A JazzBiographies.com visitor pointed out that Ted Persons was the pen name of Simon Schwartz. In addition to writing the lyrics for “Things Ain’t What They Used to Be” he also wrote the words to the Ray Nance tune “Otto Make That Riff Staccato”.

According to a finding aid document at the New York University Digital Library Technology Services:

A long-time member of the Socialist Labor Party, Schwartz broke with the Party in the 1960s along with Louis Lazarus and Murray Block among others. He was especially interested in Chile and Allende. His research on this topic led him into undertaking the writing of a history from a Marxist perspective. In his personal life, Schwartz was a witty, multi-faceted man who along with other activities, wrote lyrics under the name Ted Persons and produced a TV show in the early 1950s, the AdLibbers.

- Jeremy Wilson