Hugh Laurie is an English actor and comedian. Originally part of Cambridge … Read Full Bio ↴Hugh Laurie is an English actor and comedian. Originally part of Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, he found fame playing various roles in the classic British comedy TV series "Blackadder." He is perhaps more famous for the legendary TV sketch show "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" where he performed with his Cambridge University chum, Stephen Fry. Since then he has appeared in various films (Maybe Baby, Girl from Rio, Flight of the Phoenix, Stuart Little) and television shows, and has done some theatre work in London's West End. Mr. Laurie was rumored to be a top contender for the role of "Doctor Who," (prior to David Tennant getting the part), however he was cast as Dr. Gregory House in the hit FOX medical drama "House, MD". Songfacts reports that Laurie is also an enthusiastic and keen musician, playing the piano, guitar, drums, harmonica, and saxophone. He has displayed his musical talents on several episodes of House, as well as on previous shows he starred in, such as A Bit Of Fry & Laurie. In 2010 Laurie played piano as a special guest on Meatloaf 's track If I Can't Have You.
After signing a contract with Warner Bros, Laurie released a blues album Let Them Talk , which was released initially in France on April 18, 2011 and later in the UK on May 9th.

He has written one novel, "The Gun Seller," and another one, "The Paper Soldier," is tentatively scheduled for September 2009. Mr. Laurie has some musical talent, notably the piano and mouth trumpet (he can make convincing trumpet sounds using just his mouth). He played '20s numbers on the piano in the TV series "Jeeves and Wooster" (again with Stephen Fry) in addition to some original comic songs in "A Bit Of Fry & Laurie." He is currently a member of "Band from TV" with several other TV personalities. He is married with children, although he has become somewhat of an absentee father due to his work on American television while his family stays in London.

Buddy Bolden’s Blues
Hugh Laurie Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Thought I heard, Buddy Bolden say
The nasty and dirty, take it away
You're terrible and awful, take it away
I thought I heard him say

Thought I heard, Buddy Bolden shout
Open up that window, and let that bad air out
Open up that window, and let that stinky air out

Thought I heard Buddy Bolden say

Thought I heard judge Fogerty say
Give him 30 days in the market
Take him away
Give him a broom to sweep with
Take him away
Thought I heard him say

Thought I heard Franky Dirson say
Gimme that money, girl,
or I'm gonna, I'm gonna take it away

Gimme that money you owe me, or I'll take it away
Thought I heard Franky Dirson say

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song "Buddy Bolden's Blues" are not easy to interpret and can be interpreted in different ways. Buddy Bolden was a legendary cornet player widely regarded as the father of jazz, but he never recorded a note and only a few written music scores are attributed to him.

The first verse of the song implies that Buddy Bolden was not fond of "nasty and dirty" music and wanted to "take it away". He wanted to get rid of anything that sounded horrible and awful to him. The second verse suggests that Buddy Bolden wanted to remove the bad air and unpleasantness from wherever he was playing his music, and he urged people to open the windows to let the bad air out. The third verse is about Judge Fogerty giving someone a 30-day sentence in the market and giving them a broom to sweep with, possibly to teach them a lesson about working hard.

The fourth and final verse appears to be about a man named Franky Dirson demanding money from a woman, threatening to take it away if she doesn't pay him. It may suggest that people like Franky Dirson were taking advantage of others, taking away what rightfully belonged to them.

Line by Line Meaning

Thought I heard, Buddy Bolden say
The singer believes he heard Buddy Bolden say something.

The nasty and dirty, take it away
Get rid of anything that is unpleasant or unclean.

You're terrible and awful, take it away
Anything that is terrible or awful should be removed.

I thought I heard him say
The artist reiterates that he heard Buddy Bolden say something.

Thought I heard, Buddy Bolden shout
The artist thinks he heard Buddy Bolden shout something.

Open up that window, and let that bad air out
Release the unpleasant and dank air from the room and let fresh air in.

Open up that window, and let that stinky air out
Allow the bad smelling air to escape and replace it with fresh, clean air.

Thought I heard Buddy Bolden say
The artist again mentions that he heard Buddy Bolden say something.

Thought I heard judge Fogerty say
The artist thinks he heard Judge Fogerty say something.

Give him 30 days in the market
Punish the person by placing them in a public area for 30 days.

Take him away
Remove the person from the current location or situation.

Give him a broom to sweep with
As a part of punishment, give the person a broom to clean or sweep with.

Thought I heard him say
The singer repeats what he thought he heard Judge Fogerty say.

Thought I heard Franky Dirson say
The singer thinks he heard Franky Dirson say something.

Gimme that money, girl, or I'm gonna, I'm gonna take it away
Franky Dirson demands that the girl give him the money she owes him, or he will take it by force.

Gimme that money you owe me, or I'll take it away
Franky Dirson demands that the girl give him the money she owes him or else he will use force to take it.

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FERDINAND JOSEPH MORTON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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