Cohen Owes Me Ninetyseven Dollars 1915 lyrics

[1st verse:]
Old man Rosenthal lay sick in bed
Soon the doctor came around and said
`No use crying, the man is dying. He can`t live very long!`
`Send my son here to my side,` they heard the old man say
`I`ve got something to tell him before I pass away`
Soon his son was sitting by his bed
`What`s the matter, Papa dear?` he said
The old man said, `My son, before my days are done
I want you to know:

[chorus:]
Cohen owes me ninety-seven dollars
And it`s up to you to see that Cohen pays
I sold a lot of goods to Rosenstein and Sons
On an I.O.U. for ninety days
Levi brothers don`t get any credit
They owe me for one hundred yards of lace
If you promise me, my son, you`ll collect from ev`ry one
I can die with a smile on my face`

[2nd verse:]
Old man Rosenthal is better now
He just simply wouldn`t die somehow
He is healthy and very wealthy since he got out of bed
Such a change you never saw, he`s got such rosy cheeks
He picks up in just one week what should take weeks and weeks
Ev`ryone who knew that he was sick
Couldn`t tell how he got well so quick
They went and asked him to explain how he pulled through
Rosenthal replied:

[2nd chorus:]
Cohen owed me ninety-seven dollars
And my son went out and made poor Cohen pay
A bill was owed to me by Rosenstein and Sons
And they settled on that very day
What could my son with all that money
If I should leave it all and say goodbye?
It`s all right to pass away, but when people start to pay
That`s no time for a bus`nessman to die
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