Iron Bar Mas Charley Bell
Hubert Porter Lyrics
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I know one dotty gal come ? me
If I drink white rum and I tumble down
I know one dotty gal come ? me
Iron bar, iron bar
Iron bar, iron bar
Iron bar, iron bar
I went downstairs and the door was locked
So I took out me hammer and I bust the lock
I went downstairs and the door was locked
So I took out me hammer and I bust the lock
Iron bar, iron bar
Iron bar, iron bar
Iron bar, iron bar
Know one dotty gal come ? me
You no hear mas charley bell ring
Boo boo yaga boo boo yaga boo boo yaga
You no hear mas charley bell ring
Boo boo yaga boo boo yaga boo boo yaga
Yes it ring-a day and it ring-a night
Boo boo yaga boo boo yaga boo boo yaga
I build me house and I stand me ground
Boo boo yaga boo boo yaga boo boo yaga
And the rain come fall and it tumble down
Boo boo yaga boo boo yaga boo boo yaga
Now when you see a pretty gal
Boo boo yaga boo boo yaga boo boo yaga
You take your finger call to her
Boo boo yaga boo boo yaga boo boo yaga
But when you see an ugly one
Boo boo yaga boo boo yaga boo boo yaga
Charley bell it won't ring it won't ring at all
Boo boo yaga boo boo yaga boo boo yaga
You no hear mas charley bell ring
Boo boo yaga boo boo yaga boo boo yaga
You no hear mas charley bell ring
Boo boo yaga boo boo yaga boo boo yaga
It ring-a day and it ring-a night
Boo boo yaga boo boo yaga boo boo yaga
Now when you see a pretty gal
Boo boo yaga boo boo yaga boo boo yaga
You take your finger call to her
Boo boo yaga boo boo yaga boo boo yaga
But when you see an ugly one
Boo boo yaga boo boo yaga boo boo yaga
The bell it won't ring it won't ring at all
Boo boo yaga boo boo yaga boo boo yaga
Hubert Porter's song "Iron Bar Mas Charley Bell" tells a story of a man who drinks white rum and stumbles down, knowing that a certain woman will come to him. He then goes on to sing about a situation where he went downstairs but the door was locked, and he had to take out his hammer and bust the lock. In the second half of the song, he ad-libs about mas charley bell ringing and how it won't ring when an ugly woman is spotted.
The lyrics to this song could be interpreted as portraying a man who is drinking and engaging in reckless behavior, leading him to have encounters with women who are not necessarily good for him. The use of the iron bar and hammer to bust the lock could signify that he is aggressive in his actions. The reference to mas charley bell could represent the warning signs that he is ignoring or not paying attention to.
Line by Line Meaning
If I drink white rum and I tumble down
Whenever I drink white rum and get drunk, I know a certain woman will come and take care of me.
Know one dotty gal come ? me
I know that only one particular woman will come to take care of me when I get drunk.
So I took out me hammer and I bust the lock
When I found that the door was locked, I used my hammer to break the lock and open it.
You no hear mas charley bell ring
Did you not hear the sound of Mas Charlie's bell ringing?
Now when you see a pretty gal
Whenever you come across a beautiful woman,
Charley bell it won't ring it won't ring at all
The bell won't ring when you encounter an unattractive woman.
It ring-a day and it ring-a night
The bell keeps ringing day and night without pause.
I build me house and I stand me ground
I constructed my house and made my dwelling in a fixed place.
And the rain come fall and it tumble down
But when the rain comes, the house falls due to the storm.
You take your finger call to her
Use your finger to signal and call the beautiful woman to come towards you.
But when you see an ugly one
But when you come across an unattractive woman,
You no hear mas charley bell ring
The bell won't ring when you encounter the unattractive woman.
Iron bar, iron bar
The repeated phrase of 'iron bar' may be referring to the tool used to craft metal, or it may be a metaphorical reference to the strong will of the singer.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: TRAD
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