Allan Sherman Mexican Hat Dance lyrics

Oh Americans dance on a dance floor
And the Spaniards, they dance on a table
And the Russians, they dance on a saber
But the Mexicans dance on their hats

Oh they dance on hot coals in Calcutta
In Wisconsin they dance on fresh butter
Which they squeeze from one cow or another
Yes, the Mexicans dance on their hats
(Ole!)

There are Mexicans dancing on derbies
There are Mexicans dancing on caps
They just throw their fedoras wherever the floor is
And start doing horas and taps

They won't quit, they go on
It's a Mexican custom to take hats and bust 'em
By doing a dance thereupon

Oh the reason they shot Pancho Villa
Was he danced on his mother's mantilla
And the message did not reach Garcia

He was out somewhere dancing on hats
(Ole!)

There's a fellow in West Acapulco
The most elegant man you could meet
He does sambas on homburgs to tunes of Sig Romberg's
And sometimes the Nutcracker Suite

So take care, so beware
Or they'll put castanets on and ruin your Stetson
'Cause they all think they're Fred Astaire

If you're ever in Mexico proper
And you're wearing a straw hat or topper
When the band starts to play, call a copper
'Cause by now you should know that they'll grab your chapeau,
And they'll stomp till it's flat, and that's that
That's what Mexicans do on your hat
(Ole!)