The birth of the blues
Dean Martin/Frank Sinatra/Sammy Davis JR/The ratpack Lyrics

Oh, they say some people long ago
According to legend, there were people in the past who began the creation of this music genre

Were searching for a different tune
They were seeking a unique sound that would become their signature style

One that they could croon
A song that they could sing and perform to convey their emotions

As only they can
In a way that only they are capable of because of their individual styles and talents

They only had the rhythm
All they had initially was the beat and pace to start with

So they started swaying to and fro
They began to move to the music they created, letting it guide their bodies

They didn't know just what to use
They were uncertain about what else they needed to add to the sound to make it their own

That is how the blues really began
That was the starting point of the music genre known as blues

They heard the breeze in the trees
They listened to the rustling of leaves in the wind

Singing weird melodies
They heard unusual and unexpected sounds that seemed to have a musical quality to them

And they made that the start of the blues
They incorporated those sounds and melodies into their music as the foundation of the blues genre

And from a jail came the wail
The mournful cry of a prisoner came to their attention

Of a down-hearted frail
The cry was from a sad and dejected individual

And they played that
They took that mournful sound and played it into their music

As part of the blues
It became an integral part of the musical style they were creating

From a whippoorwill
They heard the distinctive song of a bird called a whippoorwill

Out on a hill
The bird's song was coming from a hill, which they also incorporated into their music

They took a new note
They discovered a new sound

Pushed it through a horn
They amplified the sound through a horn-shaped instrument

Till it was worn
They played it repeatedly until it became part of their repertoire

Into a blue note
That sound became known as a specific 'blue note', a term used in blues music

And then they nursed it, rehearsed it
They worked on developing and perfecting that sound

And gave out the news
They spread the word about their new musical style

That the Southland gave birth to the blues!
The southern region of the US is where this new musical genre known as blues originated