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18 May 97 - 12:16 PM (#5343) Subject: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: cleod Not being raised in the US, I have never figured out the lyrics to this song...the closest I ever got to were Jim Henson's muppets...so, if anyone can help me, please supply me with the lyrics!!! Also, I am looking for the lyrics of Camptown Races...thanks to all!!! |
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18 May 97 - 07:36 PM (#5350) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: In the future you might try SEARCHING the Digital Tradition data base prior to POSTING a request for lyrics to a song.
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18 May 97 - 07:50 PM (#5351) Subject: Lyr Add: CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO^^ From: Gene Graham Found this at: http://www.dejanews.com ... set the age switch CUR/OLD to old....search for choo choo! CHATTANOOGA CHOO-CHOO (Harry Warren & Mack Gordon), 1941 Pardon me boy Is that the Chattanooga Choo-Choo Track twenty-nine Boy, you can give me a shine I can afford To board the Chattanooga Choo-Choo I've got my fare And just a trifle to spare You leave the Pennsylvania station 'Bout a quarter to four Read a magazine And then you're in Baltimore Dinner in the diner Nothing could be finer Than to have your ham and eggs in Carolina When you hear the whistle blowin' Eight-to-the-bar Then you know that Tennessee Is not very far Shovel all the coal in Gotta keep it rollin' Woo, woo, Chattanooga There you are There's gonna be A certain party at the station Satin and lace I used to call funny face She's gonna cry Until I tell her that I'll never roam So Chattanooga Choo-Choo Won't you choo-choo me home? So Chattanooga Choo-Choo Won't you choo-choo me home Won't you choo-choo me home |
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18 May 97 - 10:13 PM (#5357) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: Joe Offer I tried searching the Digital Tradition database for the lyrics, and didn't find them - at least not in the 10/96 PC version. I also tried a Web search for the lyrics, and didn't find them. I was about to transcribe the lyrics for the questioner when some nice person found and posted them. My point is, many of us ask for lyrics because we need them and the sources we've tried don't have them. We ask here for lyrics because there might be somebody here who can help, since most of the people here are quite nice about that sort of thing. Quite often lately, though, somebody seems to feel some sort of moral obligation to be nasty about somebody's simple request for lyrics. I don't think that sort of nastiness is an asset to this group. We may disagree about whether non-folk lyrics should be discussed in this forum, but I think it's important that we always be nice about it. 'Nuff said. -Joe Offer-
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19 May 97 - 07:27 AM (#5366) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: Bobby O'Brien I agree Joe! People should chill out and enjoy the forum and not try to direct it! |
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19 May 97 - 10:24 AM (#5373) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: cleod Thanks to all the NICE people who helped! You've made my day (and my sister's). |
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19 May 97 - 07:50 PM (#5404) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: Camptown Races is in the DT. |
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25 May 97 - 05:10 PM (#5721) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: Hi all! Just to remind everybody to keep it light, i offer the following: Roy Rogers had just gotten this perfectly gorgeous pair of spiffy Tony Lama cowboy boots. He took 'em off that night before going into the house (Dale was very particular about that kind stuff!) In the morning he hurried out to put on his boots but- they were gone!! He noticed cougar tracks nearby and figured out what must have happened - the cougar smelled the leather and went for 'em. Well, he lost no time - yelled at Dale to tell her what had happened, saddled up and rode off with his rifle in search of the cougar. Late that evening, he returned, with the dead cougar and his new boots, half-eaten, across the saddle. He was just telling one of the ranch hands what had happened, when Dale spotted him and called out, "Pardon me Roy, is that the cat that chewed your new shoes?" ....my apologies ;-) HB |
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26 May 97 - 02:13 AM (#5741) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: Alan of Oz Sorry HB, but with old jokes like that we'll soon have a "Jokes to be ditched" thread. Groan, Alan |
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03 Jun 97 - 08:39 AM (#6135) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: Rodney Nothing wrong with old jokes if you haven't heard them before. The world is new to each generation born. |
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03 Jun 97 - 08:40 AM (#6136) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: FSN There are no "old jokes". For everybody who listens to it the first time it is n ew!! :-)) |
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03 Jun 97 - 09:56 AM (#6146) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: Sheye Yep, that's a groaner, but I must confess to chuckling, anyway. Three cheers Joe! Gentle reminders of good spirit are always in order. |
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18 Jul 99 - 09:21 PM (#96648) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca For those who might find this thread, there is a site called Lyrics World, which has both the Glenn Miller version as well as a Red Foley version of the song. They list others, but they don't have the others available. Glenn Miller's Chatanooga Shoe Shine Boy |
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18 Jul 99 - 09:23 PM (#96649) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca Oops! The Glenn Miller one is called Chatanooga Choo Choo! |
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19 Jul 99 - 07:47 AM (#96796) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: Steve Parkes I believe it was Sid Caesar who said, "there are no old jokes, only old audiences". Why do I always seem to sing to jocular geriatrics? Serious note If you look up a song in the DT, all you get is the song (if it's there). If you post a request, you get a whole thread of interesting discussion on the song and related topics - not to mention unrelated topics. Us old hands can always find an excuse to disguise a request as a new thread about a song, but give the new guys a break! And even I, who rarely forget anything, sometimes don't remember to check first. Hey, that's enough seriousness - let's get back to the proper business of the 'Cat! Steve
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03 Nov 03 - 11:32 AM (#1046839) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: GUEST,oldy... mr gene graham...thanks for posting the lyrics...it did help me get the correct lines. |
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03 Nov 03 - 12:25 PM (#1046892) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: Steve Parkes According to my old school atlas, you couldn't get from Atcheson to Santa Fé via Topeka in 1968. Could you in 1948? Steve |
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04 Nov 03 - 07:40 PM (#1048095) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: M.Ted It's from a different song, Steve, but may have been possible by taking a connecting train to Kansas City. Though this question really has no effect on the veracity of the song, since the song was from the movie, "Harvey Girls" which was set in about 1903. "Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe" is the name of the railroad line, or was until it mergered with the Burlington Northern in 1994--not the name of a route. The line was chartered in 1859 to run from Atchison to Topeka. It was extended to Santa Fe in 1879. In many places, the route followed the old Santa Fe Trail. The Super Chief, El Capitan, and other Chicago to LA trains ran along the main line of this famous rail route, beginning in 1926, but as far as I can determine, by this time the Atchison part of the route was no longer on the main line(though Topeka is--Santa Fe is on a spur line which is now operated at a tourist rail line-- if you are traveling on AMTRAK, you get off the Chief at Lamy and there is a bus connection to Santa Fe) "Harvey Girls" is about the young women who were recruited and trained to work in Harvey House restaurants, which offered elegant dining that was affordable for rail travellers. They were placed at appropriate intervals along the Santa Fe line and were stocked with fresh food items brought in on the trains, which made them highly appealling to the locals as well as the rail travellers. There is a depot in Atchison, which is now a museum(famed aviator Amelia Earhart was from Atchison) but seems not to have been a Harvey House. I left a message for to the curator of this museum asking when the last passenger train service stopped(a freight line coming up from Kansas City is still active, but is part of the Union Pacific RR--the track that once went to Topeka is now out of service, and may even have been removed). I think that it is more or less a seasonal kind of thing, and he may only be there on weekends. Anyway, this is an important question, and deserves an answer:-) |
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04 Nov 03 - 08:20 PM (#1048129) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: Peace Pardon me Roy, is this the cat who chewed your new shoe? (Heard that from Lawrence Silver in Montreal about 1971.) |
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04 Nov 03 - 08:42 PM (#1048137) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: Q (Frank Staplin) As a born Santa Fean, I must report that the A. T. & S. F. NEVER got to Santa Fe with its passenger service. The nearest station was at Lamy, some twenty miles from Santa Fe. There was a ticket office on one corner of the Plaza and a bus took passengers to and from Lamy. A spur for freight only came to Santa Fe, and I believe that this may be the track that MTed refers to. I didn't hear anything about it when I went home last year. Some kind of day excursions run out of S. F. to some tourist attractions nearby, but I don't know the details. There is a pretty good restaurant at the railhead station in Santa Fe for chile, enchiladas and other local fare. The old Harvey House at Lamy was popular when I was a kid there in the 1930s. School graduates liked to have their dinners there. Closed long ago, I think 1938 or so. No idea what is there now. A narrow gage, the Denver and Rio Grande, ran down from Antonito, Colorado, but was abandoned long ago. A fragment of the old D. & R. G. W. runs as a popular tourist attraction from Chama, NM, into Colorado and on to Antonito. Well-worth the ride. |
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04 Nov 03 - 09:14 PM (#1048147) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: SINSULL Bruce, That one was kicking around in the early 60s. SINS |
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04 Nov 03 - 09:16 PM (#1048150) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: M.Ted From the "More than anyone in their right mind wants to know" department, the original AT&SF route, with the actual completion dates. Kansas (Atchison County) Atchison (1871) Parnell, Cummingsville (Jefferson County) Nortonville, Nichols, Valley Falls Rock Creek Meriden Shawnee County Topeka Pauline Wakarusa Osage County Carbondale Scranton Burlingame Peterton Osage City-Lyndon Barclay Lyon County Reading Arvonia Badger Creek Horton Emporia Plymouth Chase County Safford Elinor Strong City Elmdale Hunt's Station (Silver Creek Crawfordsville Clements) Cedar Point (Cottonwood Valley) Marion County Florence Peabody Harvey County Walton Newton (July 1871)(Wichita & Southwestern R.R.--> Wichita) Halstead Burrton Reno County Way Hutchinson/Arkansas River (1872)(junction)(branch-->Wichita) | | | | Sylvia--Reno County Nickerson--Reno County Stafford--Stafford County Sterling--Rice County St. John--Stafford County Alden--Rice County | Raymond--Rice County | Ellinwood--Barton County | Fort Zarah--Barton County | Great Bend--Barton County (1872) | Pawnee Rock--Barton County | Larned--Pawnee County (1872) | Garfield--Pawnee County | Nettleton--Edwards County | | | | Edwards County Kinsley (1872)(junction) Offerle Ford County Bellefont Spearville Dodge City (fall 1872) Sears Howell Gray County Cimarron (1872) Finney (Sequoyah) County Pierceville Garden City Sherlock Kearny County Deerfield Lakin (1872) Hamilton County Aubrey (Kendall)(1872) Sutton Syracuse Coolidge Sargent Colorado border (winter 1872) Colorado Holly Granada Blackwell Caddoa Las Animas (1875) W. Las Animas La Junta Rocky Ford Apishapa Nepiesta Boone Chico Pueblo New Mexico Raton Pass (1878) Raton Las Vegas (1879) Sante Fe (first train arrived 9-Feb-1880). |
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04 Nov 03 - 09:30 PM (#1048154) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: Q (Frank Staplin) Yes, they always advertised Santa Fe, but the turistas were always surprised when they were put on a bus at Lamy. |
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04 Nov 03 - 10:23 PM (#1048171) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: M.Ted I worked on AMTRAK for a number of years, and knew all the bus connections well-- |
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05 Nov 03 - 04:25 AM (#1048253) Subject: RE: Chatanooga-Choo-Choo From: Steve Parkes M Ted, that deserves a Golden Anorak (Britain's highest train-spotting award)! I live in a coutnry where if you go from the capirtalk, London, to the "Second City", Birmingham, you have to get off the train at Bletchley and transfer to a bus to Northampton and get back on the train; and if you want to go from the North to London, you have to take the crowded London train -- you can't get on the near-empty Eurostar and get off at Waterloo Station, you have to stay on till Calais. Steve |
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05 Nov 03 - 10:46 AM (#1048439) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chattanooga Choo-Choo From: M.Ted You have a more sophisticated passenger rail system than we do--here, the system basically runs east and west, and to simplify things, rather than having complex train and bus connects between major cities, we use the "can' t get there from here" model, by which routes were systematically eliminated in order to make it impossible to travel between most cities by train. In order to expand this model, the country has developed hundreds of large corporate/commercial centers far from rail lines or even bus routes, so that they can only be accessed by automobile, and then implemented a large scale highway improvement program that effectively blocks traffic, especially during peak travel times. This effort has especially been a boon to radio traffic reporters and their advertisers--it has also been a boost to the manufacturers of refrigerators that can be plugged into the dashboard, as well as to the manufacturers of car-mounted video/entertainment systems. |
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05 Nov 03 - 12:05 PM (#1048489) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chattanooga Choo-Choo From: Steve Parkes A boon to everyone except travellers! |
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05 Nov 03 - 12:30 PM (#1048499) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chattanooga Choo-Choo From: M.Ted For travellers, their are many new entertainments, including lots of CD collections of old swing tunes, such as "Chatanooga Choo-Choo" and "On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe"-- |
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06 Nov 03 - 04:13 PM (#1049455) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chattanooga Choo-Choo From: M.Ted Steve: Chris Taylor, who is the Executive Director of the Atchison County historical museum, which is situated at the old freight depot in Atchison, called me just a few minutes ago and with some answers--The last intercity passenger service though Atchison ended in 1960 or 1961--it was operated by the MoPac RR, (a contraction of Misouri Pacific)--He says that at that time, it would have been necessary to make a connection to get to Santa Fe, probably at Oklahoma City-- He said that at that time, there were also commuter cars called doodlebugs, which ran to Topeka, and that those went out of service without much fanfare a few years later(the interstate highway system was built during the late 1950's, and after that, the automobile became the preferred means of transit)-- As to ATSF line, which now only runs out of Atchison a few miles west to Parnell, he says that the main line to Topeka was abandoned in 1994, but with a stipulation that the track be sold to an organization that would preserve it for excursions--according to him, the organization that did acquire it "Pulled a fast one" and tore up the track, selling it for scrap, and ending the great rail line forever-- If you, or anyone, has questions for Chris, he can be contacted at Atchison.org. He's a nice guy-- |
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13 May 04 - 01:58 PM (#1184915) Subject: Chord Req: Chattanooga Choo Choo From: PaulBobbyBuzz We're playing for our local "Greatest Generation" WWII memorial service on the 29th of May, and this one eludes me. Any help again greatly appreciated. pbb |
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13 May 04 - 05:59 PM (#1185103) Subject: Chords Add: CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO From: M.Ted Here are the chords I use. Swing tempo, with a strong shuffle feel. Each chord symbol is played as two downstrokes, unless two are hyphenated, then one stroke each. Good luck. -- |A-E7 A/D9 D9/A A6/Amaj7 A#°/ (Pardon me, boy, is that the Chatanooga Choo Choo?) Bm7 E9/Bm7 E9/A A/F9 E9/ (Track 29, well you can give me a shine!) A-E7 A/ D9 D9/A A6/ Amaj7 A#°/ (I can afford to board the Chatanooga Choo Choo) Bm7 E7/ Bm7 E9/A A6/A A7/ (I've got my fair, and just a trifle to spare.) (Bridge)(You leave the...) Dma7 Em7/F#m7 Em7/ (Pennsylvania Station at a quarter to four) Dma7 Em7/F#m7 Em7/ (Read a magazine and then your in Baltimore) D C#7/F#m7 B7/ (Dinner in the diner, nothin' could be finer) E7 E7/A7 A7/ (Than to have your ham and eggs in Carolina)! Dma7 Em7/F#m7 Em7/ When you hear the whistle blowing 8 to the bar Dma7 Em7/F#m7 Em7/ Then you know that Tennessee is not very far D C#7/F#m7 B7/ Shovel all the coal in, gotta keep a rollin" E7 E7/A7 D/E7 (Pause)/ Woo Woo Chatanooga, there you are A-E7 A/D9 D9/A A/F#7 E#7/ There's gonna be a certain party at the station Bm7 E9/Bm7 E9/A A/F9 E9/ Satin and Lace, I used to call "Funny Face" A-E7 A/D9 D9/A A/F#7 F#7/ She's gonna cry, until I promise that I'll never roam B7 B7/E7 E7/A A/AA#°/ Chatanooga ChooChoo, won't you ChooChoo me home B7 B7/E7 E7/A A/AA| Chatanooga ChooChoo, won't you ChooChoo me home |
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15 May 04 - 06:08 PM (#1186437) Subject: RE: Chord Req: Chattanooga Choo Choo From: PaulBobbyBuzz M. Ted---THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Hope I can return the favor sometime. pbb |
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03 Jul 08 - 04:45 PM (#2380411) Subject: Lyr Add: CHATTANOOGA SHOE SHINE BOY From: GUEST CHATTANOOGA SHOE SHINE BOY (Henry Stone & Jack Sapp, 1950) As recorded by Red Foley, 1949.
Have you ever passed the corner of Fourth and Grand
He charges you a nickel just to shine one shoe.
[§] It's a wonder that the rag don't tear
He opens up the business when the clock strikes nine. |
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03 Jul 08 - 08:01 PM (#2380577) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chattanooga Choo-Choo From: Genie Joe O, What is the "10/96 PC version" of Chattanooga Choo Choo? The only part of the original lyric I can see some people might find non-PC is the use of the word "boy." But since the lyric doesn't specify the age of the guy being addressed, there's no reason to assume he wasn't indeed a kid. As for the Chattanooga Shoeshine Boy song, yeah, it's likely it was about an adult male of African descent and if that's the case, calling him "boy" would be demeaning and thus non-PC. But even in that song, we don't know that the "shoeshine boy" wasn't 10 or 12 years old or a teenager. |
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03 Jul 08 - 09:10 PM (#2380604) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chattanooga Choo-Choo From: catspaw49 Along with being a great cowboy star, Roy Rogers was also a golf nut. He bought a new pair of spikes and, like any new pair of shoes, they required some break-in. He wore them around the yard for several hours and then gave them a shot of neatsfoot and saddle soap. He put in the shoe trees tightly and left them on the back porch to dry. The next morning he came out to find them totally ravaged, ripped, chomped, and shredded beyond use. A mountain lion had been seen around the ranch and as Dale and Roy were bemoaning the damage, a loud snarling sound came out of the woods. Roy was picking up the shreds of his "Foot-Joys" when Dale turned and asked, "Pardon me Roy, is that the cat who chewed your new shoes?" First time I heard that turkey I was living in Chattanooga and have never heard the word since without thinking Catwhochewedyournewshoes instead. Spaw |
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03 Jul 08 - 09:25 PM (#2380615) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chattanooga Choo-Choo From: Joe Offer Genie, I was talking about the October, 1996, Personal Computer (not Mac or online) version of the Digital Tradition..... It was added to the DT later. The version in the Digital Tradition appears to be a very good transcription. It's almost exactly the same as the lyrics I found in Reading Lyrics (Gottlieb & Kimball, 2000 - page 367). -Joe- |
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04 Jul 08 - 03:59 PM (#2381193) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chattanooga Choo-Choo & Shoe Shine Bo From: Genie Joe, I was just curious what the "politically correct" version of Chattanooga Choo Choo actually IS. |
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04 Jul 08 - 04:11 PM (#2381195) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chattanooga Choo-Choo & Shoe Shine Boy From: Joe Offer "Pardon me, Sir and/or Madam" [grin] -Joe- |
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04 Jul 08 - 10:33 PM (#2381361) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chattanooga Choo-Choo & Shoe Shine Bo From: Genie Groan ..... (sigh) |
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10 Dec 09 - 03:56 PM (#2785611) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chattanooga Choo-Choo & Shoe Shine Boy From: Mysha - Hey there, Tex, what d'you say? = Step aside, partner, it's my day! = Bend an ear, and listen to my version ... - ... of a really solid Tennessee excursion! = Pardon me, boy. ... Tex being Tex Beneke, I presume. Bye Mysha |
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10 Dec 09 - 04:06 PM (#2785622) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chattanooga Choo-Choo & Shoe Shine Boy From: beeliner I'm surprised that 'Shoeshine Boy' dates from 1950, I thought that it was older than that. In the lyrics above one line is omitted from the last verse, which should read: He opens up for business when the clock strikes nine. He likes to get 'em early when they're feelin' fine. And ev'rybody gets a little rise-and-shine From the great big bundle of joy. He pops the boogie woogie rag, The Chattanooga shoe shine boy. Having grown up in the North and unfamiliar with the terminology of Southern racism, I always pictured the shoeshine 'boy' as a little kid, and this was re-inforced by the line 'He charges you a nickel just to shine one shoe', which never failed to remind me of a story my uncle once told me. He was in Mexico and a little kid, perhaps no older than nine or ten, came up to him on the street and asked, "Shine your shoes, señor?' My uncle asked, "How much, kid?" "Ze one shoe, she is five centavos." "Sure, go ahead." The kid shines the shoes and says, "That will be feefty-five centavos, señor." "But you said one shoe was five centavos!" "Si, señor, ze one shoe, she is five centavos, ze other shoe, she is feefty centavos." "So", said my uncle, "I gave him the fifty-five centavos and he thanked me and went on his way. Of course, I had planned to give him ten centavos for the shine and a ninety centavo tip, so the little wiseass cheated himself out of forty-five centavos." I don't speak Spanish, but I believe the word for shoe, zapato, is masculine, so it's unlikely the kid would have said, "...one shoe, she is...", but apart from that, I'm sure I would have forgotten the story long ago were it not for that song. You don't see many little kids shining shoes these days. I'm reminded of a scene in 'Goodfellas'... |
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10 Dec 09 - 09:13 PM (#2785838) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chattanooga Choo-Choo & Shoe Shine Boy From: GUEST,999 Pardon me Roy, is this the cat who chewed your new shoe? |
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10 Dec 09 - 10:09 PM (#2785863) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chattanooga Choo-Choo & Shoe Shine Boy From: GUEST "Surely you've heard the old joke: Roy had a brand new pair of shoes. He goes to visit his friend. Being polite, he removed his shoes and leaves them at the door. While visiting with his friend, the friend's cat discovers Roys new shoes, likes the smell and proceeds to chew them up. Roy goes ballistic. The friend, feeling very bad, has a dilemma: he has two cats. One of the cats enters the room at that moment. The friend then asks: Pardon me Roy, is that the cat that chewed your new shoes?" PARODY SONG LYRICS Pardon me, roy, is that the cat who chewed your new shoes? oh they looked real fine, and I'm glad they werent mine... how you afford, that little cat who chewed your new shoes hope it doesnt repeat while they're still on your feet it chewed nike, and some fila, and my sandals to crap, it chewed the tongue, the soles, the laces and it mangled the strap hope it don't repeat this on my new adidas cause I gotta leave for Carolina when the puss was left alone, I knew what she'd do but what I didn't know that was she also would chew.. gave her food and litter, I guess she just got bitter and said baby, there you are.. she doesnt like the taste of boots or leather on her face I find she's such a picky eater now she's gonna die just wait till I get home so ,the cat who chewed my new shoes, wait till I get home so ,the cat who chewed my new shoes, wait till I get home Pardon me, roy, is that the cat who chewed your new shoes? oh they looked real fine, and I'm glad they werent mine... No attribution from Parody Song Lyrics Cat Who Chewed Your New Shoes |
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10 Dec 09 - 10:49 PM (#2785874) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chattanooga Choo-Choo & Shoe Shine Boy From: Mysha Hi, No, no, no. The way I heared it, it's not about a cowboy at all! It's about this guy Roy who had a little stall that he would set up at fairs to sell sweets and stuff. But one rainy fair his merchandise nearly dissolved from the water being blown into the stall. So he added a big tent around it. Then he found he had a hit formula! People would buy his stuff, and if they weather wasn't sunny enough, they'd stay inside the tent and talk to each other, and then they'd finish the sweets and buy more. Soon Roy found he could finance several stalls with tents, and hire people to operate them on the fairs while he distributed the goodies. Each stall he gave a slightly different theme, and he'd name the stalls after both the talking of the customers and the merchandise, like for example "Talk with Toffees". Of course, among the employees, these names were too fancy-full. They'd mostly just call the action the customer needed to do. Just: the "Lick", the "Bite", etc. But when Roy found his success forced him to hire another pair of hands for distributing, this meant he had to teach the new guy both names, like: the "Lilt for Lollipops/Suck". This was less than a complete success. The new guy formed the habit of also calling the merchandise itself by the "internal names", and he tended to mix the names into one big mess. So it's no wonder that when he also proved less than polite, after a "HEY, this is licks for the Gab and Lick-Gobstoppers, yeah?", Roy burst out "One more remark like that and you're on the street! What's the matter with you? Speak in understandable sentences, will you! And would it cost you to be polite for once?" For several hours afterwards his employee was very quite. Eventually, he really needed a bit of information, though. "Erm?" "WHAT?" "Pardon me, Roy: Is this the Chat 'n Nougat/Chew chew?" Bye Mysha |
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10 Dec 09 - 10:51 PM (#2785875) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chattanooga Choo-Choo & Shoe Shine Boy From: GUEST,999 Hi, Mysha. I couldn't remember the story--first heard it about 40 years ago--so I grabbed one from the www. I prefer the one you told. |
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11 Dec 09 - 05:32 PM (#2786443) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chattanooga Choo-Choo & Shoe Shine Boy From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego I heard the story in around 1972, but it was a lot older than that. I had a chance meeting with Roy and Dale in a San Diego restaurant several years back. They were in "civvies," not the Nudie-inspired western garb most associated with them. They were truly gracious and pleasant folks. Funny, though; Roy never mentioned the boots/shoes....etc. I once had an uncle who was a freight agent for the Santa Fe in Beaumont, Texas. In 1953, he arranged for me to take the "San Francisco Chief" from Fresno, CA to Houston, a nearly three day trip. I still remember sitting in the dome car next to an enormous black gentleman who played flute and piccolo in the Boston Symphony. |