lionel hampton
birth of the blues
Oh! they say some people long ago Were searching for a diff'rent tune One that they could croon  As only they can  They only had the rhythm so They started swaying to and fro They didn't know just what they had And that is how the blues really began  They heard the breeze in the trees Singing weird melodies And they made that  The start of the blues  And from a jail came the wail Of a down hearted frail And they played that  As part of the blues  From a whippoorwill out on a hill They took a new note Pushed it through a horn 'til it was born into a blue note  And then they nursed it, rehearsed it And gave out the news That the southland  Gave birth to the blues!