Mr Bojangles
DJ Derek Lyrics
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And he danced for you
In worn out shoes
With silver hair, a ragged shirt
And baggy pants, the old soft shoe
He jumped so high, he jumped so high
Then he lightly touched down
I was down and out
He looked at me to be the eyes of age
As he spoke right out
He talked of life, he talked of life
He laughed, slapped his leg a step
He said his name, Bojangles
And he danced a lick across the cell
He grabbed his pants
In fettered stance
Oh, he jumped up high
Then he clicked his heels
He let go a laugh, he let go a laugh
Shook back his clothes all around
Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles
Mr. Bojangles, dance!
He danced for those
At minstrel shows and county fairs
Throughout the south
He spoke with tears of 15 years
How his dog and him traveled about
His dog up and died, he up and died
After 20 years he still grieves
He said I dance now
At every chance in honky tonks
For drink and tips
But most of the time
I spend behind these county bars
Cause I drinks a bit
He shook his head
And as he shook his head
I heard someone ask him
Please, please
Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles
Mr. Bojangles, dance!
The song "Mr. Bojangles" by DJ Derek is a poignant tribute to a man the singer met while in a jail cell in New Orleans. The singer describes the man - Mr. Bojangles - as an elderly man with silver hair, wearing a ragged shirt and baggy pants, with worn-out shoes who used to dance for the people. The song goes on to describe how Mr. Bojangles entertained people at minstrel shows and county fairs in the south with his old soft shoe dance. He spoke with tears in his eyes about how he and his dog traveled around for fifteen years before the dog died, and he still grieves for him.
As the song progresses, Mr. Bojangles reveals that he now dances in honky-tonks for drink and tips, but mostly spends his time behind county bars. When asked if he would dance, he would oblige with his signature dance moves. Overall, the song conveys a sense of loss and heartbreak, but also of hope and resilience in the face of difficult circumstances, as embodied by Mr. Bojangles.
Line by Line Meaning
I knew a man Bojangles
I once knew a man called Bojangles
And he danced for you
He would dance for anyone who would watch him
In worn out shoes
His shoes were old and worn out from dancing so much
With silver hair, a ragged shirt
He had silver hair, and his shirt was old and torn
And baggy pants, the old soft shoe
He wore baggy pants and danced the old soft shoe
He jumped so high, he jumped so high
He could jump really high
Then he lightly touched down
And come back down to the ground lightly
I met him in a cell in New Orleans
I met him in a cell in New Orleans
I was down and out
I was feeling low and out of luck
He looked at me to be the eyes of age
He saw that I had aged beyond my years
As he spoke right out
As he started speaking to me
He talked of life, he talked of life
He talked about his experiences in life
He laughed, slapped his leg a step
He laughed while slapping his leg in time with the music
He said his name, Bojangles
He introduced himself as Bojangles
And he danced a lick across the cell
He danced across the cell in his own style
He grabbed his pants
He held onto his pants while dancing
In fettered stance
Even though his feet were in cuffs
Oh, he jumped up high
He jumped up really high
Then he clicked his heels
And he clicked his heels together when he landed
He let go a laugh, he let go a laugh
He laughed and enjoyed himself while dancing
Shook back his clothes all around
He shook his clothes around while he danced
Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles
People called him Mr. Bojangles
Mr. Bojangles, dance!
They asked him to dance for them
He danced for those
He would dance for anyone who wanted to watch him
At minstrel shows and county fairs
He would perform at minstrel shows and county fairs
Throughout the south
All across the southern states
He spoke with tears of 15 years
He spoke with sadness about his 15 years on the road
How his dog and him traveled about
He talked about how he and his dog used to travel around together
His dog up and died, he up and died
Unfortunately, his dog died and he was heartbroken
After 20 years he still grieves
Even 20 years later, he was still sad about his dog
He said I dance now
He said that he now dances
At every chance in honky tonks
Whenever he gets the chance at honky tonks
For drink and tips
He danced for drinks and tips
But most of the time
But usually
I spend behind these county bars
He spends most of his time behind bars
Cause I drinks a bit
Because he drinks alcohol
He shook his head
He shook his head in disapproval
And as he shook his head
While he was shaking his head
I heard someone ask him
I heard someone ask him a question
Please, please
They pleaded with him
Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles
They kept calling him Mr. Bojangles
Mr. Bojangles, dance!
And begged him to dance for them
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JERRY JEFF WALKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind