What'd I Say
Lewis Jerry Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come and love your daddy, all night long
Alright, hehee, huhu, alright
Mm, see the girl with the diamond ring
She knows how to shake that thing
Alright, hehee, huhu, alright
I'm gonna send you back to Arkansas
Huhu hey, honey you don't do right
I say you don't do right
Mmm, alright
See the girl with the red dress on
She'll do the Boogie Woogie all night long
Alright, hehe, huhu, alright
Well, tell me what I say (what'd I say)
Tell me what I say right now (what'd I say)
Honey, what I say (what'd I say)
Baby what I say right now (what'd I say)
Tell me what I say
Tell me what I say
And I wanna know (I wanna know)
I wanna know right now (I wanna know)
I gotta know (I wanna know)
Baby, I wanna know right now (I wanna know)
Baby, I wanna know
Baby, I wanna know
(What'd I say, what'd I say, what'd I say)
The song "What'd I Say" by Jerry Lee Lewis is an upbeat number that features Lewis' signature honky-tonk piano-playing and dynamic vocals. The lyrics speak to a man's desire to connect with a woman, urging her to come love him all night long. The song references several women throughout the verses, including one with a diamond ring and another in a red dress who knows how to do the boogie-woogie all night long. In the bridge, Lewis implores the woman to tell her mama and papa that he's going to send her back to Arkansas if she doesn't start doing right.
Overall, the song can be interpreted as a celebration of sexual liberation and the joy of dancing and having a good time. The repetition of the line "Tell me what I say" creates a sense of urgency and emphasizes the singer's desire for connection and communication.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, mama, don't you treat me wrong
Hey mother, please don't mistreat me
Come and love your daddy, all night long
Instead, come and love me all night long
Alright, hehee, huhu, alright
Feeling good about it
Mm, see the girl with the diamond ring
I see that girl with a diamond ring
She knows how to shake that thing
She knows how to dance seductively
Alright, hehee, huhu, alright
Feeling good still
Mm, Tell your mamma, tell your pa
Inform your family
I'm gonna send you back to Arkansas
I'll send you back to where you came from
Huhu hey, honey you don't do right
You're not doing the right thing
I say you don't do right
What you're doing isn't right
Mmm, alright
Still feeling good
See the girl with the red dress on
I see that girl wearing a red dress
She'll do the Boogie Woogie all night long
She'll dance Boogie Woogie all night long
Alright, hehe, huhu, alright
Feeling good again
Well, tell me what I say (what'd I say)
Can you tell me what I just said?
Tell me what I say right now (what'd I say)
Tell me what I just said immediately
Honey, what I say (what'd I say)
Sweetie, can you recall what I just expressed?
Baby what I say right now (what'd I say)
Darling, what did I say just now?
Tell me what I say
Please tell me what I said
Tell me what I say
Tell me what I expressed
And I wanna know (I wanna know)
I need to know
I wanna know right now (I wanna know)
I want to know immediately
I gotta know (I wanna know)
I absolutely must know
Baby, I wanna know right now (I wanna know)
Sweetheart, please tell me right now
Baby, I wanna know
Darling, I want to know
Baby, I wanna know
Honey, I need to know
(What'd I say, what'd I say, what'd I say)
(What did I just say?)
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ray Charles
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Seven7
Yeah, mama, don't you treat me wrong
Come and love your daddy, all night long
Alright, hehee, huhu, alright
Mm, see the girl with the diamond ring
She knows how to shake that thing
Alright, hehee, huhu, alright
Mm, Tell your mamma, tell your pa
I'm gonna send you back to Arkansas
Huhu hey, honey you don't do right
I say you don't do right
Mmm, alright
See the girl with the red dress on
She'll do the Boogie Woogie all night long
Alright, hehe, huhu, alright
Well, tell me what I say (what'd I say)
Tell me what I say right now (what'd I say)
Honey, what I say (what'd I say)
Baby what I say right now (what'd I say)
Tell me what I say
Tell me what I say
And I wanna know (I wanna know)
I wanna know right now (I wanna know)
I gotta know (I wanna know)
Baby, I wanna know right now (I wanna know)
Baby, I wanna know
Baby, I wanna know
(What'd I say, what'd I say, what'd I say)
Alex Brewer
One of the reasons Rock n Roll will never die. Timeless !
jeanmarie basset
Très juste
Rebl Gamr
i love ray charles and jerry lee............this is just phenomenal
Kelly Draper
Jerry Lee Lewis sings it very well
Lorenzo Moore
I love when they cover each other songs.
sauquoit13456
On this day in 1969 {November 16th} Jerry Lee Lewis performed "What'd I Say" on the CBS-TV program 'The Ed Sullivan Show'... Eight years earlier on April 3rd, 1961 it entered Billboard's Top 100 chart; eventually it peaked at #30 and spent 8 weeks on the Top 100... Of course the original version was by Ray Charles in 1959; it peaked at #6 on the Top 100... Three covered versions have charted; Bobby Darin {#24 in 1962}, Elvis Presley {#21 in 1964}, and Rare Earth {#61 in 1972} RIP Mr Sullivan
DMR
Maravilloso!!!
Jay Cooper
Brother Ray's original version is the Dog's Doodahs, but the song is tailor-made for Jerry Lee and this cracking version runs the original to a short head. I interviewed Jerry Lee for the BBC back in the 1970s, a bit like having an audience with the Pope for a fan like me. He was pissed as a newt - Jerry Lee, not the Pope! - but totally in control and I came out of the hotel room a couple of hours later completely un scathed and without a scratch LOL! A great memory! Sad to hear of his recent passing but, let's face it, he lived far longer than anyone could possibly have predicted and crammed more into his lifetime than most others could do in three or four. "Legend" is an overused term these days but here was a man truly deserving of the title. RIP Jerry Lee and thanks for all the music and memories.
Kevin Hoffman
This was Jerry Lee's Last top 40 hit.
ToasterTwo
It was Top 10 in UK.