes, go on—
I want to go on a musical jag!
I want to have a symphonical souse
Like a syncopated [Bus. of syncope] Richard Strauss.
I want to play—hooray!—
All day—hooray!—
With facility
And agility
That General Utility
Ra-a-a-g!





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