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: âYou canât play nothing on modern trumpet that doesnât 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.
Gone Fishinâ
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every time I go out to your place
You gone fishin' (well how you know)
Well there's a sign upon your door (uh-huh)
Gone fishin' (I'm real gone man)
You ain't workin' anymore (could be)
There's your hoe out in the sun
You claim that hoein' ain't no fun (well I can prove it)
You ain't got no ambition
Gone fishin' by a shady wady pool (Shangrila, really la)
I'm wishin' I could be that kind of fool (should I twist your arm?)
I'd say no more work for mine (welcome to the club)
On my door I'd hang a sign
Gone fishin' instead of just a-wishin'
Papa Bing (yeah Louis)
I stopped by your place a time or two lately
And you aren't home either
Well, I'm a busy man Louis. I got a lotta deals cookin'
I was probably tied up at the studio
You weren't tied up you dog
You was just plain old
Gone fishin' (bah-boo-bah-boo-bah-boo-bah-boo-bah)
There's a sign upon your door (Pops, don't blab it around, will you?)
Gone fishin' (keep it shady, I got me a big one staked out)
Mmm, you ain't workin' anymore (I don't have to work, I got me a piece of Gary)
Cows need milkin' in the barn (I have the twins on that detail, they each take a side)
But you just don't give a darn (give 'em four bits a cow and hand lotion)
You just never seem to learn (man, you taught me)
You ain't got no ambition (you're convincin' me)
Gone fishin' (bah-boo-dah-do-dah-do-dah-do)
Got your hound dog by your side (that's old Cindy-Lou goin' with me)
Gone fishin' (mmm-hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm)
Fleas are bitin' at his hide (get away from me boy, you bother me)
Mmm, folks won't find us now because
Mister Satch and Mister Cros
We gone fishin' instead of just a-wishin'
Bah-boo-baby-bah-boo-bah-bay-mmm-bo-bay
Oh yeah!
Louis Armstrong's song Gone Fishinâ describes two friends who just can't bring themselves to work. Bing Crosby appears on this song as guest vocalist. The lyrics describe how Louis Armstrong is unable to find his buddy Bing Crosby, because he always goes fishing instead of working. A sign has been placed on his door that says Gone Fishinâ. They talk about the advantages of fishing and how they would rather go fishing than work. The chores are left undone, and the hoe is still out in the sun. They talk about the peace that fishing brings and how they don't want to do anything else. The song is playful and humorous, and the two friends bond over fishing.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll tell you why I can't find you
I will tell you the reason why I can't locate you
Every time I go out to your place
Whenever I visit your house
You gone fishin' (well how you know)
You are currently fishing (how did you realize that?)
Well there's a sign upon your door (uh-huh)
I noticed a sign hanging on your door (yes, that's right)
Gone fishin' (I'm real gone man)
I am fishing right now (I am really absorbed in it)
You ain't workin' anymore (could be)
You are not working at the moment (maybe you quit)
There's your hoe out in the sun
I see your garden tool lying in the sun
Where you left a row half done
The row where you left it unfinished
You claim that hoein' ain't no fun (well I can prove it)
You said that gardening is not enjoyable (I could easily demonstrate otherwise)
You ain't got no ambition
You have no drive or motivation
Gone fishin' by a shady wady pool (Shangrila, really la)
Currently fishing by a shady pool (a heavenly wonderland, honestly)
I'm wishin' I could be that kind of fool (should I twist your arm?)
I wish I could be foolish and join you (should I persuade you?)
I'd say no more work for mine (welcome to the club)
I would say that I wouldn't work anymore (welcome to the group)
On my door I'd hang a sign
I would put a sign on my door
Gone fishin' instead of just a-wishin'
I would be fishing rather than just talking about it
Papa Bing (yeah Louis)
My dear Bing (yes, Louis)
I stopped by your place a time or two lately
I visited your house once or twice recently
And you aren't home either
And you are also not at home
Well, I'm a busy man Louis. I got a lotta deals cookin'
I am a busy person, Louis. I have a lot of projects in progress
I was probably tied up at the studio
I was likely busy at the studio
You weren't tied up you dog
You weren't busy, you dog
You was just plain old
You were simply not doing anything important
Gone fishin' (bah-boo-bah-boo-bah-boo-bah-boo-bah)
Currently fishing (bah-boo-bah-boo-bah-boo-bah-boo-bah)
There's a sign upon your door (Pops, don't blab it around, will you?)
I see a sign on your door (Pops, please don't gossip, okay?)
Gone fishin' (keep it shady, I got me a big one staked out)
Fishing at the moment (keeping it secret, since I have found a big fish)
Mmm, you ain't workin' anymore (I don't have to work, I got me a piece of Gary)
You are not employed (I don't need to work, I have a stake in Gary)
Cows need milkin' in the barn (I have the twins on that detail, they each take a side)
The cows need to be milked in the barn (I have two people on that task, each on one side)
But you just don't give a darn (give 'em four bits a cow and hand lotion)
But you just don't care (give them 50 cents a cow and some lotion)
You just never seem to learn (man, you taught me)
You never seem to learn your lesson (but you taught me)
You ain't got no ambition (you're convincin' me)
You have no aspirations (you are persuading me)
Gone fishin' (bah-boo-dah-do-dah-do-dah-do)
Fishing currently (bah-boo-dah-do-dah-do-dah-do)
Got your hound dog by your side (that's old Cindy-Lou goin' with me)
Your hound dog is with you (that's my old Cindy-Lou coming with me)
Gone fishin' (mmm-hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm)
Fishing right now (mm-hmm-hmm-hmm)
Fleas are bitin' at his hide (get away from me boy, you bother me)
Fleas are biting him (go away, boy, you bother me)
Mmm, folks won't find us now because
People will not be able to locate us now because
Mister Satch and Mister Cros
Mister Satchmo and Mister Crosby
We gone fishin' instead of just a-wishin'
We are fishing instead of just wishing about it
Bah-boo-baby-bah-boo-bah-bay-mmm-bo-bay
Musical interlude (bah-boo-baby-bah-boo-bah-bay-mmm-bo-bay)
Oh yeah!
Oh yeah!
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHARLES F KENNY, NICK A KENNY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TinaTurpen
I used this as part of my Grandpa's memorial music. If we couldn't find him it was because he was gone fishing, now he is forever gone fishing. Love you!! Miss you.
@deemarie5691
Tina Turpen aw that's so nice. what a great tribute.
@joshlatus8490
Did the same with my grandad for his funeral and it was same for him if we couldn't find him he would be fishing. Go to his local spots and he would be there with my rod and would say "I knew you'd be here soon rods ready"
@lindastevenson9143
Today It was played at my Dad s funeral ..he loved his fishing đą
@thesultrystrangerdanger6824
Yeah they called me cashed out
@georgetunstill2341
This song brings back memories for me. There's a TV station in my hometown of Huntsville, Al that aired a local fishing show in the early 70's when I was in elementary school and they used this song as it's opening. My dad loved this song because he was a fisherman and almost every other Saturday in the summer when I was a child, he and I would go fishing. Sometimes we would catch some fish but most of the time the only things that were biting were the mosquitoes But I wouldn't trade the memories I had of him for all the gold in the world.
@ssgtag
Born in Tn., raised in Huntsville, Al. . I do remember that Fishing show and this song brings back memories of my Dad and my Paw Paw, "Gone Fishing".
@DrOlds7298
I also lived there in 'Rocket City' at different times between 1968-81,when my (late) Father was stationed there. (Redstone Arsenal) I remember the show,but I can't recall if it was on Ch 19,31 or 48!!! And there was some mighty,mighty fine fishin' around there,too!!! Lake Guntersville, right below the Dam on both the Marshall & Morgan Co. sides, and also near the bridge/causeway on 431 going into Guntersville, the Tennessee River (Near the Ditto's Landing bridges was a place we liked??) and even some of those little creeks and ponds late evenings & weekends out on RSA saw a lot of us!!! (But you might want to steer clear of the area right close to a little town called Triana.....did they ever clear that mess up??)
@peterblack1639
The smoothest singer of all time Bing Crosby.....smoother then Sinatra.....
@martyj.w2875
Man, its soooo, cool!
Love this song, I come back to listen to it regularly.