Fanny convinces eddie she has talent and he agrees to teach her the specialty
For the next audition. she gets the job.
Fanny:
Well--
I just put the kids to sleep
And swept the shack,
Took my sweet man's satchel down
And watched him pack,
I said, "darlin', while the stove still smolders,
Unpin your woman's hair and rub her shoulders."
I threw myself across the doorway
Beggin', "stay, sweet man, stay,"
But there's more in my man's life
Than this old hag.
It's jelly roll morton, and a shiny cornet,
And jazzin' the rag!
The lady ain't been born
Can take the place of a horn,
With a cornet man.
A-goin' where there's blowin',
Trav'lin' cornet man.
Just anytime they call him
He'll leave his wife and kiddies
Sittin' with their tongues out
To play for peanuts in a dive
And blow his lungs out.
He'll hop a choo-choo on a moment's notice
To play some dates with billy bates
Or rag-time otis!
The lady ain't see light
Can give a horn a fair fight
With a cornet man
A rootin', shootin', ever-tootin' dapper dan
Who carries in his satchel
A powder-blue norfolk suit,
A silver-plated wah-wah mute,
There is whiskey, gamblin'--each one is a curse,
But i'm up against a devil that's worse.
Yes, a horn is my thorn,
My trav'lin' cornet man!
Kill yourself! tell me about it! yeah! yeah!
A powder-blue norfolk suit,
I said a silver-plated wah-wah mute,
Oh he's shy on height,
He's short on weight,
But he's the only man can make my coffee perculate,
A dapper dan,
My cornet-playin' man.
After the performance, nick arnstein comes backstage, elegant in formal dress,
To pay off a gambling debt to keeney. nick has seen the show and tells fanny
She's going to be a big star some day. fanny asks how much keeney is paying her,
And nick manages to jack up her salary by pretending to bid on behalf of a competitor.
He gives her his card and kisses her hand. eddie asks fanny out for a date,
But she only wants to be friends; already she has fallen for nick, but imagines she'll
Never see him again.
