Mad Dogs & Englishmen (from Words and Music) - Noël Coward

In tropical climes there are certain times of day

When all the citizens retire

To tear their clothes off and persprie

It’s one of those rules that the greatest fools obey

Because the sun is much too sultry

And one must avoid its ultra-violet ray

Papalaka papalaka papalaka boo

Papalaka papalaka papalaka boo

Digariga digariga digariga doo

Digariga digariga digariga doo

The native grieve when the white men leave their huts

Because they’re obviously definitely nuts!

Mad dogs and Englishmen

Go out in the midday sun

The Japanese don’t care to

The Chinese wouldn’t dare to

Hindoos and Argentines sleep firmly from twelve to one

But Englishmen detest a siesta

In the Philippines

There are lovely screens

To protect you from the glare

In the Malay States

There are hats like plates

Which the Britishers won’t wear

At twelve noon

The natives swoon

And no further work is done

But mad dogs and Englishmen

Go out in the midday sun

It’s such a surprise for the Eastern eyes to see

That though the English are effete

They’re quite impervious to heat

When the white man rides every native hides in glee

Because the simple creatures hope he

Will impale his solar topee on a tree

Bolyboly bolyboly bolyboly baa

Bolyboly bolyboly bolyboly baa

Habaninny habaninny habaninny haa

Habaninny habaninny habaninny haa

It seems such a shame

When the English claim

The earth

That they give rise to such hilarity and mirth

Mad dogs and Englishmen

Go out in the midday sun

The toughest Burmese bandit

Can never understand it

In Rangoon the heat of noon

Is just what the natives shun

They put their Scotch or Rye down

And lie down

In a jungle town

Where the sun beats down

To the rage of man and beast

The English garb

Of the English sahib

Merely gets a bit more creased

In Bangkok

At twelve o’clock

They foam at the mouth and run

But mad dogs and Englishmen

Go out in the midday sun

Mad dogs and Englishmen

Go out in the midday sun

The smallest Malay rabbit

Deplores this stupid habit

In Hongkong

They strike a gong

And fire off a noonday gun

To reprimand each inmate

Who’s in late

In the mangrove swamps

Where the python romps

There is peace from twelve till two

Even caribous

Lie around and snooze;

For there’s nothing else to do

In Bengal

To move at all

Is seldom, if ever done

But mad dogs and Englishmen

Go out in the midday sun