The naughty lady of Shady Lane
Has hit the town like a bomb
The back-fence gossip ain't been this good
Since Mabel ran off with Tom
Our town was peaceful and quiet
Before she came on the scene
The lady has started a riot
Disturbing the suburban routine

The naughty lady of Shady Lane
Has the town in a whirl
The naughty lady of Shady Lane
Me-oh, my-oh, what a girl

You should see how she carries on
With her admirers galore
She must be giving them quite a thrill
The way they flock to her door
She throws those come-hither glances
At every Tom, Dick, and Joe
When offered some liquid refreshment
The lady never never says "no"

The naughty lady of Shady Lane
Has the town in a whirl
The naughty lady of Shady Lane
Me-oh, my-oh, what a girl

The things they're trying to pin on her
Won't hold much water, I'm sure
Beneath the powder and fancy lace
There beats a heart sweet and pure
She just needs someone to change her
And she'll be nice as can be
If you're in the neighborhood, stranger
You're welcome to drop in and see

The naughty lady of Shady Lane
So delightful to hold
The naughty lady of Shady Lane
So delectable
Quite respectable
And she's only nine days old

Overall Meaning

"The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane" is a song by The Ames Brothers about a woman who has stirred up quite a commotion in her town. Before her arrival, the town was peaceful and quiet. But since the lady came on the scene, she has started a riot, disturbing the suburban routine. The song implies that she is a flirt, throwing "come-hither glances" at anyone who catches her eye and never saying "no" to an offer of a drink. The town is in a whirl, with many men flocking to her door to try their luck. However, the song suggests that there is more to the lady than meets the eye. Despite the scandalous rumors that are circulating about her, the song suggests that she has a heart "sweet and pure" and simply needs someone to change her.

The song is a commentary on the way gossip and scandal can disrupt a community. It also touches on the themes of first impressions and the fact that people are often more complex than they initially appear. The lyrics suggest that the lady's behavior may not be as scandalous as people think and that, with a little understanding and kindness, she could be a valuable member of the community. Overall, the song is a lighthearted and catchy tune that encourages listeners not to judge others based on rumors or first impressions.

Line by Line Meaning

The naughty lady of Shady Lane
Refers to a woman who is causing a commotion in the quiet town of Shady Lane

Has hit the town like a bomb
Her arrival has caused a stir like an explosive event

The back-fence gossip ain't been this good
People are enjoying the rumors and stories being spread about her

Since Mabel ran off with Tom
The last time the town had such juicy gossip was when Mabel left with Tom

Our town was peaceful and quiet
Before she arrived, the town was tranquil and calm

Before she came on the scene
Prior to her arrival in Shady Lane

The lady has started a riot
Her presence has disrupted the usual routine and order of the town

Disturbing the suburban routine
Upsetting the regular, typical way of life in the town

Has the town in a whirl
Causing excitement, confusion and chaos in the town

Me-oh, my-oh, what a girl
Expressing surprise and admiration for the woman's behavior

You should see how she carries on
Observing how she acts and interacts with others

With her admirers galore
Having many people interested in her and pursuing her

She must be giving them quite a thrill
Suggesting that the woman is providing some kind of excitement or pleasure to her admirers

The way they flock to her door
Describing how people are constantly visiting her

She throws those come-hither glances
Making flirtatious gestures or expressions to attract attention

At every Tom, Dick, and Joe
Referring to her interest in every man who approaches her

When offered some liquid refreshment
When someone offers her a drink

The lady never never says "no"
She always accepts the offer of a drink

The things they're trying to pin on her
Referring to the rumors or accusations that are being made against her

Won't hold much water, I'm sure
Implying that the rumors or accusations are unlikely to be true

Beneath the powder and fancy lace
Suggesting that there is more to the woman than her appearance

There beats a heart sweet and pure
Asserting that she has a kind and sincere nature

She just needs someone to change her
Suggesting that she needs someone to help her improve her behavior

And she'll be nice as can be
Once she is helped and guided to behave better, she will be very pleasant

If you're in the neighborhood, stranger
If you happen to be nearby or visiting

You're welcome to drop in and see
You are invited to visit her

So delightful to hold
She is a joy to be with

So delectable
She is very appealing or attractive

Quite respectable
She has a good reputation or is worthy of respect

And she's only nine days old
Falsely stating that she is young and innocent when she is actually an adult woman who is causing trouble in the town

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Roy C. Bennett, Sid Tepper

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Comments from YouTube:

@Mr.StewartTerry

46w↑11

My mother is 90 years old and in a Nursing Home. She remembers things long ago. But, not so good on recent things. She asked if I knew this song...
I found it here and she sang along. ❤

@rondellthreadgate8092

2y↑25

I was born in 1949, This is one of the first songs I can remember from my childhood , loved the harmonies 💞💞💞💞💞

@Jerry-gu7yp

How are you doing Rondell?

@ronlawray1563

3y↑3

Born in 1940 and lying in bed today, Feb. 28...
For the FIRST TIME since this song came out, probably around 1952,
this song title popped into my head....never before...

I was saying Naughty Lady of Spain when l was thinking of Eddie Fisher's Lady of Spain.....l went to U tube and typed in Eddie Fisher Naughty Lady, and this popped up, so now l found 2 songs long buried in my mind to hear again.

U tube is a miracle!

@askovarjorinne9074

39w↑1

So sweet little baby thank´s to memories!!! 👉👉🎙🎙🎶🎶🥰🥰

@janaklotzkin5741

6y↑5

My mother told me to listen to this song as my wife and I have a baby girl due any day. I couldn’t believe what my mom was telling isn’t to listen to until the last line. Now the song is stuck in our heads!!

@patrickryan1515

6y↑10

This is as 'naughty' as good pop music should be.

@nicholasbraco4601

6y↑11

I don't know how I stumbled on this wonderful song in 1989 when my first daughter was born but I used to hold her and sing and dance around the house to it for months. A sweet and precious memory!

@barbiemakris8057

48w↑3

Rest in peace, Ed Ames ❤ reunited with your Brothers 🙏 🎉😢

@allenmurray7893

10y↑84

I can't believe there is one dislike for this song. It was great when new and it is still great.

@williamdwyer5439

6y↑5

Amen! It's funny to me, that, as the years go by...I find myself more and more drawn to the songs from my childhood. Such as this one!

@Dulcimertunes

5y↑3

Agreed! If you don’t like it just sign out!

@David.L291

5y↑2

@@williamdwyer5439 because they are great that's why

@maryandrearow1573

5y↑1

Different taste I suppose

@hypnosis2stopsmoking994

4y↑2

people look at the title and don't bother listening to the song. That's my guess.

7 More Replies...

@TralfazConstruction

48w↑2

"She just needs someone to change her!" I still didn't get it until the very end. This song is as good as songs get.

@thinthin54

37w↑1

I first heard this song about 40 years ago, and I have liked it ever since.😁

@louenkleinsmidt

1y↑2

My late mom used to sing this, and many other songs, around the house. Such good memories. Her favourite line used to be "the lady never never says no". She'd use it in other contexts which made us giggle.

@williamhenry9609

4y↑3

Fabulous Ames Brothers. Love these classics of yesteryear. I'm young again when I listen to these songs. I forget all my aches and pains for the duration.

@richardj2432

4y↑7

I was born in 1950, and this is one of the first pop songs I remember. Knew all the lyrics --

@Juliaflo

You're older than I am--I heard and sang this during my childhood. (Don't figure out my age. LOLOLOLOLOLOL).

@deedsievering5108

9y↑46

This song has been embedded in my subconscious since I was little. So, fifty or so years later, I've had three wonderful grandsons, and now in 2015, a granddaughter! Parts of this song have filtered down into my brain, and yes, my granddaughter is "only NINE days old." This beautiful song comes flooding back to me :)

@jessiegreene9557

8y↑3

My sentiments exact !!!

@suehamlin51

7y↑3

I suddenly remembered this song when someone mentioned Kool Aid. I remember it coming on the radio in summer when we were under the willow tree drinking Kool Aid, lol. And I must have been four. Funny the things we associate with songs. Congrats on the grand daughter. I didn't remember the ending to the song.

@vickihornsby3477

congratulations.

@chapingaryjr

3y↑1

I'm 43 we had this 45 when I was a kid I'm talking a child

@Dave-Rough-Diamond-Dunn

46w

@@chapingaryjr I'm 53, and I had an old radiogram and a box of old records I used play as a little kid, I loved the other side, Pussycat.

4 More Replies...

@francisalanwormald6328

4y↑6

AS A 17 yr OLD DAD AT THE TIME...ALL I COULD THINK OF WAS MY FIRST BORN KAREN...HOW TIME HAS FLOWN...SHE NOW 65..& I 82...RENDITION SUPER!!!

@YolandaApagyi

10y↑23

My beloved Daddy used to listen to this song a thousand times, when I was a baby, and I still remember this, and ADORE it, it brings back my Father, who is not with me for 26 years, he listens to this our song from high above, the HEAVEN! Kisses, Father!

@franciedavis2991

4y↑3

My parents, especially my Mom, listened to this and loved it when my sister was a baby, too!!

@Jerry-gu7yp

2y↑1

Hello Yolanda, how is everything going with you?

@Dulcimertunes

5y↑3

My granddaughter is nine days today, 11-17-18! Love you Baby Girl!

@Jerry-gu7yp

Hello Maureen, how is everything going with you?

@francisalanwormald6328

4y↑2

MY FAVE NOVELTY SONG OF ALL!! SOOO WELL DONE BY THE BROTHERS AMES!!! 32 Not Likes??? ONE IN EVERY CROWD?

@randalllyster3600

2y↑2

Some of my earliest songs. Still cool
..shout out to Charlotte.

@stephenwilkinson8587

1y↑2

Great old song brings back memories of my childhood and my dad singing it around the house it reminds me of him one of the GOOD guys .

@sunnysaunders9689

6y↑21

Born in 61. My Grandfather sang this to me as a child. Clever lyrics & beautiful voices!!!!!##

@reallyredr8901

3y↑5

Don't know why I searched for this tonight, but so glad I did! What a terrific childhood memory! Funny, at 67, I can't remember what I was doing 5 minutes ago, yet I was able to remember every word, timing, note and inflexion and sing along perfectly just now, right down to every dum da da dum dum dum dum, just as I did so many times in my youth. One of these days, I have GOT to pull out our old 78's, 33's and 45's. I can still visualize the label of The Naughty Lady on the 45. If it wasn't caught in what we in our family called "the great Christmas melt-down of 1965" (console loaded with 33's and 45's placed too close to a heat register when making room for the Christmas tree), it will be down there.

@niurka33134miami

46w↑1

RIP Ed Ames 🌹

@RLifeNThymes

8y↑8

my son says "who needs exercise when you have a song that literally just takes your breath away".

@Dave-Rough-Diamond-Dunn

46w↑1

This has to be the other side of the single with Pussycat on it! Somewhere in my subconscious, I know this song!
I loved Pussycat as a little kid, and still like it. It's part of the reason I became a singer, and it was a big part of my practising, as was Wonderful Time Up There. If you want to hone your scales, sing those two songs!

@vensantiago1563

2y↑1

I reflect upon my younger days with this song (back in the Philippines). -- Prof. Ven Santiago/Southern California

@docaylsw

2y↑4

I've loved this song since I first heard it decades ago, and every so often I have to look it up and hear it again.

@billinorlando1

3y↑3

Takes me back to the days my dad told me about this song..Thanks for the memories.

@chapingaryjr

3y↑2

Me and my sister grew up with this 45 record we loved it growing up.....it will always be with me

@kirnpu

8y↑17

Born in 55. Literally one of the first songs in my memory.

@nancyhahn4182

7y↑4

Me too! My Dad used to play this 78 rpm and I would "dance" to the music!

@mariannejacques6650

6y↑2

I was born in 1954 and my dad would always play this song. He even invented a little dance and we'd dance every time he played it. Found the 78 record in a box today (I recently moved) and that one was the only broken one in the box :( Dad is gone 23 years, but he'd still get a kick out of it I'm sure.

@giabrainerd3171

I was born in 57. Also one of the first songs in my memory.

@brumblebuffin11

4y↑11

I love it when the harmony comes in on the chorus.

@soulman4692

10y↑25

All thumbs up for that song !!!

@mamaluvsherbabes

7y↑3

My step dad used to sing the chorus of this song to my daughter when she was just a baby! haha This is the first time I've ever actually heard the whole song. Thank you for sharing this video! :)

@nmgt1048

10y↑30

This song has been kicking around in my head for so many years, so I tried to find it on You Tube and there it is-a favorite of mine that I heard on the radio many times.

@hoss73ford

+norman gates me too ever since I can remember. I was 5 months old when it came out in December, 1954. So it was likely playing on the radio even though I wouldn't remember it at the time. Years later I bought the record.

@jamesdever1142

So muvh to like here, whst a treasure!

@cassle13

6y↑10

Loved this song since I was 3! My grandparents would play it for me in 2002 :) always stuck in my head!! Being passed through the generations

@taffynan

9y↑19

I LOVE EVERYTHING the brothers ever put out. Wish I knew how to let Ed know I remember the day he rescued my little sister from being locked in ladies room at Mosely Pines when he & his brothers were playing tennis on a break from performing at Hampton Beach?

@vickihornsby3477

I think he has a facebook page

@erlwilliam1

3y↑3

The greatest marmony group ever

@SweEt703iP

8y↑19

ADORABLE!

@Jerry-gu7yp

Hello Suzi, how is everything going with you?

@joanzurnamer3949

It was supposed to do that!! Such a clever song ❤❤

@lindawallers8907

6y↑2

That musical head-slap at the end is what makes it!

@Jerry-gu7yp

Hello Linda, how is everything going with you?

@alicemoncada6853

4y↑3

I just love the melody!

@Jerry-gu7yp

Hello Alice, how is everything going with you?

@patrickfleming3658

3y↑2

Love this song

@mikegehre570

5y↑5

what great harmonies

@superschuny

4y↑6

I stumbled across this while cruising YouTube, and loved it. I have recommended it to a men's a capella chorus in which I was a member. They have 150+ voices and would do an amazing job with this. I hope they add it to their repertoire.

@harkrum

9y↑16

Great music from back in the day, no insinuations, just Real lyric + music

@karenmercer8785

8y↑6

Because implying/allowing the audience to initially believe that the song is about a woman of ill repute would never be an insinuation of any sort.

@domainofthesun4400

8y↑3

well, the whole song is an insinuation, isn't it?

@brigittaivan3348

9y↑11

it was my mother's favourite song...

@user-br3oj9ty5y

39w

BTW of course I love this song. Oldies rock is my second favorite genre after classical music.

@ruthfeder7049

6y↑3

ONE OF THEIR VERY BEST, VERY CLEVER SONG, LOL.

@Jerry-gu7yp

Hello Ruth, how is everything going with you?

@lindavarnell9491

4y↑2

I remember when this came out in the 50s my Dad loved it. Mom Didn't!

@Jerry-gu7yp

Hello Linda, how is everything going with you?

@ericbond5276

2y↑1

I like the BOING at the end. I'd like to hear a rapper try and cover this song.

@curtlewis2795

6y↑18

"The things they're trying to pin on her won't hold much water I'm sure..." A generation (or two) raised on disposable diapers that fasten with tape may not get this hilarious reference to traditional cloth diapers held on by safety pins. This whole song is a master class in creative writing

@UkOutreach

6y↑1

Curt Lewis ...it’s SUCH a sweet song.

@curtlewis2795

6y↑1

It really is. I get a laugh every time I listen

@erlwilliam1

3y↑1

The Ames brothers were a fantastic group

@curtlewis2795

@@erlwilliam1 Indeed!

@eightieschap3391

Thanks ... I didn't get v the reference :)
Just heard the song and can't decide whether I like this version better or the Dean Martin one which I heard earlier by five minutes

@philelsner105

7y↑8

just loved them.

@barbaramealer1790

4y↑2

Hard to believe that I actually remember this song and had it on an LP

@rachelheath4300

My dad was singing this when he walked into the hospital the night I was born!

@Jerry-gu7yp

Hello Barbara, how is everything going with you?

@chrisshowering7357

3y↑1

I only recently heard it but I love it reminds me of my granddaughters

@sagittarianfirerat7657

8y↑2

everyone should hear this song. I like this song a lot.

@mystiraemeadows

8y↑16

Love this :)

@AndreaMimi1984

6y↑3

Super.

@phillipphillippson8456

2y↑1

Song so good I posted it on my FB page :)

@RocketTCoyote

11y↑3

Used to hear this on the radio as an infant.

@robotnik77

6y↑10

I remember when Ed Ames almost lost his "manhood" on the Johnny Carson show. It was hilarious.

@superschuny

4y↑1

I was just telling someone about that yesterday! The audience could not stop laughing, and Johnny's expressions were priceless. He didn't have to say a word.

@magnoliabeeswax8721

Yes, Johnny did reply! He said, “I didn’t even know you were Jewish!” That clip was on every blooper reel annually until the show ended. Funniest unscripted comedy segment ever on television, IMO!

@genezis235

De lo MEJOR
De esa bella época 🤩
Gracias por compartir 😃👍

@dirtcop11

5y↑1

I remember this song quite well. My dad would later sing it to my niece when she was born in 1962. I didn't connect Ed Ames to it until much later. I remember Ed Ames playing the character Mingo on the series Daniel Boone.

@rqdq8576

9y↑19

An all time favorite and the guy next door has a new baby that is exactly nine days old. I told him to listen to this old time song......

@patriciamaciasalvarez1302

8y↑3

Hermosa orquesta y maravillosas voces. Gracias.

@user-hx5li6cq1m

good song

@VaLynne1

4y↑1

This song came out in 1954 about 6 months after I was born. My parents told me about it and played it for me. when they first heard it they were appalled that anyone would sing about a girl "like this" and then when they heard the final sentence they cracked up!

@theophilusthistle1988

8y↑46

Back when adults were adult and brought into the world beautiful new human beings, instead of adult-children bringing into the world what they consider playthings to be given incredibly stupid names; scary to think in whose hands the future lies.

@gerritgrooters2641

7y↑1

57beachboy

@miltonmoore5294

For gerrit grooters:
Did you intend to
write something?

@VictrolaJazz

5y↑1

Or worse, kill them after they're born.

@theophilusthistle1988

3y↑1

@@VictrolaJazz YES!! That too...Bless you

@lelandsmith2130

Atleast our generation didn't cause 2 world wars

@missjoshemmett

5y↑2

I remember when it first came on the radio. Along the Green Door, it was hilarious. Oddly, I can now, clearly, hear Ed's voice, from Danial Boone.

@gregwilson8111

2y↑1

Listen carefully to the lyrics since you understand what they're singing especially at the end

@MsPandaRosa

10y↑24

I shouldn't say it, but I grew up on a Shady Lane, in a town of Ohio.

@trooseveltg

7y↑1

Fairfield Ohio?

@Jerry-gu7yp

Hello Rosa, how is everything going with you?

@JohnPeterson1950

5y↑7

awesome

@luisfernandomatamala8983

5y↑2

viva los 50 ..

@nomoresaul

2y↑1

Boombadaboomboomboom

@GabrielPereira-zn1js

Que tiempos

@mindydiltz7559

10y↑99

LOL. Until I was in my 50's I thought the Naughty Lane was about a woman of ill-repute. racked me up when I paid attention and realized that it was about an infant!

@AudraBurgess

6y↑3

Mindy Diltz Omg you're right lol

@dennisprice7244

5y↑2

And i did! LOL.

@David.L291

5y↑4

@@dennisprice7244 i thought it was rather obvious

@drdimento

5y↑2

Do you remember where you were the first time you heard this song?

@giabrainerd3171

5y↑1

@@drdimento I was born in 1957, so I heard this song as far back as I can remember! Brilliant lyrics. Another favorite of mine was "I Said No" -- another surprise ending!

13 More Replies...

@joanndavidson8339

9 days old.....

@Jerry-gu7yp

Hello Joann, how is everything going with you?

@joanndavidson8339

2y↑1

A Victorian song. EA.

@rgadave

10y↑8

"The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane" could well have very different connotations these days.

@MsPandaRosa

10y↑1

heh-heh-heh, the song still works both ways,...
"Okay, you, yes YOU,... you ARE the Father of the Little Lady of Shady Lane!"

@tomdekler9280

7y↑3

The entire point is that it has very bad connotations.

@RandyTheBee

Sexual suggestions had to be cunningly hidden, up until the 70's. There was PLENTY of naughty things going on!

@EarlJohn61

7y↑1

rgadave but "She's only nine days old"

@markwhelan4221

It did in those days as well.

@DarkScarlettVixen

5y↑1

Trollin’ before that was even a term

@VibeGamingroom

6y↑3

2018

@untilsince

bomboro bombombom ~~~~~ I finaly found bomboro bombombom

@trafikuty

10y↑1

Gyerekkoromban gyakran játszotta a rádió ezt a változatot. Most tudtam meg, hogy magyarul is létezik Vámosi János hasonlóan kvalitásos előadásában.

@katikoos

Where do I find it, What is the title in Hungarian? New tudtam hogy jatszottak Magyar radion.

@user-br3oj9ty5y

39w

I wrote a parody of this because it frustrates me to infinity that my Mum has dementia. "🎼🎹The NUTTY Lady Of Shady Lane, nuttier than squirrel poo...🎼🎹"

@joesampson7724

45w

I thought that there were 4 Ames Brothers. The photo shows 5.

@alanfox7312

when the British artists in the 50s trying to imitate the style of their American counterparts do song's like this can't pull it off

@battlejack1863

2y↑1

ED AMES is 94 years old

@battlejack1863

5-21-2023 he passed away at the age of 96

@rainerwarnemunde4392

Das war der Hit 1955 in Germany ...

@Denae2239

9y↑1

Pure white music from the 50's boo pop go rock n roll!!

@joeyoung1498

Floozie anthem.

@jeanniepryor1378

19 ????? Dec. 22 , 2017

@tianampfeifer5313

Where can I downlaod this song to put on my cell?

@Jerry-gu7yp

Hello Tiana, how is everything going with you?

@tianampfeifer5313

@@Jerry-gu7yp slow and tiring...

@Jerry-gu7yp

@@tianampfeifer5313 Sorry about that, I am pleased to have noticed you here on YouTube with good faith I will like to know more about you and your ways of life. I am an honest man and I respect the norms and values of every society and individuals hope we can chat more?

@tianampfeifer5313

@@Jerry-gu7yp 😁

@Jerry-gu7yp

@@tianampfeifer5313 Where are you from?

@ronaldc.uehara7870

7y↑3

Did she file an environmental impact statement? She had the town whirl.

@shirius_bamboo

6y↑1

南原バンバンバン

@waynebrumagin2905

8y↑3

I am pissed that when I came to listen to this epic group that I am greeted by a political message from Donald Trump. Political ads do not belong here. I don't care if it is Hillary or Donald - they do not belong.