Lyr Req: Mississippi Mud

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mississippi Mud
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 29 Aug 10 - 07:41 AM

Due to a of proofreading no doubt. I'm lucky I can a whole sentence together.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mississippi Mud
From: Genie
Date: 28 Aug 10 - 11:35 PM

Good transcription, Jim, and those are the lyrics I've seen in sheet music too -- except that you left out the word "beat" in the last line (before "their feet ... ").

Subject: Lyr Add: MISSISSIPPI MUD (from Paul Whiteman, etc.
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 28 Aug 10 - 06:46 PM

Here's my transcription of one of the later recordings. Note that "darkies" had changed to "people" by 1954. I'm not sure who all the vocalists were at this point, but I'm pretty sure I heard Bing Crosby among them. The sung lines are interspersed with scat singing, which I have not bothered to annotate.


MISSISSIPPI MUD
As recorded by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra, Dec. 7, 1954, Coral 61336.

When the sun goes down, the tide goes out,
The people gather 'round and they all begin to shout:
"Hey, hey, Uncle Dud,
It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi mud.
It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi mud."

What a dance do they do!
Lordy, how I'm tellin' you!
They don't need no band.
They keep time by clappin' their hand(s).
Just as happy as a cow chewin' on a cud,
When the people their feet on the Mississippi mud.

Lordy, how they play it!
Goodness, how they sway it!

How that music thrills me!
Wow, it nearly kills me!

REPEAT: What a dance ... etc.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mississippi Mud
From: leeneia2
Date: 27 Aug 10 - 11:29 AM

Go to YouTube and search for 'Mississippi Mud.' There are quite a few versions. Most interesting!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mississippi Mud
From: GUEST,richard
Date: 26 Aug 10 - 04:11 PM

No offense to AA's but the first lines are

When the sun goes down, tide goes out
The darkies gather round and they all begin to shout.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mississippi Mud
From: GUEST,me 2
Date: 17 Jan 06 - 12:38 PM

yo yo yo im realy bored and i cant find what im loking for....yo

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mississippi Mud
From: Flash Company
Date: 20 Jun 04 - 05:10 AM

I have two of the Rhythm Boys recordings, Definitely Uncle Dud!

FC

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mississippi Mud
From: s&r
Date: 19 Jun 04 - 06:42 PM

Uncle Jud?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mississippi Mud
From: Mudlark
Date: 19 Jun 04 - 05:24 PM

And I learned it as Uncle Fud...hmmmm...better than Pud, I guess...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mississippi Mud
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 19 Jun 04 - 12:14 PM

MISSISSIPPI MUD was written by James Cavanaugh and Harry Barris in 1927.

Harry Barris, Bing Crosby, and Al Rinker were the original members of Paul Whiteman's Rhythm Boys, who first recorded it.

The Red Hot Jazz Archive has several complete recordings you can hear:
- 2 versions by The Rhythm Boys from 1927 (medley with I LEFT MY SUGAR STANDING IN THE RAIN)
- 3 versions by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra from 1928 and 1954. The 1928 versions feature vocals by the Rhythm Boys and Bix Beiderbecke on cornet.
- 1 version by the Charleston Chasers from 1928.
- 1 version by Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra from 1928.
They also list versions (without providing sound files) by the Louisiana Rhythm Kings (1928), The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra (1928); Lee Morse and Her Bluegrass Boys (1928) [They had nothing to do with the style of music called bluegrass.], and The Rhythmic Eight (1928).

[Side note: I find it surprising that, in those days, when a song or tune became popular, often several different performers would record it within a year or so of its first appearance. Obviously, things have changed. Is this because performers today typically buy, or retain, exclusive rights to a new song for a certain period of time, before others are allowed to "cover" it?]

AMG - All Music Guide lists 100 recordings of MISSISSIPPI MUD, but I suppose many of those are duplicates, that is, reissues of the same original recordings on multiple compilations.

Subject: RE: lyrics: Mississippi Mud
From: Genie
Date: 15 Jun 04 - 12:59 AM

Gene, your version jibes with the song as I know it, except that I learned it (sheet music, too) as "Uncle Dud" -- which makes the rhyme with "Mud." :)

Subject: RE: lyrics: Mississippi Mud
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 Jun 04 - 12:25 PM

We had an "event" back in 1997 that scrambled some of our threads, and Mixed Burl Ives into the Mud of the Mississippi. I've sorted everything out, and you'll find Burl here (click). Thanks for pointing this out, SRS and Billy.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: lyrics: Mississippi Mud
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jun 04 - 10:08 AM

I'll post this here to keep it in one place with the mistaken post.

This (for me, at any rate) illustrates a problem with the new annotated search feature. I searched on "Burl Ives" and must have come up with the non-sequitur on this thread posted by "Wyatt" who apparently just randomly dropped in to ask an unrelated question. In my search I clicked on "thread," saw mention of Burl Ives, so dropped down to the bottom to add my remark--only to see when it posted that I was using a site that is inappropriate. 1. it's lyrics and 2. it isn't about Burl Ives at all. Oops.

I'll post a note to Joe Offer on the help page, and if he wants he can take these last couple of posts of mine off of the page. But take it under advisement--for as often as we engage in "thread drift" we're going to end up with some odd things resulting from some searches if we read only the annotation (to one entry somewhere in the thread).

SRS

Subject: RE: lyrics: Mississippi Mud
From: Billy Weeks
Date: 14 Jun 04 - 07:46 AM

What, in fact has happened to this thread? It seems to have two separate strands. Can the threadmeisters sort this out?

So far as 'Mississippi Mud' is concerned, the Paul Whiteman version has vocal by the Rhythm Boys (Bing Crosby, Harry Barriss, Al Rinka) and the sound of Bix's cornet is evident. I think it has been reissued on both vinyl and CD. Fine performance, even on 78, once you accept that it is a product of its time and that it is 'darkies' who gather round in the first verse.

Subject: RE: lyrics: Mississippi Mud
From:
Date: 25 Aug 98 - 04:00 AM

I used to have a recording of der Bingle (Bing Crosby)himself singing this tune, with Bix Beiderbeck on trumpet or cornet. The lyrics were somewhat less politically corect, (recorded, I believe in the late '20's) and I recall being shocked and amazed as I listened. Never knew that Patti Page recorded it as well... JESTER!

Subject: Lyr Add: MISSISSIPPI MUD (from Patti Page)
From: Gene
Date: 24 Aug 98 - 07:20 PM

Here is A VERSION of MISSISSIPPI MUD by Patti Page.
Y'ALL COME-PATTI PAGE/Mercurry MGW 12295

MISSISSIPPI MUD
PATTI PAGE

When the sun goes down
The tide goes out
The people gather round and they all begin to shout
Hey! Hey! Uncle Jack!
It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi Mud
It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi Mud.

What a dance do they do
Lordy, how I'm tellin' you
They don't need no band
They keep time by clappin' their hands
Just as happy as a cow chewin' on a cud
When the people beat their feet on the Mississippi Mud.

Lordy how they play it, Goodness how they sway it
Uncle Joe! Uncle Jim!
How they pound the mire with vigor and vim
Sure that music thrills me
Boy, it nearly kills me
What a show, when they go
They either beat it up either fast or slow.

The sun goes down
The tide goes out
The people gather round and they all begin to shout
Hey! Hey! Uncle Jack!
It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi Mud
It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi Mud.

What a dance do they do
Lordy, how I'm tellin' you
They don't need no band
They keep time by clappin' their hands
Just as happy as a cow chewin' on a cud
When the people beat their feet ... on the Mississippi Mud.

Subject: RE: lyrics: Mississippi Mud
From: ambrose
Date: 22 Apr 97 - 07:34 PM

Thanks Tom and Les. That's a good start. Maybe we'll get lucky on the rest of it.

Subject: RE: lyrics: Mississippi Mud
From: Les Blank
Date: 22 Apr 97 - 09:09 AM

---When the sun goes down, the stars come out,

The people gather round and they all begin to shout

Hey Hey Uncle Bud, it's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi Mud !

What a dance do they do, Lordy how I'm telling you !

They don't need no band, they keep time by clappin' their hands.

Easier than a cow, a chewin' on her cud

When the people beat their feet on the Mississippi Mud !!

That's all I remember !!

Subject: RE: lyrics: Mississippi Mud
From: TomG
Date: 21 Apr 97 - 11:17 PM

Before the last line you have above, there's lines: "They don't need no band/ They keep time by a-beatin' their hands/" But I don't remember any more than that. Maybe this will jog someone's memory.

Subject: RE: lyrics: Mississippi Mud
From: TomG
Date: 21 Apr 97 - 11:13 PM

Before the last line you have above, there's lines: "They don't need no band/ They keep time by a-beatin' their hands/" But I don't remember any more than that. Maybe this will jog someone's memory.

Subject: lyrics: Mississippi Mud
From: ambrose
Date: 21 Apr 97 - 06:09 PM

Looking for complete lyrics to Mississippi Mud... "What a dance, do they do, Lawdy Lawd I'm tellin' you, Hey Hey, Uncle Bud, it's a treat tro beat yo' feet on the Mississippi Mud..."