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Back When the Bands Played in Ragtime Lyrics by Phil Everly

Mystic Line

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You should have been in New York City
Before the crash in twenty nine
Everybody had lots of dough
The bathtub gin would overflow
Back when the bands played in ragtime
There was a cop they called O’Reilly
He loved a girl in the chorus line
But she was just no good
She ran around with all the hoods
Back when the bands played in ragtime 24
She asked O’Reilly for a favour
And he agreed ‘cause love is blind
A friend of hers was runnin’ booze
Would he take a bribe, what did he have to lose
Back when the bands played in ragtime
The mob was loadin’ stolen liquor
When they heard the siren wine
The cops came where the booze was stored
O’Reilly got a big reward
Back when the bands played in ragtime
O’Reilly sent his love to prison
She was there ‘til thirty nine
To top it off he was untrue
He got married in thirty two
Back when the bands played in ragtime
Ah you should have been in New York City
Before the crash in twenty nine
Everybody had lots of dough
The bathtub gin would overflow
Back when the bands played in ragtime
Back when the bands played in ragtime
Back when the bands played in ragtime
Credits
Phil Everly

Phil Everly

About “Back When the Bands Played in Ragtime” by Phil Everly

Read the complete lyrics to "Back When the Bands Played in Ragtime" by Phil Everly from the album "Mystic Line". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Rock.

"Back When the Bands Played in Ragtime" is performed by Phil Everly. from the album "Mystic Line" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Back When the Bands Played in Ragtime", explore more songs by Phil Everly using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Back When the Bands Played in Ragtime" is credited to Phil Everly. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Back When the Bands Played in Ragtime" appears on "Mystic Line".

Visit the Phil Everly artist page at /artist/phil-everly for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.