Long John Baldry - Don't Try to Lay No Boogie Woogie on the King of R lyrics

rate me

You know I remember a few years ago, some funny things used to happen

to me, about 1956-57. At that time, there was no blues scene or, uh, not

really any kind of scene in, uh, London. I used to go out and play my guitar

in the streets and sing things with a passin'the hat down uh , bars and a hat down. I remember one

particular night, I was uh, playing the guitar in a little alleyway just off of

Wardour street in Soho and uh, I got busted by the police. This policeman

came up and dragged me and my guitar and my hat full of pennies off to

the police station. Anyway, the next day I had to appear in Marlboro street

police court and uh, it was quite a day. Police officer giving his evidence:

"I was proceeding in a Southerly direction, milord, when I heard uh, strange

sounds coming from the Wardour place, milord. A sort of boogie-woogie music

was being played. On further investigation, I saw the defendant standing there

with a guitar and an old hat on the floor collecting pennies. Well, I decided that

uh, he was contravening a breach of the peace, there as there was a traffic jam

about five miles long down on Wardour street, wondering what all the uh, fuss was

about, so then I arrested the uh, defendant"

"Uh, just one moment, officer. Wh-what is this boogie-woogie music here we're

talking about?"

"Oh, well milord", said the officer, getting out his notebook, obviously been up

doing his homework, "it's a kind of jazz rhythm music peculiar to the American

negro"

"Oh. What was the defendant doing, uh, playing this kind of music there in

Walldor street?"

Anyway, I got off with a caution, a year's conditional discharge, but I'll always

remember that policeman and his boogie-woogie, so don't try to lay no

boogie-woogie on the king of rock and roll.

Don't you tell me n-n-n-no lies woman 'cause all you know I've told

Don't sell me no alibi sister 'cause all you've got I've sold

You better leave that midnight sneakin' to the one who worked it out

I don't wanna hear no back talk speakin' so go on and shut yer mouth

And everything's gonna work out tight if you act like you been told

So don't try to lay no boogie woogie on the king of rock and roll.

Don't you feed me no TV dinners when you know I'm used to steak

I don't need no rank beginners when it's time to shake the shake

You better pull your thing together, reach in and dust it out

And if ya feel that you just can't dig it then I guess you know the route (Baldry's:"you don't know what it's all about.")

It ain't a matter of argument that's gonna justify your soul

Just don't try to lay no boogie woogie on the king of rock and roll.

Don't try to lay no boogie-woogie on the king of rock and roll.

You weren't alive when I started to drive, so don't pull the rug on me

You didn't arrive 'til late '45 but your head's in '53.

You got what it takes to keep their heads a-spinnin' down by the old rib shack

And you come across just like a fool grinnin'(Baldry's:"woman") in the back of a red Cadillac.

You can't come across the Astral Bridge until you pay the toll

So don't try to lay no boogie woogie on the king of rock and roll.

Thanks to Ian Gibson for these lyrics

I just came across a long discussion about the lyrics I have changed above. There were many, many suggestions but everyone agreed they weren't sure. I had always heard it as "You can't come across the ASTRAL BRIDGE until you pay the toll," but I had no idea what that meant. Maybe there were something I had come across earlier that was in my subconscious. So I just Googled "Astral Bridge," and, I'll be damned! I think this is it!

Thanks to Jerry LaHoste for these lyrics

Thanks to John Greene for these lyrics

Thanks to Byward Bob for correcting these lyrics

Thanks to Ala3n Will for correcting these lyrics