Lyrics

You can download all the lyrics to the ‘Jungle Blues’ album here as a PDF.

– - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
LYRICS FOR ‘JUNGLE BLUES’ ALBUM

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

1. JUNGLE BLUES

(Words and Music by C.W. Stoneking)

“That’s right folks, who knows what strange wonders awaits our expeditioners
on this journey to the dark corners of the globe, for this scientific purpose,…”
“Uh, excuse me sir, there’s been a problem with the boat. Ship’s engineer wants to see you at once”
“Quieten down man. We sail by midnight”
An I went off sailin for the Congo,
In a sloop called the Mississippi Song-o
Now I’m here singin them Jungle Blues
In a shipwreck, way out on the ocean,
Swimmin blind, lord, prayin and a’hopin,
I washed up singin them Jungle Blues.
Can’t you hear them Jungle Drums thumpin?
Buddy, that’s what gets my heart to jumpin,
It ain’t nuthin but them Jungle Blues,
And the monkeys, goin pitter-patter,
In the darkness, my teeth begin to chatter,
There ain’t no cure for them Jungle Blues

2. TALKIN LION BLUES

(Words and Music by C.W. Stoneking)

O-da-lay-eeeeeee
O-da-lay-ee-ee-ee
O-de-o-lay-ee-oh-oh
O-da-lay-eee
I was over in Africa minin’ for gold
O-oooh, minin’ for gold,
Come along a big lion, caught me in my hole
O-de-lay-eee, caught me in my hole
The lion said “Buddy, you plumb outta luck”
O-da-lay-eee, you plumb outta luck,
Made a lunge for me, lawd, I had to duck
O-de-lay-eee, I had to duck
I jabbed that lion right clean in the jaw
O-oooh, right clean in the jaw
Picked up his tail, dragged him cross the floor
O-de-lay-eee, dragged him cross the floor
I chained him up in the back of my truck
O-oooh, in the back of my truck
Said, “What’s that you had to say about luck?”
O-de-lay-eee, that you said about luck

*(Verse omitted from album recording)

Right then I decided to quit that gold mine,
O-oooh, to quit that gold mine,
Now I had done caught me a talkin lion
O-de-lay-eee, a talkin lion*
The first place I took him was ten miles away,
O-ooh, ten miles away
Told the people, “Listen what this lion can say”
O-de-lay-eee, what this lion can say
The lion looked round, he started to cry,
O-ooh, he started to cry,
Said, “This man punched me and he blackened my eye”
O-da-lay-eee, and he blackened my eye.
The people got angry, they started to shout,
O-da-lay-ee-ee-ee-eee
Lion said, “That’s what I was talkin about”
O-de-lay-eee, oh-oh, lawd, lawd.
They hauled me up the courthouse stairs,
O-oooh, up the courthouse stairs
The judge was a monkey in an old wicker chair
O-de-lay-eee, in an old wicker chair.
The monkey said, “Guilty”, and the people all cheered,
O-oooh, and the people all cheered
He slammed his gavel, said “Twenty five years”
O-da-lay-eee, said twenty five years
I’m in Africa wearin a ball and chain,
O-de-lay-ee, a ball and chain,
I’ll never mess with a talkin lion again
O-oooh, talkin lion again

3. JUNGLE LULLABY

(Words and Music by C.W. Stoneking)

It was deep in the Jungles of Africa,
Where the bugs is thick as fleas,
And the heat will drive sane men crazy,
And the water’s full o’ disease
I went out walkin with a beautiful girl,
Where the spotted honeysteppers fly,
We lay down under the bamboo trees,
I sang that Jungle Lullaby
Singin, swingin,
On a lazy afternoon in paradise
Croonin, swoonin,
That old time song, where the days are long,
It’s a Jungle Lullaby
Well we made it down to a riverbank,
Spied a steamboat comin along,
Then we hitched a ride, lawd, lookin over the side,
Everything was goin on wrong,
There was bird-eatin spiders, big as my fist,
Snakes that hung down like vines
And eyes that watched as we drifted along ,
I sang that Jungle Lullaby
Singin, swingin,
On a lazy afternoon in paradise
Croonin, swoonin,
That old time song, where the days are long,
It’s a Jungle Lullaby
Bom – bow – domp,….
Bomp – ow – domp – ay – ohh..
lay – dat – omp
Folks you know, when we got back into town that night,
there was excitement in the air.
I heard there was a party over at the Officers Club, so I took that girl on over,
Man, we walked in the joint, orchestra playin so sweet I thought I’d die.
I got up on that old bandstand,
sang that Jungle Lullaby,
Singin, swingin,
On a lazy afternoon in paradise
Croonin, swoonin,
That old time song, where the days are long,
It’s a Jungle Lullaby

4. BRAVE SON OF AMERICA

(Words and Music by W. Houdini)

His name would always be, always be recorded in history
His name would always be, always be recorded in history
It gives me inspiration to sing, his heroic stand in the Phillipines
No man can be braver than General MacArthur, the Son of America
With his traditional warriors at his side, he gave the Japanese the first suprise,
For when they called on him to surrender, “I am an American” was his answer,
“And in the name of democracy, I will die for freedom and liberty”,
They don’t come no braver than General MacArthur, the Son of America
Let us go back in past history, go think George Washington and General Lee,
Hmm even hailin’ Patrick Henry, Abe Lincoln – emancipator in slavery
But we’ll read of MacArthur when he’s gone, for he’s a genius if one was ever born
They don’t come no braver than General MacArthur, the Son of America.
When you hear me singing my characteristic song, from the book of editions that last so long,
This vocabulary that is list in me, it is owing to my high class propensity,
I am not versed in psychology, I’m a man who can sing intelligently,
I say they come no braver than General MacArthur, the Son of America
With the stars and stripes laying at his side, for this flag he intend to die,
MacArthur, the man with the heart of steel, to the invading Japs he wouldn’t never yield,
He told the Japanese for a fact, “I’m leaving Corregidor, but I’m coming back”
They don’t come no braver than General MacArthur, the Son of America.

5. JAILHOUSE BLUES

(Words and Music by C.W. Stoneking)

You hear me singin,
Down in the bottom of the world,
A thousand miles from nowhere, dreamin bout a girl
She used to love me but I, went away,
They gonna keep me here ’til the Judgement Day.
Lord, lord, lord, I got the Jailhouse Blues
Ain’t no tellin,
What a man will do,
This old world, to make it through,
Some would murder with a gun or a knife,
Some would lock a man away the rest of his life,
Lord, lord, lord, I got the Jailhouse Blues
I got the Jailhouse Blues,
Just as blue as I can be,
My baby got a heart,
Like a rock in the bottom of the sea
I got the Jailhouse Blues,
An it ain’t no lie, lawd,
Lock on the door, I broke the law,
I got the Jailhouse Blues, (play it for me..),
They says a blind man,
Don’t see nothin when he dream,
There’s plenty things, wish I never seen.
I wish I never seen her askin why,
When they come an taken me, the way that she cried,
Lord, lord, lord,
I got the Jailhouse Blues
I got the Jailhouse Blues,
Just as blue as I can can be,
My baby got a heart,
Like a rock in the bottom of the sea.
I got the Jailhouse Blues,
An it ain’t no lie, lawd,
Lock on the door, I broke the law,
I got the Jailhouse blues
I got the Jailhouse Blues,
Just as blue as I can be,
My baby got a heart,
Like a rock in the bottom of the sea,
I got the Jailhouse Blues,
An it ain’t no lie, lawd,
Lock on the door, I broke the law,
I got the Jailhouse Blues.

6. HOUSEBOUND BLUES

(Words and Music by C.W. Stoneking)

Hmm mm mmm…
Ahhh…
All across this bad-luck land, a story keeps botherin’ me,
concernin the woman and the man, and this inequality,
Men goes out drinkin all night long
Come in and think it ain’t nothin wrong
I’m bound to bust and it ain’t no lie,
And that’s why you hear me cry….
Said I got them Housebound Blues,
Got them housebound blues,
You ask what’s the matter, what’s the matter with me,
I’m gonna tell you partner so it’s plain to see,
I’m so tired,
Lord it’s more than one woman can bear,
Washin’ dishes, changin diapers, sweepin the floor,
While you puttin on your clothes, walkin out that door,
Housebound Blues,
While you out singin, drinkin your booze,
You bring some money, think you done alright,
Lay down snorin, keep me up all night.
Oh I tell you Willie I had enough of you,
I had it up to here. You just a big pain in my butt.
Housebound Blues,
Oh, got them Housebound Blues
Now that’s it Willie. I had it, I had it up to here. It’s over,
Oh, got them Housebound Blues

7. I HEARD THE MARCHIN OF THE DRUM

(Words and Music by C.W. Stoneking)

Papa played a swingin’ horn,
Back once in a dream
Left it underneath the bed,
Shipped outta New Orleans
There’s his picture, it was taken before the war,
He’s singin’ from a sheet music score,
..”..C’mon along, C’mon along, hear the marchin’ of the drum”
Out in the heat and the bugs,
Where the Jungle gave way,
Came a whistlin’ of bullets,
That carved up the middle of the day
Papa’s eyes is open, but the shutter speed was wrong
All the face is blurred in a song,
“..C’mon along, C’mon along, hear the marchin’ of the drum”
I heard the marchin of the drum,
An’ it pained my heart,
Heard the marchin of the drum,
When the church doors swung apart
The horns was gathered on the church steps,
A sound like snakes rose from the clarinets
All along, all along, I heard the marchin’ of the drum.

8. THE LOVE ME OR DIE

(Words and Music by C.W. Stoneking)

I studied evil, I can’t deny,
Was a hoodoo charm called a Love Me or Die,
Some fingernail, a piece of her dress,
Apocathery, Devil’s behes’
I will relate, the piteous consequence my mistake,
Fallin slave to passin desire,
Makin’ the dreaded Love me or Die.
Against a Jungle primeval green,
She had the looks of a beauty queen
No bangles or chain, wearin’ broken shoe
Seventy-five cent bottle perfume.
I said, “Good mornin”, I tipped my hat,
All the while I was cunning like a rat,
Smilin gaily, looked her in the eye,
I felt in pocket, the Love me or Die
My past history, one to behold,
I studied magic from days of old,
Membership, secret societies,
Power and wealth in my family
But Matilda, Darling,
Why you don’t take my wedding ring,
Like a demon under the floor,
I buried the hoodoo down the back door.
Lawd, word broke through the town,
That a fever strike Matilda down,
Nine thirty, the doctor arrive,
Priest come runnin, quarter to five.
Standin in the weeds early next day,
I saw the meat wagon rollin away,
I seen Matilda layin in the back,
Her old mother wearin a suit of black
Sound the trumpet, and bang the drum,
I wait for me judgement to come,
I know her spirit is down beneath,
I hear the weepin and gnashing of the teeth.
Flames of Hell licks at my feet,
In the shadow of the Jungle I feel the heat,
Matilda’s waiting in Hell for me too,
All cause she died from a bad hoodoo.

9. EARLY IN THE MORNIN

(Words and Music by C.W. Stoneking)
Hmm, mmm

Well I’m never goin back, to that country again,
If I live for a long, long time,
Where my guitar played itself, leanin by the wall,
It give me a worried mind
Well it’s early, in the mornin,
Got my Sunday clothes,
I been out,
The side of the road,
Out where the four winds blow
When I lived there I was superstitious,
I felt like I was bout to die,
Knew every day, like I’d lived it before,
The Devil in the corner of my eye
Well it’s early, in the mornin,
Got my Sunday clothes,
I been out,The side of the road,
Out where the four winds blow
Lord that dirt road long…. empty,
The fields, dark at night,
Ain’t nothin for a person to do
‘tween dusk, and the break o’ daylight
Well it’s early, in the mornin,
Got my Sunday clothes,
I been out,
The side of the road,
Out where the four winds blow.

10. THE GREATEST LIAR

(Words and Music by C.W. Stoneking)
Now ladies and gentlemen, we present for your entertainment tonight,
Down in the Starlight Hotel, all the way from New Orleans – King Hokum.
Hmmmm, Hmmmmm,
Hmmmmm, Hmmmmm,
Hmmmm, Hmmmmm,
Folks, I wanna tell you tonight about the World’s greatest Liar,
That’s right, the greatest that liar ever was, will be, has been, can a been
(And jelly bean!)
Hmph, ..Name of this this fella is Samuel, Jacob, Jackson……Jeremiah, Johnson…
any name that be fittin’ his present situation
(Uh, usually a situation be presently fittin’ him, pair a handcuffs, and leg irons)
Yes, yes quieten down please, quiet down.
Now, I’m gonna refrain from usin’ this man’s name here tonight,
to conceal, to conceal the fact of his true identity – which is unknown to me.
Now Samuel was born early one mornin, I tell you,
There was many important folks there to witness his birth, who was they?
(I don’t know!)
Well, what I’ve learned, through years of investigation, misinformation, and inebriation,
is that that great liar was born to rich, but honest parents, who both died when he was only 12 years old.
My heart goes out to him. It was a blow he suffered again, with their passin, uh, in the street, eleven years later.
As an orphan, Samuel was subject to the most savage beatins, at the hands of the very folks
into whose homes he was sent for the sole purpose, of burglary.
Now, while servin in the Armed Forces,
Samuel Jacob Jehosophat Jellyroll Johnson,
was wounded at the battle of Hastings. That was back round ten sixty six, uh, in the mornin’,
after which he was discharged with the high distinction of never havin’ enlisted.
The memories of war scarred Samuel the rest of his life, because he remembered nothing,
and though he often raised toasts to his fallen, bank balances,
he never taken a drink of liquor the rest of his life – that he paid for.
That’s right Ladies and Gentlemen, only the best blues, hokum, and Jungle music,
down in the Starlight Hotel, every night.