Dr. John began making his own idiosyncratic music in the 1960s. Along with Professor Longhair, Dr. John is heir to the rich New Orleans tradition. He is perhaps best known for "Right Place, Wrong Time", an international hit in 1973, reissued and used on soundtracks many times since.
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, his professional musical career began as a session musician in New Orleans in the 1950s. Early on he also played guitar and was often known as Mac Rebennack. He switched to the bass ("the lowest time of my life"), and then the piano after his index finger was nearly shot off protecting his bandmate and longtime friend Ronnie Barron. He gained fame beginning in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with music that combined New Orleans-style rhythm and blues with psychedelic rock and stage shows that bordered on voodoo religious ceremonies, including elaborate costumes and headdress. For a time he was billed as Dr. John, The Night Tripper. The name "Dr. John" came from a legendary Louisiana voodoo practitioner from the start of the 19th century.
Dr. John has also done vocals for Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits' "Luv dat chicken..." jingle, as well as the theme song ("My Opinionation") for the early-1990s television sitcom Blossom. His movie credits include Martin Scorsese's documentary The Last Waltz (in which he joins The Band for a performance of his song "Such a Night") and Blues Brothers 2000 (in which he joins the fictional band The Louisiana Gator Boys to perform the song "New Orleans"). In the 2009 Disney film The Princess and the Frog, Dr. John sings the opening tune, "Down in New Orleans".
In January 2008 Mac Rebennack, Dr. John, was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame.
Foolish Little Girl
Dr. John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never spoke of his name never read her his word
Two non believers walking lost in this world
Took their baby with them what a sad little girl
Her daddy drank all day and mommy did drugs
Never wanted to play or give kisses and hugs
She'd watched the TV and sit there on the couch
While her mom fell asleep and her daddy went out
Just got worse every night
Behind their couch she'd be hiding
Oh what a sad little life
And like it always does the bad just got worse
With every slap and every curse
Until her daddy in a drunk rage one night
Used a gun on her mom and then took his life
And some people from the city took the girl far away
To a new Mom and a new Dad
Kisses and hugs every day!
Her first day at Sunday school
The teacher walked in
And a small little girl stared at a picture of him
She said I know that man
There on that cross I don't know his name
But I know he got off
'Cause he was there in my old house
Held me close to his side
As I hid there behind our couch the night my parents died
The song Foolish Little Girl by Dr. John tells a heartbreaking story of a young girl who had a difficult childhood. Her parents were non-believers who never took her to church or read the Bible to her. Her father was an alcoholic who drank all day, while her mother did drugs and was never present to play or give kisses and hugs. As a result, the little girl spent most of her time watching TV and sitting on the couch.
Despite the dysfunctional household, the young girl tried to cope with her tragic life. However, the violence in the house only escalated with each passing day. Her father's abuse eventually led him to take her mother's life in a drunken rage and then his own. This tragedy then led the young girl to be taken away by some people from the city to a new family where she finally experienced love and affection.
Despite her challenging upbringing, the girl's faith never faltered. On her first day at Sunday school, she recognizes a picture of Jesus on the cross and says she knows the man. She explains how he was there with her, holding her close to his side, giving her the strength to survive during the night that her parents died. The song ends with a hopeful message of the young girl finding a new family and discovering her faith in God.
Line by Line Meaning
Her parents never took the young girl to church
The young girl's parents never took her to church
Never spoke of his name never read her his word
They never spoke of God's name or read her His word
Two non believers walking lost in this world
Her parents were both non-believers, lost in the world
Took their baby with them what a sad little girl
They took her with them, but she was a sad little girl
Her daddy drank all day and mommy did drugs
Her dad drank all day and her mom did drugs
Never wanted to play or give kisses and hugs
They never wanted to play or show affection
She'd watched the TV and sit there on the couch
The girl watched TV and sat on the couch
While her mom fell asleep and her daddy went out
Her mom would fall asleep and her dad would leave
And the drinking and the fighting
The drinking and fighting in the household
Just got worse every night
Just kept getting worse every night
Behind their couch she'd be hiding
She would hide behind the couch
Oh what a sad little life
Her life was very sad
And like it always does the bad just got worse
Things continued to get worse
With every slap and every curse
With each slap and curse
Until her daddy in a drunk rage one night
Until her dad, in a drunk rage, used a gun on her mom and took his own life
Used a gun on her mom and then took his life
He used a gun on her mom, then committed suicide
And some people from the city took the girl far away
Some people from the city took the girl far away
To a new Mom and a new Dad
To a new set of parents
Kisses and hugs every day!
Who gave her kisses and hugs all the time
Her first day at Sunday school
Her first day at Sunday School
The teacher walked in
Her Sunday School teacher walked into the classroom
And a small little girl stared at a picture of him
She looked at a picture of Jesus and knew him right away
She said I know that man
The little girl said she knew who Jesus was
There on that cross I don't know his name
She did not know His name when she saw Him on the cross
But I know he got off
She knew that Jesus got off the cross
'Cause he was there in my old house
Jesus was in her house when her parents died
Held me close to his side
He held her close to His side
As I hid there behind our couch the night my parents died
She hid behind the couch the night her parents died, but Jesus was there to comfort her
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: HARLEY ALLEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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