Harry Gibson song lyrics.
Harry "The
Hipster."
Born Harry Raab, 1915. Died 1991.
Rock and roll pianist and elder statesman.
To correct or add to these lyrics, email dualsatoh at outlook dot com.
A. From album "Boogie Woogie In Blue," 1944, Musicraft
1. The Hipster's Blues, Opus 6 7/8
(Also known as "Hipster's Blues Opus 69" and "She Knifed Her Old
Man.")
Gather 'round all you hipsters
Dig what I'm putting down
'Cause I'm hip in a few days
This story's gonna be around
Now I'm laying it on you straight
And I hope you cats will all understand
Why a beat up chick like me
Ain't sorry she knifed her old man
I'll say he was really in there
And he solid give me my kicks
But I warned him
Not mess around with any other chicks, yeah
It was on that fatal night
I dug him up the track
Say I found that fool
Was messing behind my back
Man I wasn't high but I solid blew my top
When I dug him with that good for nothing mop
Now I didn't want to bring him
Or do anything rash
So I cut on down
To our little stash
I tried to get high
And pitch a ball
When I dug his footsteps
Coming down the hall
Man I got frantic
So I crowded behind the door
Next thing I know
Old Pops was on the floor
Now I ain't sorry
And you know I ain't offering up no prayer
I don't care if they hang me
Or if I get the chair
Cause I know there's a heap of chicks around this town
Who feel just about the same
And I'm hipping you man
They will be to blame
So take it slow
With characters of the opposite sex
Cause you just never know, man you never know
When you're gonna be next
Mmm, mmm. Man you just never know.
You never know.
2. Handsome Harry, The Hipster
They call him Handsome Harry, the Hipster
He's the ball with all the chicks
He plays piano like mad, his singing is sad
He digs those mellow kicks
They call him Handsome Harry the Clipster
'Cause he'll hype you for your gold,
He's frantic and fanatic
With jive he's as addict
I don't know, I was only told
And every night you'll find him around the
club
Playing and singing so wild
And if you want to get straight with a solid stud
He comes on like a motherless child
They call him Handsome Harry the Drifter
He won't ever marry you, sister
He got a shape in a drape, his story is great
I'm talking about Harry the Hipster
(piano)
They call her Careless Carrie the Clipster
She's the chick with all the tricks
She plays piano like mad, her singing is sad
She digs those mellow kicks
They call her Careless Carrie the Clipster
'Cause she'll hype you for your gold,
She's frantic and fanatic
With dope she's as addict
I don't know I was only told
And every night you'll find her around the
club
Playing and singing so wild
And if you want to get straight with a solid stud
She comes on like a motherless child
They call her Careless Carrie the Clipster
She won't ever marry you, mister
She's got a shape in a drape, her story is great
I'm talking about Carrie the Clipster
She's the sister of Harry the Hipster
Yeah, that's right
3. Riot In Boogie
(instrumental)
4. Stop That Dancin' Up There
I was standing on the
corner, in the middle of the block
I saw a lady standing there, sitting on a rock
As she began to talk, I ran as fast as I could walk,
I heard her shout "Look out! Stop that dancing up there!"
I was strolling through the park in the middle of the night
The night was very dark cause the sun was shining bright
I spied a lark and the lark began to bark,
"Stop that dancing up there!"
Some folks say that I'm insane
And just as goofy as can be
But they're all wrong, I'm all right
Everybody's crazy but me
I'm living in the cellar, on the 7th floor
I can't go to sleep 'till I hear myself snore
Now the people downstairs say I'm an awful square
When I shout, "Hey, stop that dancing up there!"
5. Get Your Juices At The Deuces (Also known as "Get Your Juices at the Bar")
Get your juices and the
Deuces, the wildest joint in town
If you haven't been there yet boy, you ain't been around
They got Sid Catlett and John Simmons, man you know that Webster boy can toot
A guy called Harry Gibson, no relation to Hoot
That joint is really jumping, brother that's a fact
And if you don't get your solid kicks, you can get your money back (try and get
it)
Fall in on a panic, that joint is really frantic
Ball all night till early morn
And then you shout, "Hold back the dawn"
You better get your kicks before you're old
Cause when you're dead, what good's your gold?
That's what say Confucius
When you get your juices, get your juices at the deuces
Get 'em while they're cold
6. The Hipster's Blues, Opus 7 1/2
You got plenty of time and you don't know
where to go
You're sticking, but man, what you gonna do with your dough?
You'd like to be with those characters
who are supposed to be your friends, huh?
Man, I know you'd like to lush yourself to all ends
But you find you're alone and blue
And you feel as though the world's gonna fall down on top of you
Then it comes to you all of a sudden in a flash
And you fall on down to a fine groovy little stash
Where the lights are low, a mellow red
And the perfume incense just goes to your head
You look around and you try to pick
A really in there, solid chick
She offers you some mellow wine
And man, you just begin to feel so fine
And Jack, you get some of that stuff that makes you fly into a rage
And you reach that out-of-the-world, mellow stage, mellow stage
Next thing you know you find yourself back home again
Man, you don't know how you got there, and I'm hip, you don't know when
Well you're facing reality now
And you're in the same beat groove
You try to get up
But you find you just can't move
Suddenly the doorbell rings
And into the room, your square chick springs
"Get up, honey, it's gettin' awful late,
Don't you remember, we have a date."
Now I say this chick is really in there
And man, you'd even love her, if she wasn't such a square
But what's the use, man, she just can't pitch a ball
Why Jack, she don't go for that hip groove at all
So later on you cut out, and get some freakish high
Cause you know you're gonna be that way, until the day you die
7. Barrelhouse Boogie (Also known as Opus 12 EEE)
(Note: Harry cut a video of this in 1944 which can be
seen at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg6ZSvrIUJk )
(instrumental)
8. 4F Ferdinand The Frantic Freak
(Note: Harry cut a video of this in 1944 which can be
seen at
http://youtube.com/watch?v=r8Swpw9yZ5w )
They call him 4F Ferdinand The Frantic
Freak
He's got a face like a fish, and two flat feet
He's a flippant as a frog
Fat as a hog
Fickle as a female flirting in a fog
He could fade in a flash
Man, they made him 4F in the draft
4F Ferdie was a fighting fool
But he fought with only girls in the grammar school
The only 1A class he ever made
Was the one in the very first grade
And in this grade he always stayed
From the very first grade he never strayed
Man he liked it, that's right, got along with the teacher and everything
He's got epileptic fits, a very bad rash
Now he's 4F Ferdinand in the draft
They made him change his grade to 4
Now he's in 1A no more
But he's married to the teacher and they're doing fine [in the video he says,
"doing great"]
Cause he's 4F and she's 69, [in the video he says "she's 88"]
They got two kids and they're sure a mess
Now he's the father of two 4F's
So if they ever have to change his class
Man, they'll make him 8F in the draft
I hear he's living down in the Village on Greenwich Street
4F Ferdinand, The Frantic Freak
4F Ferdinand, The Frantic Freak
He's doing all reet.
Well all reet
B. V-Discs during the war, 1945
Stop
That Dancing Up There (V-Disc 200, 1945)
(see 1944 version above)
Put A
Nickel In The Slot (V-Disc 200, 1945)
What's the matter with the radio
I don't know, it just won't go
Well if we're gonna do the Lindy Hop
Tell you what you gotta do pop, mop!
Put a nickel in the slot
Baby play my favorite piece
Which one? Let me see now, I forgot
How about Como's new release? Huh? What do you think?
Put a nickel in the slot
I want to hear Johnny Johnston croon
And a groovy little song by Hazel Scott
Or Harry Gibson, shoutin' out a tune
Sounds like a record on the radio
But you can play anything that you wish
From
"Just A Gigolo," to "What You Know Joe?"
Or "I Like My Favorite Dish," swish
Yeah, put a nickel in the slot
I got to hear every one they got
Don't ask me who, when, why or what
Put another nickel, put a nickel in the slot
(piano with scat)
That's the stuff you gotta watch
Well then watch it Gibby, watch it now
(scats)
Boy sounds like Count Basie jumping there, yeah
Listen to them horns, man all right but look out for my corns. All right I'll be
careful
Boodily bop, like a record on the radio
But you can play anything that you wish
From
"Just A Gigolo," to "What You Know Joe?"
Or "I Like My Favorite Dish," swish
Put a nickel in the slot
I got to hear every one they got
Don't ask me who, when, why or what
Put another nickel, put a nickel in the slot
Come on baby, put a nickel in that thing, put a QUARTER in it, make the thing
jump, that's right!
Put another nickel, put another (scats)
You Can Say That Again (V-Disc 492, 1945)
Now the sergeant
told his men
You could stay in bed 'till ten
And have breakfast served to them
In the morning
But when the bugler came around
He brought everybody down
'Cause he blew his horn at dawn in the morning
You can say that
again
You can say that again
He blew his horn at dawn in the morning
And they all wound up a drilling
There minds were on killing
The guy that blew his horn in the morning
(take it George) (cornet)
Now there was a
private there
Who didn't hear the blare
Of the horn they blew at dawn in the morning
And when they threw him in the clink
He said "Man, I didn't think
They'd blow a horn so early in the morning"
You can say that
again
You can say that again
They blow a horn at dawn in the morning
And when the sergeant blew his top
And he wound up behind a mop
Now he's mopping all day long while he's yawning
(boogie piano)
Then the bugler
played a trick
Of his bugle he was sick
And he didn't blow his horn at the dawning
And when the sergeant finally woke
And told the captain about the joke
They shot the guy at dawn in the morning
You can say that
again
You can say that again
They shot the guy at dawn in the morning
And now a new idea they use
They play the Harry James blues
He's the horn that blows at dawn in the morning
Brother you can say that again
Zoot
Gibson Strides Again (V-Disc 492, 1945)
(Instrumental)
C. Four more sides for Musicraft, 1946
1. I Stay Brown All Year Round
You've got to go out in the
sun
To get your body brown
But gosh, ain't I the lucky one?
Cause I stay brown all year round
And if you want to make the grade
You gotta get yourself a groovy shade
But that don't ever bring me down
I stay brown all year round
You're spending so much precious time
Scorching in the sand
While I stay home, sippin' wine
And digging old Basie's band
You'll just have to suffer man
If you want to get yourself a tan
But everybody in this town
Knows that I stay brown all year round.
"Hey Harry The Hipster, what you know, man, where you going, all dressed up
in your new beach robe and bathing trunks, sun tan oil, man? Going down to the
beach and get yourself a groovy tan old man? Cover up some of that night club
green, man? I stay green all year ''reen."
"Well looka here, what you
know, Pigfoot? Where you going, man?"
"Oh I just got back from the record store, man, going to cut up to my pad and
play me some records, you know."
"Yeah, well? Maybe I better go get my tan tomorrow sometime. Oh Pigfoot, let's have a ball you hear."
"Yeah man, gotta do it."
"Good deal, MacNeal."
You spend so much precious time
Scorching in the sand
While I stay home, sippin' wine
And digging old Basie's band
You'll just have to suffer man
If you want to get yourself a tan
But everybody in this town
Knows that I stay brown, all year round.
Oh man, it's so groovy.
2.
What's His Story?
There we were, me, myself, and
I
Singing Annie Laurie
This cat come up to me
Said may I join you three
I says to me, "What's his story?"
There was I, talking to myself
Feeling hunky dory
A pretty girl passed by
I tried to catch her eye
She seemed to sigh, "What's his story?"
There must be a better way
To pass the time
Besides singing such a silly song
It don't make any sense, got no reason or rhyme
But I keep singing it the whole day long
Rip, take a tip, from a guy that's hip to women,
Fame and glory
Like when you're in demand
She wants to hold your hand
But when you're beat it's, "What's his story?"
Way out west, back in '69
There was a fight for territory
One of the guys was getting scalped
They say they heard an awful yelp
"Help! What's his story?"
There's a cop, looking in a shop
Taking inventory
A stick-up guy passed by
Says put your hands up high
And the cop says, "What's his story?"
There must be a better way to pass the time
Besides singing such a silly song
It don't make any sense, got no reason or rhyme
But I keep singing it the whole day long
At the gate stands a sinning fool
Shouting, "Lordy, Lordy."
Saint Peter said, "You square,
Your place is way down there."
And the square says, "What's his story?"
I'm hip, that cat must have had one of them wild, frantic stories, man.
3. Who's Going Steady With Who?
Now there's a funny situation in our
neighborhood
I hope I'm able to make myself understood
It's about the boys and girls down on the avenue
The question is, now who's going steady with who?
Right now I'm going steady with
Betty
And Betty's going steady with me
Now Betty used to run around with little Eddie (I know the guy)
But Eddie broke her heart you see
I was awful shy with Vi
Besides, Eddie was the apple of her eye
Betty's big brother Freddie
He didn't like little Eddie
Now Eddie's going steady with Vi
He calls her V
And Betty's going steady with me
(Here's the melody)
Now I took Betty to a party just the
other night
Everybody there got to feeling kind of bright
I looked around to see if Eddie was watching me
But Freddy was holding hands with Sister D (dee dee dee dee dee, etc)
Now my other sister Heddy
She had an eye on Fred
I was eyeing Vi and Betty had them eyes for Ed
Eddie was watching V and oh gosh oh gee
But this is how the thing turned out to be.
Now Freddy's going steady with Heddy
And Heddy is my sister you see (I know that)
Long as Freddy run around with little Heddy
That was great for little Betty and me
But Freddy had to go and fall for Nettie
And Nettie is the sister of Ed
So now Freddy's letting Betty
Go steady with Eddie
And Vi is going steady with Teddy
(He calls her V)
And I's going steady, I'm just getting ready
I's going steady with me, oh my
Don't know what it's all about, tell me, do you?
Who's going steady with who?
I don't know, do you?
Who's going steady with who?
4. Who Put The Benzedrine In Mrs. Murphy's Ovaltine?
Mrs. Murphy couldn't sleep
Her nerves were slightly off the bean
Until she solved her problem
With a can of Ovaltine
She drank a cupful most every night
And ooh how she would dream
Until something rough got in the stuff
And made her neighbors scream. OW!
Who put the Benzedrine, in Mrs. Murphy's Ovaltine?
Sure was a shame, don't know who's to blame
Cause the old lady didn't even get his name
Where did she get that stuff?
Now she just can't get enough
It might have been the man who wasn't there
Now Jack, that guy's a square
She never ever wants to go to sleep
She says that everything is solid all reet
Now Mr. Murphy don't know what it's all about
Cause she went and threw the old man out, Clout
Who put the Benzedrine, in Mrs. Murphy's Ovaltine?
Now she wants to swing, the Highland Fling
She says that Benzedrine's the thing that makes her spring.
This is the second chorus you know
The name of this chorus is called, "Who put the Nembutals in Mr. Murphy's
overalls?
I don't know
She bought a can of Ovaltine, most every week or so
And she always kept an extra can on hand
Just in case that she'd run low
She never never been so happy, since she left old Ireland
'Till some one prowled her pantry, and tampered with her can. Wham!
Who put the Benzedrine, in Mrs. Murphy's Ovaltine?
Sure was a shame, don't know who's to blame
Cause the old lady didn't even get his name
Where did she get that stuff
Now she just can't get enough
It might have been the man who wasn't there
Now Jack, that guy's a square
She stays up nights making all the rounds
They say she lost about 69 pounds
Now Mr. Murphy claims she's getting awful thin
And all she says is, "Give me some skin." Mop!
Who put the Benzedrine, in Mrs. Murphy's Ovaltine?
Now she wants to swing the Highland Fling
She says that Benzedrine's the thing that makes her spring.
Spring it now, Gibson
Note: This song is Harry's
adaptation of the old Irish folk song "Who put the
overalls in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder." Two different versions of it can be found
at:
http://sniff.numachi.com/pages/tiMRPHCHOW;ttMRPHCHOW.html
http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/w057.html
D. 6 sides for
Diamond, 1947, in record album #D9
[note: songwriting credit for all 6 of these
songs went to one Irvin Rose. It
was common in those days for record label owners to claim songwriting credits
for themselves, usually under a pseudonym, so they could avoid paying royalties.
Diamond was owned by Irving R. Gwirtz. We can be sure Harry wrote them!]
1. The Wolf Song
Boodly bee bop,
boodly bee bop
Boodly bee bop, boodly bee bop
Boodly bee bop, boodly bee bop
I'm Harry The Wolf Gibson
Look out be
careful, watch what you're doing
You're making me huff and puff
Baby beware, I've got something brewing
Grrrrrrrrruff Ruff Ruff
Stop it, don't
look at me that way
When you make with the powder puff
You better run like mad when you hear me say
Grrrrrrrrruff Ruff Ruff
I'm the growling
wolfy type
I do my prowling every night
You might think this is all in fun
But to me you ain't nothing but yum yum yum
That's right I
bite, so baby don't give me no guff
Better yell and scream when you've had enough
Grrrrrrrrruff Ruff Ruff
Hey baby, you
know who you're talking to
You're talking to that Wolf Gibson now, girl
This is Harry the Wolf coming at you, you better watch out
You better watch your P's and Q's if you know what I mean
Cause if you don't you're gonna wind up in trouble
(Repeat first 4 verses)
2. That's The Stuff You Gotta Watch
I walked into a
bar room, asked the man to fix me a Scotch
Whatever he did made me flip my lid
That's the stuff you gotta watch
A girl nearby kind of caught my eye
She said "I like you very much"
The very next day I was minus my pay
That's the stuff you gotta watch
You gotta be
careful all the time
Whenever you're on the street
'Cause when you think you're doing fine
Boy, you'll get beat
I looked into the mirror
I really looked top notch
What I saw, I saw it before
Now, that's the stuff you gotta watch, man
Gibson you're so ugly, man you are SO ugly
Look into the mirror
Well I ain't that bad
Oh, Gibson throw away your trombone
Play it pretty Albert [note: Al Hall was bass player for this session]
You gotta be careful all the time
Whenever you're on the street
'Cause when you think you are doing fine
Boy, you'll get beat
I look into the mirror
All at once I spied a blotch
I went to the doctor and the doctor said
That's the stuff you gotta watch, man
Yeah you got to be awful careful
3. Bop Bop
Bop bop
beebeeabbabooba bop bop, no lyrics
Bop bop beebeeabbabooba bop bop, no hands
Harry the Hipster, bop
Harry the Hypeter, bop bop
Harry the Hopster bop bop bop, no head
Bop bop beebeeabbabooba bop bop
I stole this one from a guy called Freddy, what's his name, Schultz
Bop bop beebeeabbabooba bop bop
Bop bop beebeeabbabooba bop bop
I dream of Genie with the light brown
Bop bop beebeeabbabooba bop bop
Don't take the old homestead away
We don't want to go out in the cold, it's too cold out there
Won't you stay for some tea and crumpets
Bop bop beebeeabbabooba bop bop
Harry the Hipster age 3 and 7/16, wearing three cornered pants
Bop bop beebeeabbabooba bop bop
Bop bop beebeeabbabooba bop bop
Harry the Hipster
Harry the Hypeter
Harry the Hopster, man this song is bop bop
4. Beer Party Saturday Night
When you hear
everybody sounding
Like they're having some fun
Piano player pounding
Like he's busting a drum
Yeah you guessed it right
You never seen a sight
Like a beer party Saturday night
That's where
you'll find the kind of folks
Who're solid getting their kicks
From Saturday at nine
Until Sunday morning at six
They sure get bright, man
And fly as high as a kite
At the beer party Saturday night
Everybody
gather 'round the piano man
Shouting, yelling, screaming just as loud as they can
They sing the old ones, the new ones, they harmonize too
And you'll look sweet upon the seat of a bicycle built for two
They dance around and prance around and wake up the town
If you're feeling beat, you'll get a treat when you fall on down
They got just what you like, about a brew and a bite
At the beer party Saturday night
Well Pigfoot I hear you're really coming on tonight. Yeah man all I need is another brew and a bite. Don't bite me man. Yeah I think that brew did it, didn't it. Yeah man, always does.
(repeat third verse)
Hey you gonna be there, Al? Why sure, man, you know I got... Hey Morey, you gonna be there? Well you know I got to do it. [ed. note: Al Hall and Morey Feld were the bass player and drummer in this recording, thus the ref. to Al and Morey]
At the beer party Saturday night, well all right
5. It Ain't Hep
Hey you know
there's a lot of talk going around about this hip and hep jive
Lots of people are going around saying "hip"
Lots of squares are coming on with "hep"
Well the hipster is here to inform you what the jive is all about
The jive is hip,
don't say hep,
That's a slip of the lip, let me give you a tip
Don't you ever say hep, it ain't hip, NO IT AIN'T
It ain't hip to be loud and wrong
Just because you're feeling strong
You try too hard to make a hit
And every time you do you tip your mitt
It ain't hip to blow your top
The only thing you say is, "Mop, mop, mop"
Keep cool fool, like a fish in the pool
That's the golden rule at the Hipster school
You find yourself talking too much
Then you know you're off the track
That's the stuff you got to watch
Everybody wants to get in the act
It ain't hip to think you're "in there"
Just because of the zooty suit you wear
You can laugh and shout but you better watch out
Cause you really don't know what it's all about, man
(piano chorus)
This is the melody. Well look out.
(scats for a few bars)
Man you ain't hip
if you don't get hip to this hip and hep jive
Now get it now, look out
It ain't hip to be loud and wrong
Just because you're feeling strong
You try too hard to make a hit
And every time you do you tip your mitt
It ain't hip to think you're "in there"
Just because of the zooty suit you wear
You can laugh and shout, but you better watch out
Cause you really don't know what it's all about
You find yourself talking too much
Then you know you're off the track
That's the stuff you got to watch
Everybody wants to get in the act
It ain't hip to blow your top
The only thing you say is mop, mop, mop
Keep cool fool, like a fish in the pool
And that's the golden rule at the Hipster school
Man get hip with
the hipster, YEAH!
Got to do it!
6. Leave Me! I Hate To Be Alone
(This version taken from a 1947 MacGregor studio session, and may differ from the Diamond record, see Hipography)
Leave me, leave me, I hate to be
alone
But if we must part, leave us go together
You grieve me, you deceive me
You never ever want to come home
You've got a heart that changes like the weather
Whenever you go I miss you
And I hope that you never come back
But every time you do I kiss you
With a smack smack smack and then your eye turns black
Leave me, leave me, I hate to be alone
But if we must part, leave us go together
Leave me, come on baby get outta
here I need to be alone
But if we must part, leave us go together, I get so lonesome
You grieve me, you deceive me
You never ever want to come home
Baby you've got a heart that must be made out of patent leather or something
Whenever you go I miss you
And I hope that you never come back
But every time you do I kiss you
With a smack smack smack and then your eye turns black
You better leave me, you hear, come on and leave me, I hate to be alone
But before you start cause you think you're smart
I don't give a fig or a feather
But if we must part, we'll stroll the lanes together
And we'll laugh at the rain together
So come on leave me, leave me, I hate to be alone
But if we must part, leave us go together
Well all right let's do that
E. MacGregor Records, 1947
MacGregor 902, 1947; reissued as MacGregor 1021 in 1951
1. I Hope My Mother-In-Law Doesn't Come Home For Christmas
2. The
Gambler's Song
MacGregor 903, 1947; reissued as MacGregor 1022 in 1951
1. The Worm Song
2. The
Baby And The Pup
F. Some children's recordings from 1953
SF2191 Goldilocks And The Three Bears -issued as Aladdin 3199
SF2192 Two
Cats -not issued
RR2189 City Mouse and Country Mouse -issued as Intro 6082
RR2193 Cinderella -not issued
RR2194 Snow White -issued as Intro 6082
RR2190 Jack And The Beanstalk -issued as Aladdin 3199
Hi there. This your boy Harry The Hipster with another little fairy tale for all you hip kiddies called "Jack and the Beanstalk." Once upon a time way back in the frantic 40's, there was a little boy named Jack, who lived right in the middle of the Apple, which at that time was 52nd Street. His daddy was a musician at the Three Deuces, and used to take Jack with him when he sat in on jam sessions at the 21 Club. One day as he was passing a flower shop, he stopped to look at the plants, and they were all really gone looking plants, except one beat little dried-up beanstalk. He almost went out of his skull when the little beanstalk said, "Hey boy, lay a deuce on the man, take me to your pad and stash me out in the back yard before I dry up and blow away." That night just before Jack fell in the kit, he made it out to the yard and stashed the stalk in the sun and said, "Go, go, man." He knew that old beanstalk would start jumpin', having studied with Luther Burbank himself who once said to Jack, "Man you've got a crazy green thumb," which is like Diz saying, "You're a gasser." The next morning he went on a health kick and got up, and did a slow boogie woogie through the door, which happened to be closed, and when he got out in the yard, he dug the beanstalk shot right up past the roof and into the clouds. He says to himself, "Man this cat is frantic, blows like Tatum," which is a tough thing for any beanstalk. Just then an elevator door opened, and he went in, pressed the button that said, "Top of the morning." When he arrived he found himself on the Milky Way at a dime-a-dance club called Dreamland. Just as he was about to sit in with the band, he woke up and was real drugged. So he decided to give up the music business and got himself a steady job, even if it didn't come on with too much bread. So he went into television and got a gig as stand-in for Beanie, you dig?
G. The Hip label, 1957. (The Hip label was owned by Harry, and possibly others, including Lord Buckley).
Hip 501
1. I'm Going To Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter
(not written by Harry)
2. Live Fast Die Young Leave A Good Looking Corpse
(see lyrics below)
Hip 502, an EP with 4 songs
1. Live Fast Die Young Leave A Good Looking Corpse
Somebody's got to
die
Somebody's got to die
Somebody's got to die
Everybody's got to drop dead
I got a girl, she's
out of this world
For her I carry a torch
But she wants to live fast, die young, and have a good looking corpse.
I said baby please cool down, without you I'd be lost.
But she wants to live fast, and have a good looking corpse.
I'm the slow solid
steady type
She's kind of fast and loose
The reason we don't hitch up right
She's the engine, and I'm the caboose
But she always lets me hang around
Just as long as she's the boss
Guess I'll have to live fast, die young, and have a good looking corpse.
I used to be the
slow solid steady type, now I'm fast and loose
The reason we hitch up right
I'm the engine and she's the......
But we have a crazy life and she loves me because
I can't call my old lady a caboose, man
We're gonna live fast, and have a good looking corpse.
We'll have the
best-looking bones in the grave yard.
And if you do like we do, so will you
2. Be My Guest
Everybody's welcome
So come on and be my guest
Everybody's welcome
Step right up and be my guest
Now if you're
looking for some kissing
And you really want the best
Baby you don't know just what you're missing
Oh, be my guest
If you want someone to make you
Kind of different from the rest
Better come here and take it
Hey, be my guest
I'm a guy, kind of
shy
When it comes to boasting
And that's the reason you and I
Will never need no coaxing
So why don't we two, build ourselves a nest
And everybody in this town will come around
And be our guest
(repeat last verse)
3. Gotta Way With Women
I'm a gasser, yes I
am
I'm the end, yes I am
I'm too much, yes I am
I'm telling you Jack, I'm all man
I got a way with
women, they all dig my style
Them chicks melt, when they see me smile
I got a way of talking and moonlight walking
They can't resist
When I kiss 'em boy, I kiss 'em,
I'm hip them chicks stay kissed
I got a way with
women, they all say I'm wild
Hey when I tame 'em, look out
They're so meek and mild
I got a way of romancing, I got a way of dancing
I'm a hero divine
I got a way with women
But someone got away with mine
(and how can anybody do a thing like that?)
4. Dixie Preacher Man
They got a preacher
man in Dixie
And he's the leader of the band
The finest from the south
In fact, the greatest in the land
Now all the people in the club
Congregate around the stand
When the saints go marching in
(switches to
Louis Armstrong voice)
When them saints, boy when them saints go marching in
Boy, I can hear them guns marching in
All I want to get is a real low number, boy
When them saints go marching in
(back to normal
voice)
Now if you want to hear some Dixieland today, hurray
The preacher's got the finest band
And them cats swinging Dixie
H. Singles on the Mile label, 1974
Hipster's Boogie, Mile 101 (Also known as "They Call Him Harry The Hipster")
Well there's a
wild funky cat
He blows real great
Rocks the boogie woogie on the 88
A barrelhouse boogie on a rocking trip
He bangs the boogie woogie with a barrelhouse kick
Hey what's his name, mister?
They call him Harry The Hipster
Hey Harry The Hipster
Handsome Harry The Hipster
Yeah, dirty old Harry The Hipster
The
barrelhouse boogie got a boogity beat
Man you got to keep it rocking till you feel the heat
Turn it loose, listen to it roll
Keep on rocking so it don't get cold
Hey that's where it's at, play it nice and fast
Yeah, nice and fast
I can listen
to it rocking, all night long
Stomping on the 88's, loud and strong
Keep it rolling, you can't go wrong
The barrelhouse boogie is my favorite song
Hey you're doing it fine, play it one more time
Hey, one more time
repeat first verse
Inflationary Blues, Flip side of Mile 101
(see 1976 live show below for lyrics)
Keep Venice Nude, Mile 102
Everybody's in
the nude in Venice, California
Skinny dipping in the ocean, all day long
Nobody's wearing any clothes
In their birthday suits they pose
On the beach, and off the shore
They're showing more and more and more and more
People come
from near and far
Just to watch the fun
Looking at the beautiful bodies
Playing in the nude out in the sun
So let's all strip and streak out
Cause in the sand we're going to have a freak out
And let's keep, let's keep Venice California nude
Keep Venice
nude
For every chick and dude
You know it's not crude
To walk around in the nude
Keep Venice nude
Hey don't be a prude
Now that you are clued
You're gonna have a ball in the nude
Here
come a couple of out-of-towners
What's you eyeballing, chief?
Put them binoculars down
Your peepers are popping out all over your head
Oh I'm just looking at one of them naked fishermen over there
The one with a big fancy fishing pole
He's sure using some kind of expletive deleted for a fishing rod
He might even hook himself a mermaid. Or two.
Here's a couple of little-old-lady tourists
Let's take our clothes off and you can join in the fun
Maybe we'll get arrested and get our picture in the paper
Better stonewall it girl, they might use us for a test case
Stonewall it, better stonewall it girl, you hear?, stonewall it
You're going to see a dude
Cause everybody's doing it nude
Yeah, keep Venice nude
And he will keep you in the mood
Hey, let's not feud
Cause it's so cool in the nude
Cool in the nude
Putsi-Putsi, flip side of Mile 102
(nonsense Slim Gaillard type lyrics)
(note: all 4 Mile sides are included on the 1986 album, see below)
I. Harry The Hipster Digs Christmas, LP for the Totem label, 1976
J. Single on 45 RPM for the Totem label, 1976
That's The Spirit
Who's Going Steady With Who
(same lyrics as 1946 version)
K. From live show, 1976, released on 1989 CD, see below
They Call Him Harry The Hipster (Also known as Hipster's Boogie)
There's a wild
funky cat
He blows real great
Rocks the boogie woogie on the 88
A barrelhouse boogie on a rocking trip
He bangs the boogie woogie with a barrelhouse kick
Hey what's his name, mister?
They call him Harry The Hipster
They call him Harry The Hipster
They call him Harry The Hipster
They call him Harry The Hipster
They call him Harry The Hipster
They call him Harry The Hipster
The barrelhouse boogie got a
boogity beat
Man, you got to keep it rocking till you feel the heat
Turn it loose, listen to it roll
Keep on rocking so it don't get cold
Hey that's where it's at, play it nice and fast
Nice and fast
I can listen
to it rocking, all night long
Stomping on the 88's, loud and strong
Keep it rolling, you can't go wrong
The barrelhouse boogie is my favorite song
Hey you're doing it fine, play it one more time
One more time
repeat first verse
Me & Max
(A story he tells while tinkling at the piano, crazy story, funny, but not really a song.)
Who Put the Benzedrine In Mrs. Murphy's Ovaltine?
See 1946 version above.
Lowdown Slowdown Inflationary Blues / Maple Leaf Rag (medley)
Come on and
take a little trip with me
Down to the years of jazz in history
It all began when the people got the blues
Drank a little booze, sang about paying their dues
They say the
nearer the bone, the sweeter the meat
But I'm so beat, there ain't nothing to eat
I've got those lowdown, slowdown inflationary blues
I can't ride
in my car, it won't go that far
Don't even get to hang around the neighborhood bar
I've got those low pay, no play inflationary blues
And there used
to be a time
When a dime was a dime
And a penny was worth a cent
And if you got the blues
You paid your dues
And had enough left over to pay the rent
But in times
like this, you either hit or miss
I'm telling you man, I'm in a hell of a fix
I got those lowdown, slowdown inflationary blues
(excellent piano chorus here)
From the fat
to the bone, in almost every home
Folks are making due
It's plenty tough enough, when the going gets rough
I'll be lucky if I make it all the way through
But I ain't giving up, it's not the way to go
I'm gonna hang on in there, take it slow
I got those lowdown, slowdown inflationary blues, that's bad news
Those lowdown, slowdown inflationary blues
And later on,
as time went by
Folks got high, found a new way to fly (sound of toking on joint)
Forgot to cry, put down that old bad time
Got a rinky-dink piano
And played a new style called Ragtime.
Ragtime.
(moves without break into next song)
Maple Leaf Rag (continued from above piece)
Way back
(undecipherable)
(second line undecipherable)
Ragtime jazz and syncopated lowdown jam
They can sing and dance to the rhythm
You ought to see the way they did the Cakewalk then
It was just a quick (undecipherable)
(next line undecipherable)
(piano instrumental, excellent ragtime-rock fusion)
(undecipherable) that it's ever been
(undecipherable) and brought it back again
Scott Joplin got hot again
That old time sound came back around
You can hear "The Entertainer" playing
All around the country it's a jukebox hit
Ragtime jazz, everybody playing
If you want to hear it (undecipherable)
(More excellent ragtime-rock piano.)
(undecipherable line)
Talking about the Maple Leaf Rag
(Breaks into "The Entertainer" for 2 bars)
Ragtime Raggedy Ann
Playing around
the corner, at the neighborhood bar
A little old lady's a piano star
She can tickle the ivories to beat the band
And they call her Ragtime Raggedy Ann
She knows all the old time popular songs
Blows a rinky-dink piano, all night long
If you buy her a shot she'll give it everything she's got
And Ragtime Raggedy Annie gets hot
(piano solo)
Hey she can't
read a note, plays piano by ear
Strings (undecipherable) about that booze and beer
When the drums get you banging on the old 88
The honky tonk box sounds just great
Nobody else within a country mile
Could duplicate her raggedy ragtime style
She can tickle the ivories to beat the band
And they call her Ragtime Raggedy Ann
They call her Ragtime Raggedy Ann
L. From album "Everybody's Crazy But Me," 1986
Hipster's Boogie
(previously released as Mile 101, see above)
Inflationary Blues
(previously released as Mile 101, see above)
Wild Hip Rap
(nonsense lyrics)
Solution For Pollution
Yeah you
better put lots of plants in the pot
If you're gonna cook it up at all
And you gotta have a lot of pot in the plants
It's the only way to go, when you're looking to boil
Then you throw in the twigs, stems and seed
For a good count, and a little speed
Now you're cooking it right
Hey don't get uptight
Cause you're helping the solution for pollution
By keeping the smoke, from the poke
Take a poke and hold in the smoke
It's no joke don't stoke up the smoke
When you're helping the solution for pollution
(Keep the smoke down, man).
Gotta plant a
lot of seeds in the sun
When you're cultivation hairy organic pot
You can even stash, some hash in the grass
Keep it cool, unless you're looking to crash
When you take a trip, play it hip
Watch out for air pollution cause it's full of (makes toke sound)
You better put a lot of pot in the dough
And cook your little brownies slow
By keeping down the smoke, from a poke
Take a poke and hold in the smoke
It's no joke don't stoke up the smoke
When you're helping the solution for pollution
(Keep the smoke down, man).
If you want to
get bombed and don't need an excuse
Just turn on ??, easy on the juice
However, whenever you light up a stick
The smoke stays in, hey man, you know the trick
So if you drop some pills, and take a trip
Every now and then they say it's good to flip
So for the sake of evolution
You got to help the solution for pollution
Now with a
sniff sniff here, a sniff sniff there, etc
(ad libs sniffing and toking sounds)
Now you're
helping the solution for pollution
(Keep the smoke down, man).
Homegrown
Hey there's a
piece of land
With an awful lot of charm
Way out in the country
And it's called a happy farm
The folks around the place
Wear a smile on their face
They're the happiest people
In the whole human race
They grow their own
Everything they grow is homegrown
That's the way they go
On their own
Yeah they only grow their own, homegrown
(repeat last line 4 times)
Now when
you're passing by
You'll be welcome to stay
You're liable to get high
And never go away
After all is said and done
Life could be a lot of fun
If everybody grew their own
And had a green thumb
Homegrown, at
the happy home
They grow their own, you'll never be alone
Or want to roam, just stay stoned, on homegrown
Stay stoned, on homegrown
Stay stoned, on homegrown
Mocha
(nonsense lyrics in mock Spanish)
Stop That Dancing Up There
(Same lyrics as 1944 version above)
Keep Venice Nude
(previously released as Mile 102, see above)
Putsi-Putsi
(Also spelled Putzi Putzi)
(previously released as Mile 102,
see above)
Male Chauvinistic Pig
Yeah, I got a
man always treats me right
Gives me lots of loving every night
Makes it to his job, rain or shine
When he gets paid, he brings home every dime
I can't complain, he even gave me his name
I don't know exactly just how to explain
I'm going to sign up with the women's lib
Cause I'm in love with a male chauvinistic pig
I'm going to join the women's lib
I'm going to learn how to work a gig
I guess I'm just about to flip my lid
Cause I'm in love with a male chauvinistic pig, oink oink
He's a male chauvinistic pig
Now on his day off, he always takes me out
To a bar or football game, or a boxing bout
Buys me everything I ask him for
A girl couldn't really, really ask for any more
He don't fool around with any other chicks
Got a sense of humor, and we have a lot of kicks
He's not too small, and he ain't too big
I'm in love with a male chauvinistic pig
I'm going to join, the women's lib
I'm going to put him down, like the others did
Hey if I don't I'm like to flip my lid
Cause I'm in love with a male chauvinistic pig
Oink Oink
I'm in love with a male chauvinistic pig
Yeah I'm going
to try to make him understand
That lots of other women all over this land
Can do a job as good as any man
He'll probably just laugh and say, "Well I'll be damned."
I've learned a
lot from the women's lib
Tell it like it is, and you don't have to fib
Going to put him down, like the others did
I'm going to hip that male chauvinistic pig, oink oink
I'm going to hip that male chauvinistic pig
Yeah, set him right, straighten him out
I'm going to tell him what it's all about
And if he won't pick up, and if he don't dig
I'm going to leave that male chauvinistic pig
Now
listen to me girls, if he don't dig
You better leave that male chauvinistic pig
Oink Oink
Ragtime Raggedy Ann
(Same lyrics as 1976 version above)
M. From album
"Who Put The Benzedrine In
Mrs. Murphy's Ovaltine," 1989.
This album also includes several live recordings from 1976, see above
Hey Man! You Just Made My Day
I'm the kind
of guy, always high
On reefers, hash and snow
And I just got a kilo of pot
From Acapulco, Mexico
I went to a flick, picked up a chick
Just to pass the time away
After she got out of bed, this is what she said
"Hey, you just made my day, man
"You just made my day."
Man I'm
bugged, I just got mugged
In a park by a real bad dude
Broke my nose, took my clothes
Left me in the nude
Kicked my cash, found my stash
And before he went away
He hit me in the head, and this is what he said,
"Man, you just made my day, man
"You just made my day."
I went
to blow, gigging a show
In a town called Indio
Went out with a chick, who was doing the strip
And danced the Adagio
She took me to her pad, and she was glad
When she took off her negligee
She jumped into bed, and here's what I said,
"Hey baby, you just made my day, yeah
You just made my day."
I Got Framed
(Lieber-Stoller)
(Lyrics follow the Lieber-Stoller song but with some Harry Hipster ad
libs)
I Wanna Go Back To My Little Grass Shack
I want to
go back to my little grass shack in Kailua-Kona,
Hawaii
Where the grass is sure a gas,
The Maui Wowie keeps me high,
all day long
We don't have snow upon the hill tops
But there's enough to go around down below
And you can even fill your pill box
With uppers, downers, anyway you want to go
I want to go back to my little grass shack in Kailua-Kona,
Hawaii
Where you can roll up the pad
And smoke the joint down to the ground
Then you plant all the seeds, grow a new batch of weed
And build another shack from all the stems and leaves
I want to go back to my little grass shack in Kailua-Kona,
Hawaii
Where the hash is sure a gas, Maui Wowie keeps me high
Who Put The Benzedrine In Mrs. Murphy's Ovaltine
(See 1946 version)
Get Hip To Shirley MacLaine
Gonna take a
trip
On an astral plane
I got hip to a chick
Her name is Shirley MacLaine
She said we
all made the scene on planet earth before
And I can go along with you forever more
Everything's groovin' all right
We'll be dancing in the light tonight
Tonight's the night to be bright
We'll be dancing in the light tonight
Bobba doo bee bop (scats)
Well all right, dig dig dig
Well all right, mop mop mop
Moving and grooving on an astral plane
Get hip to Shirley MacLaine
You heard
about the new age
Now it's all the rage
And some people I know
Got high and flew right in a UFO
Now if you dig somebody you think is great
You might have dug them back in 1448
That's the name of the game
Get hip to Shirley MacLaine
And if you
want to dig a sound with a groovy tone
All you gotta do is sing Om Om Om
Lighten up, kick back, don't be lame
Get hip to Shirley MacLaine
Dig what I'm
saying
It's all in the brain
When you don't have nobody else
You always got your higher self
So when you're flying high and hit the top
Don't fall off the mountain when it gets too high
Play it cool like a glass of champagne
She's hip, Shirley MacLaine
The branches
are thin
Way out on a limb
But if you're looking for a treat
That's where the fruit is always sweet
You better come on along with me my dear
We can all have a ball, and get there from here
It's a fantastic trip
On the astral projection trip
Now I ain't gonna try to explain
Or even name the name of the game
But I'm not ever gonna be the same
Since I got hip to Shirley MacLaine
I Flipped My Wig In San Francisco
I blew some
snow
Back in San Francisco
It sure was great, it sure was great
Flying around the Golden Gate, yeah
Took me one
of them little cable cars
Went right straight up to Mars
And flew around the stars
Oh yes we did
Man you know I wouldn't fib
I blew a lid
Back in San Francisco
Stayed high on a hill
With all those crazy pills
Now that
I'm back to old San
Francisco
I know you know
I'm going to go
Blow some blow
Yeah I flipped
my wig
Smoking in San Francisco
Stayed high on the hill
On all those crazy pills
Now that I'm
back to old San Francisco
I know you know, I'm going to go, Blow some blow
Yeah one more time
I know you know, I'm going to go, Blow some blow
Back in the Days of Dixieland and Bop
Back in the
Days of Dixieland and Bop
We were burning tea
And all that grass was pot
Swingers were cats who blew in the band
Blow was called snow and smack was H, for heavyweights
Dudes who were in the know
Hash never changed at all
Like dope, coke and alcohol
A fix is a fix, is a fix (scats)
You never know, when they're gonna drop the bomb
Back in the Days of Dixieland and Bop
We were burning grass
And all that grass was pot
Swingers were cats who blew in the band
Blow was called snow and smack was H, for heavyweights
Dudes who were in the know
A fix is a fix, is a fix, whenever you're having a ball
Hash never changed at all
No matter what you smoke, don't be a dope
Do whatever turns you on
Cause you never know, when they're gonna drop the bomb
(One never knows, do one)
Boogity Woogity Blues
Come on pick
up on the boogie man
Gonna boogie woogie boogity blue
I said the boogie man
Rocking and rolling with you
When he plays the boogie woogie
Boogie woogie boogity blue
Boogie in the
morning, boogie every night
Do the boogie woogie till we get it right
Boogie in the snow, boogie in the grass
Man that's a gas, taking all the blast
With the boogie man
Rocking and rolling with you
When he plays the boogie woogie
Boogie woogie boogity blue
Some like it
cold, some like it hot
Some like to roll in the you know what
Boogie on the bottom, boogie on the top
Do the boogie woogie, and then we're gonna rock
With the boogie man, rocking and rolling with you
When he blows the boogie woogie, boogie woogie boogity blue
Boogie on the
beat, boogie on your feet
Do the boogie woogie, walking down the street
Some do it fast, some do it slow
Do the boogie woogie, and go go go
With the boogie man, rocking and rolling with you
When he blows the boogie woogie, boogie woogie boogity blue
When he blows the boogie woogie, boogie woogie boogity blue
All right
Thanks For The Use Of The Hall
Thanks for the
use of the hall
Hope you had a ball, one and all
Used up all my coke
Smoked a lot of dope
Wish you could have made, it one and all
I'm only going to be here, for one more minute
Won't be long before I fly away
Hope you dug the bit, picked up on the trip
I'll be getting high another day
Going to have to fly away
(piano)
repeat first verse
N. Gibson songs not issued. From radio or movies, or radio transcription records.
Pig Foot Pete
(Pig Foot Pete was written
by Don Raye but this version contains so many Harry Gibson ad libs and lyric
changes that it's included here. Harry played this song on
the Connee Boswell radio show April 12, 1944, one week before his first
recording session with Musicraft.)
(classical piano) Pig Foot stop that practicing up there. Play me some boogie woogie, man.
Well all right.
(boogie piano)
Well that�s what I�m talking
about. Yes, uh huh?
Well looka here, looks like my old friend, Harry The Hipster�s coming down here.
What you know Harry? What you doing, man? Ain�t seen you around the Apple
lately.
Oh I been around Jack, just didn�t fall into you, I hear you playing that wild
boogie woogie now. Solid, man, I got to fall in on it you it. Uh huh?
You seen any of the boys around?
Yeah man I just hit Cary the Clipster.
Oh solid, I know that cat, he�s in there.
Well, listen to some of that boogie now.
(boogie piano)
Yes, that�s what I mean.
You going to chirp one for me, old man?
Solid man.
I�ll fall in, I�ll do a little boasting. You
know I ain�t no Connee Boswell but, I�ll put my story down
Well lets hear it, let�s hear it man.
Well all right.
Well out in Kansas City on One two street
They say that there�s a guy they call Pig Foot Pete
He plays on the piano by ear
And he�ll play all night for pigs feet and beer
He�s murder on the 88�s
He�s the guy who brought the boogie woogie up to date
He�s got a cannon in his left hand
He�s got a rifle in his right
He�s just a double-barreled gate, well I know
you
And he shoots the eight-beat to you at a frightening rate
He�s a solid wiz, I�ll tell you who he is
He�s Pigfoot Pete, the boogie woogie elite
His hands are just as big as Virginia hams
And when he goes to work they�re like battering rams
When he�s playing that box, well look out man
The joint rocks, stick your feet to your socks
Wherever boogie woogie
is part of the plan
You'll find Pig
Foot Pete,
the boogie woogie man
Pig Foot! Play me some of that jumping boogie woogie now.
Yes, that�s what I�m talking about. Mmm, hmm.
The hard way. The hard way. Well look out, man let�s hear some bass.
(piano with heavy bass)
Stay with it, stay with it
Jack.
Where are you going now Pig Foot?
I ain't going nowhere, I been where I was going.
Well get in that home stretch now
(Scats)
You Can Say That Again
(see V-Disc 492 above)
On The Tip Top Of Apple Tree Hill
Prelude in C# Minor (Also known as "Rockin' Ol' Rocky Rachmaninov")
Well I got a special
request to play one of them hard tunes, a guy says to me, "Hey Gibson, play me
some Rachmaninov." So I'll see if I can rock a little jive on old Rocky
Rachmaninov.
(piano intro)
One of them hard tunes
(piano, classical)
So far so good
(piano)
Gibson you got the music upside down
(piano)
Don't let me hear none of them clinkers now
(piano)
Very pretty
(switches to boogie piano)
Gibson, you can't do that to
Rachmaninov!!
(more boogie piano)
Ol' Rocky is really rocking now, man! Uh huh?
(piano, few bars of Gibson's own "Riot In Boogie")
How did that get in there? Huh?
(more piano, bits from several different
boogies, then switches back to classical for a few bars, ends in scat singing
and more boogie)
Hipster's Blues Opus No. 69
(Same as Hipster's Blues Opus 6 7/8. This song, one of Harry's first, was originally called "She knifed her old man." According to Harry, it is the one Billie Holliday liked the most.)
Get Your Juices At The Bar
(Same as Get Your Juices At The Deuces)
Harry The Hipster Opening Theme
Look out man, this is Harry
The Hipster Gibson
Gonna gas you with some of them solid gasses, man
Well all root McVoot, Well all root McVoot, Well good deal MacNeal
That's the way I feel. That's what I'm talking about.
Harry The Hipster Closing Theme (Paramount Ending)
Hey Gibson, you forgot to play
the ending man, play that Paramount ending. That's what I'm talking about.
(Instrumental)
Down The Road A-Piece
(This song was recorded by Chuck Berry in 1960, as well as the Rolling Stones, Foghat, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bruce Springsteen, Brownsville Station, Manfred Mann, and many others, including an early 1946 version by Amos Milburn, and the original 1940 version by the Will Bradley Trio. Harry sang it in his 1945 radio performances on live radio from Billy Bergs on Vine Street in Hollywood, California, on October 8, 1945 and it was transcribed by the AFRS (Armed Forces Radio Service) program Jubilee #151. Harry also played it again from Billy Berg's on November 13, 1945 in a duet with Stan Kenton, and that show was recorded by the AFRS program Jubilee #156. In 1946, Milburn recorded a version of the song with some errors in the lyrics, which were copied and changed even more by Chuck Berry, versions of the song after that repeated those errors and added more, until later versions with grossly distorted lyrics that make no sense were made. Gibson sings the correct lyrics to the song, as written in 1940 by Don Raye, who also wrote "Pig Foot Pete," and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy from Company B." The lyrics make a reference to Freddie Slack and the record "Beat Me Daddy, Eight To The Bar," (which Don Raye also wrote!!!!), and also to drummer Ray McKinley who was called "Eight Beat Mack" in the Will Bradley Trio's original recording, as well as Doc Goldberg, who played bass. The middle part in italics is Harry's ad lib lyrics for the October 8 show. His ad libs for the November 13 show, which was a piano duet with pianist Stan Kenton, are included below it.) The lyrics of the song were specifically written for the Will Bradley Trio, as it mentions all 3 of them, and the vocals in that original recording were performed by McKinley and Don Raye himself. Harry Gibson was the first to cover that record, and it has been covered by over 100 artists since then. This song is a rock and roll classic that dates to 14 years before Elvis made his first Sun record! The Will Bradley Trio recording of this song is probably the first actual rock and roll record ever made by white musicians. And you can quote me on that. That's a pretty big statement, but I can back it up, and would be glad to wager a bet on it.
Now if you like to boogie woogie, I know the
place
It's just an old piano and a knocked-out bass
The drummer man's a guy they call Eight Beat Mack
Now you remember Doc and old "Beat Me Daddy" Slack
Man it's better than chicken fried in bacon grease
Come along with me boys, it's just down the road a-piece
Well looka here, if it ain't Louis the Lusher. What you say Louis?
Where are you going man, all dressed up in your new zoot suit?
You look like you're really going sporting tonight, man
Looka here, if it ain't Hoagie the Hypester
What you say, man? Cutting down the road a-piece
They got one of them joints that really jumps down there, man
Billy Berg's RendezVous
Maybe I better fall down there and latch onto some of that jive
I hear they got one of those crazy boogie woogie piano players down there
Harry the Hopster or something
Well let's fall down and dig the character
I can hear him from here
Now there's a place you really get your kicks
It's open every night from 'bout 12 to 6
Now if you want to boogie woogie, you'll get your thrill
They put the eight-beat to you like an old steam drill
Come along with me boys before they lose their lease
It's just down the road, down the road a-piece
(Below is the ad lib part Harry sang during the November 13, 1945 show with Stan Kenton:)
Hey man, let's fall on down
the road a-piece, Jack
I hear they got one of them wild, crazy joints down there, man
Rockin' on the corner of Vine Street, you know
Oh, they got a couple of them crazy boogie woogie piano players down there, you
know
Ol' Stanly Steaming Kenton, you know
And Harry The Hoot Gibson
I know those characters, man
Let's fall down and dig 'em
I'm right behind 'em, man
Keep The Beat
(Harry wrote this song for the movie Junior Prom in 1946, although he doesn't receive songwriting credit in the movie).
The video can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjgg7qcvF_8&mode=related&search= .
Students, hey students
Are you ready for your lesson today?
The one thing to show you
Is to play it right and sing the right way
So gather closely, and lend an ear
To all the solid things you'll hear
Swing it fast or swing it slow
Sing it high or sing it low
But there's one thing you've got to know:
Keep the beat! Keep the beat!
You can play it boogie, or
play it blues
Swing it lightly or jump it too
But there's one thing you've got to do
Keep the beat! Keep the beat!
There are so many styles of rhythm
From allegro way down to lento
But here's the deal. Good deal, MacNeal
Tempo, kiddies, tempo
You can learn to ? through the song
Take it slow or get it gone
But there's one thing you must not do wrong
Keep the beat, re-beep, re-beep, be-beep! Keep the beat!
Got that straight?
(Yes professor, we got that straight)
Well the lesson is over, get on your feet
Let's go to town and dig the beat!
Recordings from a live Dr. Demento radio show, May 9, 1976
1. Stay Demented
(This was recorded live on the Dr. Demento show, above date, replayed 4 times.)
2. Riot In Boogie
(Instrumental, recorded live on the above radio show, replayed twice)
Below are Harry's hand-written charts for some of his later songs, courtesy of Jeff Silvertrust.
The lyrics may differ from what he actually sang.
july 4 2007