Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an inventive trumpet and cornet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance. With his instantly-recognizable gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes. He was also skilled at scat singing (vocalizing using sounds and syllables instead of actual lyrics).
Renowned for his charismatic stage presence and voice almost as much as for his trumpet-playing, Armstrong's influence extends well beyond jazz music, and by the end of his career in the 1960s, he was widely regarded as a profound influence on popular music in general. Armstrong was one of the first truly popular African-American entertainers to "cross over", whose skin-color was secondary to his music in an America that was severely racially divided. He rarely publicly politicized his race, often to the dismay of fellow African-Americans, but took a well-publicized stand for desegregation during the Little Rock Crisis. His artistry and personality allowed him socially acceptable access to the upper echelons of American society that were highly restricted for a black man.
Armstrong was born and brought up in New Orleans, a culturally diverse town with a unique musical mix of creole, ragtime, marching bands, and blues. Although from an early age he was able to play music professionally, he didn't travel far from New Orleans until 1922, when he went to Chicago to join his mentor, King Oliver. Oliver's band played primitive jazz, a hotter style of ragtime, with looser rhythms and more improvisation, and Armstrong's role was mostly backing. Slow to promote himself, he was eventually persuaded by his wife Lil Hardin to leave Oliver, and In 1924 he went to New York to join the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. At the time, there were a few other artists using the rhythmic innovations of the New Orleans style, but none did it with the energy and brilliance of Armstrong, and he quickly became a sensation among New York musicians. Back in Chicago in 1925, he made his first recordings with his own group, Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, and these became not only popular hits but also models for the first generation of jazz musicians, trumpeters or otherwise.
Other hits followed through the twenties and thirties, as well as troubles: crooked managers, lip injuries, mob entanglements, failed big-band ventures. As jazz styles changed, though, musical purists never lost any respect for him -- although they were sometimes irritated by his hammy onstage persona. Around the late forties, with the help of a good manager, Armstrong's business affairs finally stablilized, and he began to be seen as an elder statesman of American popular entertainment, appearing in Hollywood films, touring Asia and Europe, and dislodging The Beatles from the number-one position with Hello Dolly". Today many people may know him as a singer (a good one), but as Miles Davis said: “You can’t play nothing on modern trumpet that doesn’t come from him."
The 62-year-old Armstrong became the oldest act to top the US charts when "Hello Dolly" reached #1 in 1964. Four years later Satchmo also became the oldest artist to record a UK #1, when "What a Wonderful World" hit the top spot.
Didn't He Ramble
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rambled all around... in and out of town
Didn't he ramble... didn't he ramble
He rambled 'til the butcher cut him down
His feet was in the market place... his head was in the street
Lady pass him by, said... look at the market meat
He grabbed her pocket book... and said I wish you well
Didn't he ramble... I said he rambled
Rambled all around... in and out of town
Didn't he ramble... oh didn't he ramble
He rambled till the butcher shot him down
He slipped into the cat house..made love to the stable
Madam caught him cold... said I'll pay you when I be able
Six months had passed... and she stood all she could stand
She said buddy when I'm through with you
Ole groundhog gonna be shakin' yo' hand
And didn't he ramble... he rambled
Rambled all around... in and out of town
Oh didn't he ramble... he rambled
You know he rambled... 'til the butcher... cut him down
I said he rambled..lord... 'til the butcher shot him down
Louis Armstrong's song "Didn't He Ramble" tells the story of a man who wandered aimlessly through life, getting into trouble and eventually meeting his demise at the hands of the butcher. The song highlights the main character's seemingly reckless behavior and highlights his various escapades throughout town, from the market to the cat house.
The lyrics suggest that the rambling man's behavior was fueled by some sort of restlessness or discontent with his life. His feet were in the market, but his head was in the street, suggesting that he was preoccupied with something other than his job or daily routine. The woman with the pocketbook becomes a victim of his impulsive behavior, and she's armed with a forty-five.
The singer seems to have a taste for the wild side of things, as he makes love to the stable in the cat house. Despite his recklessness, the madam who caught him still pays him but gives him a six-month deadline. In the end, the title phrase, "Didn't He Ramble," reminds the listener of the man's aimless wandering and highlights the fact that he continued to roam until his untimely death.
Line by Line Meaning
Didn't he ramble... he rambled
He wandered aimlessly and without direction, going from one place to another.
Rambled all around... in and out of town
He traveled to various locations, sometimes visiting certain places multiple times.
Didn't he ramble... didn't he ramble
He roamed without a specific plan or purpose, allowing himself to be carried by his wanderlust.
He rambled 'til the butcher cut him down
He continued his aimless journey through life until death suddenly ended his travels.
His feet was in the market place... his head was in the street
He was physically present in one location, while his mind and thoughts were elsewhere, drifting and unfocused.
Lady pass him by, said... look at the market meat
A woman passing by observed him, likening him to the meat being sold in the nearby marketplace.
He grabbed her pocket book... and said I wish you well
He impulsively stole the woman's purse and made a sarcastic parting comment.
She pulled out a forty-five... said I'm head of personnel
The woman revealed that she was armed and had the authority to take action against him.
He slipped into the cat house..made love to the stable
He engaged in illicit and questionable behavior, sneaking into a brothel and having sexual relations with animals.
Madam caught him cold... said I'll pay you when I be able
The brothel owner caught him in the act and promised to pay him later, indicating that she had some kind of control over him.
Six months had passed... and she stood all she could stand
After a period of time, the brothel owner had grown tired of his behavior and lack of payment.
She said buddy when I'm through with you
The madam threatened him with consequences for his actions.
Ole groundhog gonna be shakin' yo' hand
The singer likens the punishment he will receive to the seasonal tradition of shaking hands with a groundhog.
You know he rambled... 'til the butcher... cut him down
The singer reiterates that the subject of the song continued roaming through life until his eventual death.
I said he rambled..lord... 'til the butcher shot him down
The singer emphasizes the abrupt and violent end to the subject's life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DUKE ELLINGTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jon
This is such a beautiful way of saying goodbye and remembering someone. I want this on my funeral! Not too soon I hope though :)
Jim Palmer
When I die, y’all better second line!
Jazz@@@
It used to be used for funeral, to return to house. Very very good music :D
JUAN JOSE GONZALEZ
El tema "Oh! Didn't He Ramble" comienza en el minuto 3:20
toReasonWhy
This is amazing.
acousticjass
The first bit is "Flee as a bird" a typical New Orleans Dirge the second part in march tempo is "oh didn't he ramble"
Bente og Poul Andersen
Oh didnet he rambler med Louis er suveræn
crazypianolady
Hi, this may sound a stupid question, but is the second upbeat part still part of Oh! Didn't He Ramble?
Jean Waldera
Yes - it is the joyous part, celebrating the irrepressible joy of life in New Orleans. And, what great solo work by the various musicians. Is that Trummy Young on trombone?
Matty88K
@Jean Waldera I think it's Kid Ory on trombone, but I ain't sure.