He also championed African-American composers of the same period such as Eubie Blake, James P. Johnson, Andy Razaf, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, presenting their work not in a polemical way, but as simply the obvious equal of that of their white contemporaries.
His dedication to his great love – what he called the "Great American Song" – left him equally adept at performing the witty lyrics of Bessie Smith's "Gimme a Pigfoot (And a Bottle of Beer)" or Gershwin and Duke's "I Can't Get Started." Short stated his favorite songwriters were Ellington, Arlen and Kern, and he was instrumental in spearheading the construction of the Ellington Memorial in New York City.
He was born in Danville, Illinois, United States, where one of his school classmates was Dick Van Dyke. He began performing as a busker after leaving home at the age of eleven for Chicago, with his mother's permission.
He started working in clubs in the 1940s. In 1968 he was offered a two-week stint at the Café Carlyle in New York City, to fill in for George Feyer. Short (accompanied by Beverly Peer on bass and Dick Sheridan on drums) became an institution at the Carlyle, as Feyer had been before him, and remained there as a featured performer for over 35 years. There, a combination of traits – his seemingly effortless elegance; his vocal phrasing (perfected, as was that of Frank Sinatra, at the feet of Miss Mabel Mercer, with perhaps also some help from Ethel Waters); his talent for presenting unknown songs worth knowing while keeping well known songs fresh; his infectious good cheer; and his resolute, self-disciplined professionalism – earned him great respect and made him tremendously popular. Bobby Short was generous with his impromptu all-night performances at his various favorite cafes and restaurants. He was a regular patron at Ted Hook's Backstage, located at Eighth Avenue and Forty-Fifth Street.
1972: Short sings theme song in James Ivory's film Savages.
1976: Short sings and appears in a commercial for Revlon's perfume "Charlie."
1985: Short sings and appears in the beginning portion of the Misfits of Science theme song.
1986: Short appears in the Woody Allen film Hannah and Her Sisters. Then Allen used his recording "I Happen To Like New York" for opening title of Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993).
1991: Short stars as blues musician Ches Collins on the TV series In the Heat of the Night in which he sings the title track, Sweet, Sweet Blues.
1994: Short reprises his role as blues musician Ches Collins on the TV series In the Heat of the Night.
1999: Short appears in the Movie "Man of the Century"
2000: The Library of Congress designates Short a Living Legend, a recognition established as part of its bicentennial celebration.
2003: Short sings and plays piano in at least one episode of 7th Heaven on TV.
2004: Short announces he will end his regular appearances at the Café Carlyle by the end of the year, in favor of touring, traveling and spending time with friends.
2005: Short dies of leukemia at New York Presbyterian Hospital on March 21, 2005, aged 80 and is buried in Atherton Cemetery in Danville, Illinois, the city of his birth.
Nagasaki
Bobby Short Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I will spin a yarn
That was told to me by Able Seaman Jones.
Once he had the blues
So he took a cruise
Far away from night-clubs and from saxophones.
He said, "Yo Ho, I've made a certain port
And when you talk about real he-man sport":
Hot ginger and dynamite
There's nothing but that at night
Back in Nagasaki
Where the fellers chew tobaccy
And the women wicky-wacky
Woo.
The way they can entertain
Would hurry a hurricane
Back in Nagasaki
Where the fellers chew tobaccy
And the women wicky wacky
Woo.
In Fujiama
You get a mama
Then your troubles increase.
In some pagoda
She orders soda
Earth-shake milk-shakes, ten cents a piece.
They kissy and huggy nice
Oh, By Jingo! I'ts worth the price.
Back in Nagasaki
Where the fellers chew tobaccy
And the women wicky-wacky
Woo.
Now when the day is warm
You can keep in form
With a bowl of rice beneath a parasol.
Every gentle man
Has to use a fan
And they only use suspenders in the fall.
That's where the girls don't think of rings and furs.
Gosh, it's the nicest place that ever weres.
They give you a carriage free
The horse is a Japanee
Back in Nagasaki
Where the fellers chew tobaccy
And the women wicky-wacky
Woo.
They sit you upon the floor
No wonder your pants get sore
Back in Nagasaki
Where the fellers chew tobaccy
And the women wicky-wacky
Woo.
With Sweet Kimoner
I pulled a boner
I kept it up at high speed.
I got rhumatics
And then psyatics
Halatosisis, that's guarenteed.
You just have to act your age
Or wind up inside a cage
Back in Nagasaki
Where the fellers chew tobaccy
And the women wicky-wacky
Woo.
With an ice-cream cone and a bottle of tea
You can rest all day by the hickory tree
But when night comes round, oh gosh oh gee,
Mother, mother, mother, pin a rose on me.
Those pretty mamas
In pink pyjamas
They try to give you a kiss
Those torid teases
In B.V.D.ses
Heaven help a sailor on a night like this!
Not too gentle and not too rough
But you've got to tell them when you've had enough
Back in Nagasaki
Where the fellers chew tobaccy
And the women wicky-wacky
Woo.
The song “Nagasaki” by Bobby Short is a narrative about a man named Able Seaman Jones who is telling his fellows about his experience in the city of Nagasaki. According to Jones, Nagasaki is a place where men chew tobacco and women are sexually liberated. The city is also known for its entertainment, where hot ginger and dynamite are the only things available at night. The verse also mentions the friendly women who offer kisses in pink pyjamas, full of teasing behavior, sometimes requiring the men to stop them.
The second verse of the song highlights how Nagasaki is a place where a man's troubles increase as well. In Fujiama, the girls order milkshakes for ten cents and kissy and huggy nice with their customers. But in the pagodas, the girls offer soda and order earthquakes. The fun activity is worth the price of a date. The women in Nagasaki are free-spirited and open-minded, and there is no pressure to settle down with rings and furs. The city is a place where life is lived in the moment, without worrying about the future.
Line by Line Meaning
Fellows, if you're arn
Hey guys, if you're restless
I will spin a yarn
I'll tell you a story
That was told to me by Able Seaman Jones.
Able Seaman Jones once told me this story
Once he had the blues
Once he was feeling down
So he took a cruise
So he went on a ship journey
Far away from night-clubs and from saxophones.
Away from the noisy clubs and music
He said, "Yo Ho, I've made a certain port
Jones said, "Hey, I've arrived at a specific port
And when you talk about real he-man sport":
Where real men's interests are
Hot ginger and dynamite
The atmosphere is lit
There's nothing but that at night
That's all that happens at night
Back in Nagasaki
This is what happens in Nagasaki
Where the fellers chew tobaccy
Where the men chew tobacco
And the women wicky-wacky
And the women are lively and flirtatious
Woo.
Wow!
The way they can entertain
They know how to keep you entertained
Would hurry a hurricane
Would make a hurricane seem slow
In Fujiama
In Fujiyama
You get a mama
You'll get a female companion
Then your troubles increase.
Then things get more complicated
In some pagoda
In a specific pagoda
She orders soda
She orders a drink
Earth-shake milk-shakes, ten cents a piece.
Their milkshakes are delicious and cost ten cents each
They kissy and huggy nice
They're affectionate and loving
Oh, By Jingo! I'ts worth the price.
It's worth paying for
Now when the day is warm
During the warm days
You can keep in form
You can maintain your fitness
With a bowl of rice beneath a parasol.
Eating rice under an umbrella is refreshing
Every gentle man
Every polite man
Has to use a fan
Uses a fan to keep cool
And they only use suspenders in the fall.
They only wear suspenders in autumn
That's where the girls don't think of rings and furs.
Where girls are not materialistic
Gosh, it's the nicest place that ever weres.
It's a really great place
They give you a carriage free
They give you a free carriage
The horse is a Japanee
The horse is Japanese
They sit you upon the floor
They have you sit on the floor
No wonder your pants get sore
No wonder your pants hurt
With Sweet Kimoner
With a nice slip or robe
I pulled a boner
I made a mistake
I kept it up at high speed.
I continued despite the mistake
I got rhumatics
I got rheumatism
And then psyatics
And then sciatica
Halatosisis, that's guarenteed.
Other illnesses are common too
You just have to act your age
You have to act accordingly
Or wind up inside a cage
Or end up in a difficult situation
With an ice-cream cone and a bottle of tea
With an ice cream cone and a bottle of tea
You can rest all day by the hickory tree
You can take a break by the hickory tree
But when night comes round, oh gosh oh gee,
But at night, oh my goodness,
Mother, mother, mother, pin a rose on me.
Do something great for me, Mother.
Those pretty mamas
Those beautiful ladies
In pink pyjamas
Wearing pink pajamas
They try to give you a kiss
They try to kiss you
Those torid teases
Those tempting teases
In B.V.D.ses
Wearing B.V.D. (brand name) underwear
Heaven help a sailor on a night like this!
It's a tough night for a sailor to resist these temptations.
Not too gentle and not too rough
Not too soft, not too hard
But you've got to tell them when you've had enough
But you need to set boundaries
Back in Nagasaki
This is what happens in Nagasaki
Where the fellers chew tobaccy
Where the men chew tobacco
And the women wicky-wacky
And the women are lively and flirtatious
Woo.
Wow!
Lyrics © FOUR JAYS MUSIC PUB, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: HARRY WARREN, MORT DIXON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind