The Birth of the Blues
Keely Smith & Louis Prima Lyrics

Oh! they say some people long ago
According to popular belief, there were individuals from the past who sought after a different type of melody,

Were searching for a different tune,
These people actively looked for music that was distinct,

One that they could croon
They wanted to sing along to this specific type of music,

As only they can.
Since they longed for a new type of melody, they realized that they must create their own style,

They only had the rhythm so
Due to their current resources, they were limited and only had access to the rhythm element,

They started swaying to and fro.
With only the rhythm to guide them, they began moving back and forth to the sound of the music they created,

They didn't know just what they had
Despite creating this new sound, they were unaware of what they had stumbled upon,

And that is how the blues really began:
However, this was the true birth of the Blues music genre,

They heard the breeze in the trees
Natural sounds became the inspiration for their music, such as the sounds of the wind blowing through the leaves of trees,

Singing weird melodies
These sounds seemed to have a strange quality to them, making them perfect to be incorporated into blues music,

And they made that
They used this eerie sound as the foundation of their music,

The start of the blues.
The unique sound created the beginning of blues music itself,

And from a jail came the wail
A sorrowful cry came from a nearby prison,

Of a downhearted frail,
The cry came from an individual who had lost all hope and happiness, and had been reduced to a weakened state,

And they played that
They decided to incorporate this tragic sound into their music as well,

As part of the blues.
Now, not only was their sound influenced by the environment around them, but also by a sense of human emotion as well,

From a whippoorwill out on a hill,
A bird's song from a high location became their next inspiration,

They took a new note,
They found a fresh sound from this bird's chime,

Pushed it through a horn
They used their musical instruments to play this new sound they discovered, magnifying it to reach a larger audience,

Til it was born into a blue note.
And from that note, they created a new type of music, what we know today as 'Blues.'

And then they nursed it, rehearsed it,
They worked hard to perfect their newfound sound, spending endless hours practicing and performing to audiences far and wide,

And gave out the news
Their dedication paid off as more people began enjoying their music and the news spread of this brand-new genre they created,

That the southland
Not only was this their creation, but it became synonymous with their homeland and culture, the Southern region of the United States,

Gave birth to the blues!
And thus, the world was introduced to a brand-new style of music that resonates even today, the Blues.