"YES! we have no bananas" (23 Mar 1923)
by
Frank Silver [1896-1960]
and Irving Cohn [1898-1961]

New York, NY: Skidmore Music Co., Inc. Music Publishers
  Selling Agents
      Shapiro, Bernstein & Co. Music Publishers
      Cor. Broadwar & 47th Street, New York.
[Source: 157/124@Levy]

1. There’s a fruit store on our street.
It’s run by a Greek
And he keeps good things to eat
But you should hear him speak
When you ask him anything
Never answers “no”
He just “yesses” you to death
And as he takes your dough— he tells you:

[NOTE: CHORUSes 1-8 are after VERSE 1 only]
CHORUS 1
YES! We have no bananas
We have no bananas today
We’ve string beans and HONions,
cabBAHges and scallions
And all kinds of fruit and say
We have an old fashioned toMAHto
Long Island poTAHto
But YES! we have no bananas
We have no bananas today.

CHORUS 2
YES! we have no bananas; we have no bananas today.
Our eggs are delicious
But they act suspicious
They look like they passed away
And if you try some of our spinISH
We’ll tell you your finish
But, YES! we have no bananas, we have no bananas today.

CHORUS 3
YES! we have no bananas; we have no bananas today.
We’ll sell you some Swiss cheese,
When you open up this cheese
It gets up and walks away,
We got those IMported STRUMberries,
From fine cemeteries,
But, YES! we have no bananas; we have no bananas today.

CHORUS 4
YES! we have no bananas; we have no bananas today.
Our grapefruit I’ll bet you,
Is no gonna wet you,
We drain them out every day.
We got those hen fruit, have you tried ’em,
Live chickens inside ’em,
But, YES! we have no bananas; we have no bananas today.

CHORUS 5
YES! we have no bananas; we have no bananas today.
We just killed a pony,
So try our bologny
It’s flavored with oats and hay.
We have those New HampSHYre squashes
They tast like goLAHshes
But, YES! we have no bananas, we have no bananas today.

CHORUS 6
YES! we have no bananas; we have no bananas today.
Our famous cucumbers,
Were tested by plumBERS,
And they cannot leak they say.
We have some nice vegeTAYbles
Just look at the labels
But, YES! we have no bananas; we have no bananas today.

CHORUS 7
YES! we have no bananas, we have no bananas today.
We have asparAYgus,
That’s good for lumBAYgus,
And grapefruit that’s turning gray.
And you can take home for the WIMmens,
Nice juicy perSIMmons,
But, YES! we have no bananas; we have no bananas today.

CHORUS 8
YES! we have no banaas; we have no bananas today.
Just try those coCOnuts,
Those walnuts and doughnuts,
There ain’t many nuts like they.
We’ll sell you two kinds of Red herring,
Dark brown and ball bearing,
But, YES! we have no bananas, we have no bananas today.

2. Bus’ness got so good with him
He wrote home to say
“Send me Pete and Nick and Jim,
I need help right away”
When he got them in the store
There was fun, you bet
Some one asked for Sparrowgrass
And then the whole quartette— all answered:

CHOURS 9 [last time (sung after 2nd VERSE)]
YES! we have no bananas; we have no bananas today.
This song isn’t pretty,
But still it’s a ditty,
That grows on you day by day.
And you all can do something for us
Just join in the chorus.
YES! we have no bananas; we have no bananas today.