"Mr. Custer" was written by Fred Darian, Al DeLory, and Joe Van Winkle. In the UK, "Mr. Custer" was successfully covered by Charlie Drake. Not happy with the music business, Verne switched to becoming a successful builder of sets for the Hollywood film industry for 35 years before he retired.
Mr. Custer
Larry Verne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(and from the rear a voice was heard)
(a brave young man with a trembling word rang loud and clear)
What am I doin' here?
Please Mr. Custer, I don't want to go
Hey, Mr. Custer, please don't make me go
I had a dream last night about the comin' fight
And there I stood with a arrow in my back.
Please Mr. Custer, I don't want to go (forward ho!) aw
Look at them bushes out there
They're moving and there's a injun behind every one
Hey, Mr. Custer-you mind if I be excused the rest of the afternoon?
Hey charlie, duck yer head!
Hm, you're a little bit late on that one, charlie
Ooh, I bet that smarts!
(they were sure of victory, the men of the 7th cavalry, as they rode on)
(but then from the rear a voice was heard)
(that same brave voice with the trembling word rang loud and clear)
What am I doin' here?
Please Mr. Custer, I don't want to go
Listen, Mr. Custer, please don't make me go
There's a redskin a-waitin' out there, just fixin' to take my hair
A coward I've been called 'cause I don't want to wind up dead or bald
Please Mr. Custer, I don't want to go (forward ho) aw
I wonder what the injun word for friend is
Let's see friend kemo sabe, that's it
Kemo sabe!
Hey out there, kemo sabe!
Nope, that itn't it
Look at them out there
They're runnin' around like a bunch of wild Indians
Heh, heh, heh
Nah, this ain't no time for jokin'
The song "Mr. Custer" by Larry Verne is a humorous and satirical take on the Battle of Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand. The lyrics depict a soldier of the 7th cavalry who is terrified of the upcoming battle and begs his superior, Mr. Custer, not to make him go. The soldier has a dream in which he is killed by an arrow to the back and is cowardly labeled for not wanting to go to battle. The soldier's comical attempts at avoiding the battle and pacifying the Native Americans highlight the absurdity of the historical event and the often controversial and violent interactions between Native Americans and white settlers. The lyrics also note the poor leadership of Custer and his cavalry, who were confident of victory despite being outnumbered and ultimately suffered a devastating defeat.
The song "Mr. Custer" was released in 1960 and became a hit, reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was written by Fred Darian, Al De Lory, and Joseph Van Winkle, and was originally intended to be a serious Western ballad. However, producer Snuff Garrett suggested a comedic approach and Larry Verne's exaggerated vocal performance added to its success. Interestingly, the song was banned by some radio stations due to its perceived offensive and insensitive portrayal of Native Americans. Despite this controversy, the song remains a popular and memorable novelty hit.
Line by Line Meaning
(that famous day in history the men of the 7th cavalry went riding on)
On that famous day in history, the men of the 7th cavalry went for their ride.
(and from the rear a voice was heard)
A voice was heard from the rear.
(a brave young man with a trembling word rang loud and clear)
A brave young man spoke up, his voice trembling yet loud and clear.
What am I doin' here?
The brave young man questioned his presence there.
Please Mr. Custer, I don't want to go
The brave young man pleads to Mr. Custer to not make him go.
Hey, Mr. Custer, please don't make me go
The brave young man begs Mr. Custer to not force him to go.
I had a dream last night about the comin' fight
The brave young man dreamt of the upcoming fight.
Somebody yelled "attack!"
In his dream, someone yelled "attack!".
And there I stood with a arrow in my back.
In his dream, the brave young man was hit with an arrow in his back.
Please Mr. Custer, I don't want to go (forward ho!) aw
The brave young man once again pleads to Mr. Custer to not make him go.
Look at them bushes out there
The brave young man notices the bushes out there.
They're moving and there's a injun behind every one
He notices the bushes moving and suspects there is an Indian behind each of them.
Hey, Mr. Custer-you mind if I be excused the rest of the afternoon?
The brave young man timidly asks Mr. Custer to be excused for the rest of the afternoon.
Hey charlie, duck yer head!
The brave young man warns his fellow soldier Charlie to duck his head.
Hm, you're a little bit late on that one, charlie
The brave young man chides Charlie for being late to duck his head.
Ooh, I bet that smarts!
The brave young man expresses a bit of sympathy for Charlie's injury.
(they were sure of victory, the men of the 7th cavalry, as they rode on)
The men of the 7th cavalry were confident of their victory as they rode on.
(but then from the rear a voice was heard)
But then, a voice was heard again from the rear.
(that same brave voice with the trembling word rang loud and clear)
The same brave young man with the trembling voice spoke up again, ringing loud and clear.
What am I doin' here?
He once again questions his presence there.
Please Mr. Custer, I don't want to go
He once again pleads to Mr. Custer to not make him go.
Listen, Mr. Custer, please don't make me go
The brave young man implores Mr. Custer to listen and not make him go.
There's a redskin a-waitin' out there, just fixin' to take my hair
The brave young man fears that there is an Indian out there waiting to scalp him.
A coward I've been called 'cause I don't want to wind up dead or bald
He has been called a coward for not wanting to die or be scalped.
I wonder what the injun word for friend is
The brave young man wonders what the Indian word for "friend" is.
Let's see friend kemo sabe, that's it
He thinks he has remembered the Indian word for "friend", which is "kemo sabe".
Kemo sabe!
He calls out "kemo sabe!".
Hey out there, kemo sabe!
He calls out again to whoever might be out there, using the Indian term for "friend".
Nope, that itn't it
He realizes that he was mistaken and that "kemo sabe" wasn't the right term.
Look at them out there
He looks out at something in the distance.
They're runnin' around like a bunch of wild Indians
He compares what he sees to a group of wild Indians.
Heh, heh, heh
He chuckles, possibly out of nervousness or fear.
Nah, this ain't no time for jokin'
He then realizes that this is not a time for joking and becomes serious again.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: A. DELORY, F. DARIAN, J. VANWINKLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Harold Chernofsky
on Roller Coaster
heehaw!!!!