Hello Bruce,  In regards to your current MMD posting, I had that number
played by Arndt on an instrumental Duo-Art roll.  Also the sheet music,
somewhere upstairs in my files.

"Lobster" was a Turn-of-the-Century slang term, in the Boston area,
for hicks from Maine (and elsewhere in Northern New England) who came
down to Boston on the train, and got picked up by "The Bird On Nellie's
Hat"-type women, on the pretext of an "evening" after being wined-and-
dined.  However, the "Lobster" got dumped after the free dinner and
never got to her bedroom.

Others of the ilk were "Down On Lobster Square" and "I'd Rather Be
a 'Lobster' Than a 'Wise Guy'" (often found on wax Edison cylinder
records, and sung by Billy Murray).

The bright red sheet music cover of "Thanks For the Lobster" has two
overdressed 'society' woman at a cafe table, discussing their previous
day's pickups.  The closing line was, "Thanks for the Lobster, that
wonderful Lobster, which you sent to me last night" -- or something
like that!

In spite of the seedy underpinnings of the lyrics, "Thanks For the
Lobster" (One-Step) is a good "Castle House" number, and one of the
better songs in the "Maine hick" or "Fisherman Reuben" cycle of tunes
from that day.

Hope the above sheds some light on that subject!

Regards from Maine,

Douglas Henderson
Artcraft Music Rolls
http://www.wiscasset.net/artcraft/

  [ Thanks for the informative and entertaining history, Douglas!
  [ -- Robbie