Lyr Add: Green Door (and parody)

Subject: Lyr Add: GREEN DOOR
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 11:51 PM

Here's the original:

GREEN DOOR
(Marvin Moore & Bob Davie)

Midnight, one more night without sleepin',
Watchin' till the mornin' comes creepin'.
Green door, what's that secret you're keepin'?

There's an old piano and they play it hot behind the green door.
Don't know what they're doin' but they laugh a lot behind the green door.
Wish they'd let me in so I could find out what's behind the green door.

Knocked once, tried to tell them I'd been there.
Door slammed. Hospitality's thin there.
Wonder just what's goin' on in there.

Saw an eyeball peepin' through a smoky cloud behind the green door.
When I said "Joe sent me," someone laughed out loud behind the green door.
All I want to do is join the happy crowd behind the green door.

Midnight, one more night without sleepin',
Watchin' till the mornin' comes creepin'.
Green door, what's that secret you're keepin'?
Green door, what's that secret you're keepin'?
Green door!

[Recorded by Jim Lowe, 1956.]

Subject: Lyr Add: SCREEN DOOR (from Homer & Jethro)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 11:53 PM

And here's the parody:
Lyrics transcribed from the sound file at http://www.geocities.com/u2page5/

SCREEN DOOR (GREEN DOOR)
(As sung by Homer & Jethro)

Last night both of us went a-prowlin',
Sneaked out, left our wives home a-howlin'.
Screen door wouldn't let me an' my pal in.

Well, I put my ear agin the door. I bet this will astound you.
They were playin' checkers, 'cause a voice yelled out, "You hound, you!
If you make just one more move like that I'm gonna ground you."

Midnight, in the winder we're peepin',
Hopin' both our wives are still sleepin'.
Screen door, hope you'll let us sneak in.

Well, she thought I was a dog 'cause I heard her holler through the screen door:
"Hey, Fido, come on in here and get behind the screen door."
So I licked her hand till she went to sleep again behind the screen door.

Mornin' out in the barn we're a-sleepin',
Out where she keeps the cows and the sheep in.
Screen door, won't you please let us sneak in?
Screen door, won't you please let us sneak in?

[Recorded by Homer & Jethro on "Humorous Side of Country Music," 1963; "Ooh, That's Corny," 1963; and "Assault the Rock & Roll Era," 1989.]

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Green Door (and parody)
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 14 Jan 04 - 05:22 AM

Ah, happy memories of Frankie Vaughn! I could do the high kick back then in the 50s, but Ican't get so high these days.

Steve

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Green Door (and parody)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 14 Jan 04 - 08:38 AM

Thanks, Jim, for posting this.

They just don't make songs like this any more.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Green Door (and parody)
From: Joybell
Date: 14 Jan 04 - 05:34 PM

Oh Yes! The story of my youth. Never knew how to fit in. Joy

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Green Door (and parody)
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 14 Jan 04 - 05:43 PM

One has to wonder whether the rather risque film made with a similar title was inspired by this song, or, if you'll pardon the expression, vice versa.

Robin

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Green Door (and parody)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 16 Jan 04 - 12:54 AM

According to Excalibur Films, "Behind the Green Door" came out in 1972, but the song goes back to 1956.

O. Henry wrote a short story called "The Green Door" which may have been the inspiration for both of them. The text is here.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Green Door (and parody)
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 16 Jan 04 - 04:01 AM

Weirdest thing happened to me with this song. When I was a youngster (A year or two ago now) and Frankie Vaughn was in the charts with this I dreamt, literaly, of singing it. When I woke in the morning I wrote all the words down - and they were near enough right!

Never happened since and I still don't know the words to most songs I sing;-)

Cheers

DtG