Reflecting back to times of old in this iconic city,

transported back to a distant Ottoman past,

those words are dancing around in my ear,

and on my mind but I like to turn it around:

Constantinople, not Istanbul!

I first heard the irresistible tune back in the ‘70s,

immortalized by the irrepressible Divine Miss M,

songstress with the voice instantly recognized,

who gave an old song new life:

Istanbul, not Constantinople!

But the novelty tune goes back to the ‘50s,

when four Canadian lads scored a hit,

making it more than an enjoyable jingle,

and mining the music, they struck gold:

Istanbul!

Go further back and you will find,

the Greeks called it Byzantium,

before the Romans took over

and called it Constantinople:

Stamboul!