I'm A Band Leader
Frank Zappa Lyrics


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Captain beefheart (vocals)

I'm a band leader. not only can I drink a whole lot, but I play 23 different instruments , too and I don't even know how to read music. self-taught, you know. couldnt tell it, though, to hear me play. when I play and sway in rhythm to the catchy little tunes that I know for five miles around get hot pants for me, hotcha!

Last night was pretty good for a wednesday. we got ten requests for, we got bill bailey, and we played them all and we got seven people came up for the twist contest. I gave away a box with two small bottles of champagne imported from europe (heh) and kissed the girl who won and shook hands with the guy she was with. he didn't mind when I kissed her because I'm important.

We have a new routine. been working on it for three weeks or more. I pretend I'm a queer and the sax player pretends he's a queer, too, and later on in the show, (thisll kill ya) we kiss each other so that it looks to the audience like we kiss each other on the mouth. (heh). when we go... into a fast number, god, the people love it! wait... till... we... get to las vegas!
(ha-heh-heh)





Overall Meaning

In "I'm A Band Leader" by Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart sings about his abilities as a band leader, emphasizing his prowess on various instruments, despite not knowing how to read music. He boasts about his abilities and the crowds that he performs for, mentioning a recent performance on a Wednesday night where the band took ten requests and had seven people come up for a twist contest. He even goes so far as to describe a new routine in which he and the sax player pretend to be queer and kiss each other on stage during a fast number, much to the delight of the audience.


Overall, the lyrics seem to be a humorous commentary on the life of a band leader and the lengths some may go to entertain their audiences. Beefheart's bragging about his skills and the various antics the band performs on stage could be seen as a critique of the music industry and the desire to constantly push boundaries to keep audiences interested.


Interestingly, this song was never officially released on any Frank Zappa albums, but was instead included on a bootleg album entitled "The History and Collected Improvisations of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention." Despite this, "I'm A Band Leader" has become somewhat of a cult favorite among Zappa fans and is often cited as an example of the eccentric and experimental nature of his music.


Line by Line Meaning

I'm a band leader. not only can I drink a whole lot, but I play 23 different instruments , too and I don't even know how to read music. self-taught, you know. couldnt tell it, though, to hear me play. when I play and sway in rhythm to the catchy little tunes that I know for five miles around get hot pants for me, hotcha!
I am an excellent band leader. I am skilled at playing 23 different instruments despite not knowing how to read music. I have a natural talent which I display while playing catchy tunes that others can hear up to five miles away. People are enamored with my music and I am very popular.


Last night was pretty good for a wednesday. we got ten requests for, we got bill bailey, and we played them all and we got seven people came up for the twist contest. I gave away a box with two small bottles of champagne imported from europe (heh) and kissed the girl who won and shook hands with the guy she was with. he didn't mind when I kissed her because I'm important.
I had a successful night on a Wednesday. We received several song requests and played them all. The twist contest attracted seven people and I gave the winner a box of champagne from Europe. I even kissed the girl who won and the guy she was with didn't mind because he knows how important I am.


We have a new routine. been working on it for three weeks or more. I pretend I'm a queer and the sax player pretends he's a queer, too, and later on in the show, (thisll kill ya) we kiss each other so that it looks to the audience like we kiss each other on the mouth. (heh). when we go... into a fast number, god, the people love it! wait... till... we... get to las vegas!
We have been working on a new routine for at least three weeks. In our performance, I pretend to be gay and the sax player does the same. Later, we simulate kissing each other on the mouth, which excites the audience. When we perform a fast number, the crowd responds positively. We cannot wait to perform this routine in Las Vegas.




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Vincent Zappa

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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