1st verse:]

Mabel Brown came to town

All dress'd up in her gingham gown

And a ribbon in her hair

In her eyes a vacant stare

Joined a show, wrote her beau

Mabel wanted to let him know

She was earning, so to speak

Twenty dollars a week

Her beau came down to New York town

To see his Mabel dear

The minute that he saw her flat

He whispered in her ear



[chorus:]

How do you do it, Mabel, on twenty dollars a week?

Tell us how you are able on twenty dollars a week

A fancy flat and a diamond bar

Twenty hats and a motor car

Go right to it but how do you do it

On twenty dollars a week?



[2nd verse:]

Mabel's beau couldn't go

Hung around for a week or so

Till he'd written on a pad

All the things that Mabel had

When he'd spent ev'ry cent

Right to Mabel he quickly went

For a small financial loan

Then he started for home

Each girl he met down home, you bet

He told them all he saw

Next day a mob were on the job

At Mabel's flat to roar



[2nd chorus:]

How do you do it, Mabel, on twenty dollars a week?

Tell us how you are able on twenty dollars a week

We'd like to work in the chorus too

Earn our twenty the same as you

If we knew it, we'd willingly do it

On twenty dollars a week