Once I had a big band
And they would play my every song
But now my heart is heavy
I don’t know if I can go on
My band was big
But now my band has gone

Once I had a double bass
A great big fat bull fiddle
When he plucked his big fat strings
He thrilled me to my middle

Once I had a pianist
And that's a tricky word to say
He could tinkle on his ivories
And blow my cobwebs right away

Once I had a big band
They’d play until their fingers bled
But now my heart is aching
Sometimes I wish that I was dead
My band was big
But now my band has fled

Once I had a guitar
And boy could that boy strum
That boy would keep on strumming
Til his entire hand went numb

And once I had a drummer
He was the master of his art
Every time he hit a rim-shot
He would pierce me through the heart

Once I had a big band
And they knew how to fill a floor
But now my heart is breaking
My band have shown me the door
My band was big
But they’re my band no more

Once I had a tuba
A trumpet and trombone
I had an entire horn section
I used to call my own

And yes I had a lot of sax
I had a lot of cornet too
They could turn my knees to jelly
With every note they blew

Once I had a big band
And they would play my every song
But now my heart is heavy
I don’t know if I can go on
My band was big
But now my band has gone

Lyrics and music © 2004 Heather Tyrrell