Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American Hall of… Read Full Bio ↴Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American Hall of Fame pianist who was one of the architects of the "Nashville Sound."

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Cramer grew up in the small town of Huttig, Arkansas, teaching himself to play the piano. After finishing high school, he returned to Shreveport, where he worked as a pianist for the Louisiana Hayride radio show.

In 1952, he made his way to Nashville at a time when the use of piano accompanists in country music was growing in popularity. Before long, Cramer would become one of the busiest studio musicians in the industry, playing piano for stars such as Elvis Presley, Brenda Lee, Patsy Cline, The Browns, Jim Reeves, Roy Orbison, Don Gibson and the Everly Brothers, and many others. It is Cramer's piano that is heard, for example, on Presley's first national hit, "Heartbreak Hotel."

However, Cramer remained a virtual unknown to anyone but music industry insiders until he recorded a 45 rpm single in 1960 called "Last Date." An instrumental, the music exhibited a relatively new concept for piano playing known as the "slip note" style. The record went to Number two on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music chart. By the mid-1960s, Cramer had become a respected performer, making numerous record albums and touring with guitar maestro Chet Atkins and saxophonist Boots Randolph.

Floyd Cramer died of lung cancer in 1997 at the age of 64 and was interred in the Spring Hill Cemetery in the Nashville suburb of Madison, Tennessee.

In 2003, he was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee offers the "Floyd Cramer Competitive Scholarship."

What'd I Say
Floyd Cramer Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hey mama, don't you treat me wrong
Come and love your daddy all night long
All right now, hey hey, all right

See the girl with the diamond ring
She knows how to shake that thing
All right now now now, hey hey, hey hey

Tell your mama, tell your pa
I'm gonna send you back to Arkansas
Oh yes, ma'm, you don't do right, don't do right
Aw, play it boy

When you see me in misery
Come on baby, see about me
Now yeah, all right, all right, aw play it, boy

When you see me in misery
Come on baby, see about me
Now yeah, hey hey, all right

See the girl with the red dress on
She can do the Birdland all night long
Yeah yeah, what'd I say, all right

Well, tell me what'd I say, yeah
Tell me what'd I say right now
Tell me what'd I say
Tell me what'd I say right now
Tell me what'd I say
Tell me what'd I say yeah

And I wanna know
Baby I wanna know right now
And-a I wanna know
And I wanna know right now yeah
And-a I wanna know
Said I wanna know yeah

Spoken: Hey, don't quit now! (c'mon honey)
Naw, I got, I uh-uh-uh, I'm changing (stop! stop! we'll
Do it again)
Wait a minute, wait a minute, oh hold it! Hold it! Hold
It!

Hey (hey) ho (ho) hey (hey) ho (ho) hey (hey) ho (ho)
Hey

Oh one more time (just one more time)
Say it one more time right now (just one more time)
Say it one more time now (just one more time)
Say it one more time yeah (just one more time)
Say it one more time (just one more time)
Say it one more time yeah (just one more time)

Hey (hey) ho (ho) hey (hey) ho (ho) hey (hey) ho (ho)
Hey

Ah! Make me feel so good (make me feel so good)
Make me feel so good now yeah (make me feel so good)
Woah! Baby (make me feel so good)
Make me feel so good yeah (make me feel so good)
Make me feel so good (make me feel so good)
Make me feel so good yeah (make me feel so good)

Huh (huh) ho (ho) huh (huh) ho (ho) huh (huh) ho (ho)
Huh

Awh it's all right (baby it's all right)
Said that it's all right right now (baby it's all
Right)
Said that it's all right (baby it's all right)
Said that it's all right yeah (baby it's all right)
Said that it's all right (baby it's all right)
Said that it's all right (baby it's all right)

Woah! Shake that thing now (baby shake that thing)
Baby shake that thing now now (baby shake that thing)
Baby shake that thing (baby shake that thing)
Baby shake that thing right now (baby shake that thing)
Baby shake that thing (baby shake that thing)
Baby shake that thing (baby shake that thing)

Woah! I feel all right now yeah (make me feel all
Right)
Said I feel all right now (make me feel all right)
Woooah! (make me feel all right)
Tell you I feel all right (make me feel all right)

Said I feel all right (make me feel all right)
Baby I feel all right (make me feel all right)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Floyd Cramer's song "What'd I Say" are about a man begging his girl not to mistreat him and instead show him love throughout the night. The singer is drawn to a woman with a diamond ring and able to dance in a way that he enjoys. The lyrics also mention a girl in a red dress who can perform the Birdland dance all night long. The line "tell your mama, tell your pa, I'm gonna send you back to Arkansas" is a threat to the girl to behave better towards him. He also asks her to see about him when he is in misery.

The chorus of the song pleads with the girl to tell the singer what he said that has left him feeling so good. The "hey ho" section repeats multiple times as the singer tries to gain her attention, and at the end of the song, he tries to get her to shake her thing and make him feel good. The song centers around relationships and communication with a focus on the male gaze and desire.

Line by Line Meaning

Hey mama, don't you treat me wrong
Addressing his lover, the singer pleads with her to treat him kindly

Come and love your daddy all night long
The singer asks his lover to stay with him all night and show him affection

See the girl with the diamond ring
The singer references a specific woman who is wearing a diamond ring

She knows how to shake that thing
The woman the singer is referring to is a skilled dancer

Tell your mama, tell your pa
The singer challenges his lover to tell her parents about him

I'm gonna send you back to Arkansas
The singer threatens to send his lover away if she doesn't start treating him better

Oh yes, ma'm, you don't do right, don't do right
The singer is unhappy with his lover's behavior and tells her so

Aw, play it boy
The singer directs the musician to continue playing the song

When you see me in misery
The singer describes being upset and unhappy

Come on baby, see about me
He asks his lover to comfort him when he's sad

Now yeah, all right, all right, aw play it, boy
The singer encourages the musician to keep playing, expressing that he likes the music

See the girl with the red dress on
The singer now references another woman wearing a red dress

She can do the Birdland all night long
This woman is also a talented dancer and can do the Birdland dance for a long time

Yeah yeah, what'd I say, all right
The singer is pleased with the women's dancing and the overall atmosphere

Well, tell me what'd I say, yeah
The singer asks the audience to provide feedback on what he said or did

Tell me what'd I say right now
He again asks for immediate feedback

And I wanna know
The singer emphasizes that he wants to understand the audience's response

Baby I wanna know right now
Adding a sense of urgency, the singer asks for feedback immediately and lovingly addresses the audience

Spoken: Hey, don't quit now! (c'mon honey) Naw, I got, I uh-uh-uh, I'm changing (stop! stop! we'll Do it again) Wait a minute, wait a minute, oh hold it! Hold it! Hold It!
The singer improvises some spoken word interludes, providing instructions to the musician to keep playing, pause or restart the song

Ah! Make me feel so good (make me feel so good) Make me feel so good now yeah (make me feel so good) Woah! Baby (make me feel so good) Make me feel so good yeah (make me feel so good) Make me feel so good (make me feel so good) Make me feel so good yeah (make me feel so good)
The singer expresses how the music is making him feel, asking for the feeling to continue

Huh (huh) ho (ho) huh (huh) ho (ho) huh (huh) ho (ho) Huh
Another improvisation, featuring vocal sounds without words

Woah! Shake that thing now (baby shake that thing) Baby shake that thing now now (baby shake that thing) Baby shake that thing (baby shake that thing) Baby shake that thing right now (baby shake that thing) Baby shake that thing (baby shake that thing) Baby shake that thing (baby shake that thing)
The singer encourages someone to dance and specifically references shaking their body

Woah! I feel all right now yeah (make me feel all Right) Said I feel all right now (make me feel all right) Woooah! (make me feel all right) Tell you I feel all right (make me feel all right) Said I feel all right (make me feel all right) Baby I feel all right (make me feel all right)
The singer expresses how the music is making him feel good and is happy with the vibe in the room

Awh it's all right (baby it's all right) Said that it's all right right now (baby it's all Right) Said that it's all right (baby it's all right) Said that it's all right yeah (baby it's all right) Said that it's all right (baby it's all right) Said that it's all right (baby it's all right)
The singer reassures himself and others that everything is fine

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ray Charles

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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