The Teenagers' first single, 1956's "Why Do Fools Fall in Love", was also their biggest. After Lymon went solo in mid-1957, both his career and those of the Teenagers fell into decline. Lymon eventually fell into heroin addiction, and died in 1968 at the age of twenty-five.
Jailhouse Rock
Frankie Lymon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The prison band was there and they began to wail.
The band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing.
You should've heard those knocked out jailbirds sing.
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin' to the jailhouse rock.
Little Joe was blowin' on the slide trombone.
The drummer boy from Illinois went crash, boom, bang,
The whole rhythm section was the purple gang.
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin' to the jailhouse rock.
Number forty-seven said to number three:
You're the cutest jailbird I ever did see.
I sure would be delighted with your company,
Come on and do the jailhouse rock with me.
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin' to the jailhouse rock.
The sad sack was a sittin' on a block of stone
Way over in the corner weepin' all alone.
The warden said, hey, buddy, don't you be no square.
If you can't find a partner use a wooden chair.
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin' to the jailhouse rock.
Shifty Henry said to bugs, for heavens sake,
No ones lookin', now's our chance to make a break.
Bugsy turned to shifty and he said, nix nix,
I wanna stick around a while and get my kicks.
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin' to the jailhouse rock.
Frankie Lymon's "Jailhouse Rock" is a classic rock and roll song that tells the story of a party inside a county jail. The warden has thrown a party in the jailhouse with the prison band. The band starts playing and the entire cell block starts to dance along. The lyrics describe the instruments and the musicians playing them, adding to the excitement and energy of the scene. The song also includes a romantic storyline where one of the inmates tries to woo another to dance with him. The fact that the song was written in a time when rock and roll was still relatively new, and it describes a party in a jail, adds to the rebellious nature of the genre.
Line by Line Meaning
The warden threw a party in the county jail.
The warden organized a party within the jail premises for the prisoners
The prison band was there and they began to wail.
The band consisting of the prisoners played their instruments with excitement
The band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing.
The band's music entertained everyone, and the atmosphere in the jail improved
You should've heard those knocked out jailbirds sing.
Everyone in the jail was singing and dancing with enthusiasm
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock.
The song encourages everyone to dance
Everybody in the whole cell block Was dancin' to the jailhouse rock.
All the prisoners in the cellblock danced to the music
Spider Murphy played the tenor saxophone, Little Joe was blowin' on the slide trombone.
Spider Murphy played the saxophone, and Little Joe played the trombone
The drummer boy from Illinois went crash, boom, bang, The whole rhythm section was the purple gang.
The drummer made loud music, and the entire rhythm section was brilliant
Number forty-seven said to number three: You're the cutest jailbird I ever did see.
One prisoner compliments another, calling them the cutest jailbird they have seen
I sure would be delighted with your company, Come on and do the jailhouse rock with me.
The first prisoner wants to dance with the second prisoner and invites them to accompany him
The sad sack was a sittin' on a block of stone Way over in the corner weepin' all alone.
One prisoner was sitting by himself, feeling sad
The warden said, hey, buddy, don't you be no square. If you can't find a partner use a wooden chair.
The warden encourages the sad prisoner not to feel alone and suggests dancing with a wooden chair
Shifty Henry said to bugs, for heavens sake, No ones lookin', now's our chance to make a break.
One prisoner suggests breaking out of jail when no one is looking
Bugsy turned to shifty and he said, nix nix, I wanna stick around a while and get my kicks.
The other prisoner declines and wants to stay in jail to enjoy the fun
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock. Everybody in the whole cell block Was dancin' to the jailhouse rock.
The song is repeated, echoing the joy and excitement of everyone dancing to the music
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sydneyyanne
'Jailhouse Rock' was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for the film titled 'Jailhouse Rock' (1957) … Frankie Lymon covered the song in May 1958 (the 5th recording of 'Jailhouse Rock')
@jaybee5310
Frankie could put his flare to any song and almost got it better then the original guys, he was truly a remarkable talent, at the tender age of 13 he rocked the world. always miss u Frankie Lymon.
@Goedhartbros
Frankie Lymon and Elvis Presley were both found dead on the bathroom at an early age. R.I.P. Elvis and Frankie. They both have their own style so they are not really in competition.
@REBELNATION89
Frankie could've been a an icon and not just a mad talented kid from Harlem. All he needed around him was people who truly cared for him in his personal life. Also, he needed good songwriters and producers to help him through his music transitions. From his voice changing to the styles people were listening to from the 50's to the 60's.
@GregCandalez
Loved this version, loved Frankie's matured voice. It may not be his signature soprano, but it's depth transpired credibility, in my opinion.
@dixie8418
These lyrics are so much clearer than in other versions
@Last-Scar-5675
Elvis’ lyrics are very clear
@1rnbrother4u
Man; that dude wasn't a joke! He was the real deal.
@FourEverEvolving
*Clutching my pearls* Wowwwwwww I never knew he had a version of this song! What a talented gift from God he was!
@theo3s611
The powerful voice and range that Frankie had was Unbelievable