Chavis' performances, with his band, the Majic Sounds, included much-heralded appearance at the Newport Folk Festival and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The New York Times wrote, "(Chavis is) chaos on two feet. A little bullet of a man, he runs around onstage, shouting and yelling....(his) music can achieve a trancelike intensity". In a review of Chavis' performance at the Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival, Paul Scott wrote, "There are a lot of Boozoo prototypes coming out. They may be smoother than Boozoo but they try to get his hard accordion; that rough, raw, style; and his sore throat type of singing. And with that single-note and triple-note accordion, he's doing a lot to bring a return to basic zydeco'.
The son of tenant farmers, Chavis acquired his nickname as a youngster. Chavis was raised by his mother who cleaned houses and sold barbecue at horseraces until raising enough money to buy a three acre tract of land where she and Chavis moved in 1944. Acquiring an accordion from his father and teaching himself to play, Chavis was soon playing at local barn dances and in the dance club, opened by his mother, where he often sat in with Morris Chenier and his sons, Clifton and Cleveland. In 1994, Chavis appeared in Robert Mugge's video documentary, The Kingdom of Zydeco. He was inducted into the Zydeco Hall of Fame four years later. And continuing to release music into the new millennium, Chavis issued Johnnie Billy Goat in fall 2000. On May 5, 2001 Chavis died after suffering from complications related to a heart attack he had a month earlier.
Uncle Bud
Boozoo Chavis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uncle Bud beat the devil outta Cotton-Eyed Joe
Uncle Bud
Some people say Uncle Bud is dead
But I don't lie, he's sick in bed
Uncle Bud
Her name is Joan
What I like about her, make an old man moan
Uncle Bud
Uncle Bud got cotton, ain't never been picked
Uncle Bud got corn, ain't never been shucked
Uncle Bud got a daughter, ain't never been touched
Uncle Bud
Big fish, litle fish climbin' upta water
Some son of a gun done touched my daughter
Uncle Bud
Down in Louisiana where the grass grow green
They got more women that you've ever seen
Uncle Bud
Uncle Bud got this, Uncle Bud got that
Uncle Bud got a big ol' cowboy hat
Uncle Bud
Jimmy come and knock with a pack on his back
He bring more cotton than he can pack
Uncle Bud
The lyrics to Boozoo Chavis's song "Uncle Bud" tell a story of a powerful and feared man named Uncle Bud who is known for having beaten "the devil outta Cotton-Eyed Joe" some 18-20 years prior. While some people believe Uncle Bud is dead, the singer asserts that he is "sick in bed." Uncle Bud has a daughter named Joan, whom the singer admires for reasons that make "an old man moan." The song also describes Uncle Bud's impressive collection of crops, including cotton, corn, and a daughter who has never been "touched."
This song offers a glimpse into a world of Southern masculinity, where power and violence go hand in hand. Uncle Bud is a force to be reckoned with, as evidenced by the fact that he single-handedly beat Cotton-Eyed Joe. Moreover, even though some believe him to be dead, the singer asserts that Uncle Bud is still very much alive, commanding respect and fear. The song also reveals the double standards engrained in this culture, where a man like Uncle Bud can assert his dominance and ownership over his crops and daughter, but where other men touching Uncle Bud's daughter is seen as a grave offense that warrants physical retaliation.
Overall, "Uncle Bud" is a fascinating and complex song that offers a window into a particular time and place in American music history.
Line by Line Meaning
Eighteen, nineteen, twenty years ago
It happened a long time ago
Uncle Bud beat the devil outta Cotton-Eyed Joe
Uncle Bud defeated someone named Cotton-Eyed Joe
Uncle Bud
Reiteration of the name of a person
Some people say Uncle Bud is dead
There are people who believe that Uncle Bud is deceased
But I don't lie, he's sick in bed
The artist knows that Uncle Bud is only ill
Uncle Bud got a daughter
Uncle Bud has a child who is female
Her name is Joan
The daughter is named Joan
What I like about her, make an old man moan
The artist finds Joan attractive
Uncle Bud got cotton, ain't never been picked
Uncle Bud has cotton that has not yet been harvested
Uncle Bud got corn, ain't never been shucked
Uncle Bud has corn that has not yet been processed
Uncle Bud got a daughter, ain't never been touched
Uncle Bud's daughter has not been sexually assaulted
Big fish, litle fish climbin' upta water
Fish of all sizes are swimming upstream
Some son of a gun done touched my daughter
Someone has sexually assaulted Uncle Bud's daughter
Down in Louisiana where the grass grow green
Louisiana is a place with lush greenery
They got more women that you've ever seen
There are many women in Louisiana
Uncle Bud got this, Uncle Bud got that
Uncle Bud has many possessions
Uncle Bud got a big ol' cowboy hat
Uncle Bud owns a large cowboy-style hat
Jimmy come and knock with a pack on his back
A person named Jimmy arrives with a backpack
He bring more cotton than he can pack
Jimmy has so much cotton that he cannot carry it all himself
Uncle Bud
Reiteration of the name of a person
Contributed by Owen K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@joelfortenberry7865
Boozo was one of the last old school Louisiana musicians. Never sat long at one of his shows; had to dance. Shout out to KB from Morgan City!
@BobbyBoudreaux
😮 2:38 gt
@thejacob2238
Same here i live louisiana born and raised my whole life in the woods and i sure damn well wont let anyone take that away from me i love this song
@sese8978
thejacob 223 this is my great grandfather
@purplehaze3797
I'm from abbeville louisiana the birthplace of zydeco
@wall0184
My childhood friend had a crazy uncle the family called “Uncle Bud” and never offered an explanation. Now I get it 30 years later
@bigshannon6065
Jammin this right now 2020 eatin crawfish during this corona virus
@DerangedKat
2022 friend and still loving it
@RareForceOne1
I met Boozoo and saw his last show right before he passed away in Austin Texas 😢 I was a child but remember vividly
@freshstart8540
"Your gonna look like a monkey" is my favorite.. Boozoo Chavis is underated. I first learned about zydeco when Rockin Sydney's Toot Toot went main stream early eighties. This music is alive! It makes one want to dance, move,do some chores, tap your foot..something!