All American Boy
Parsons Lyrics

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Gather 'round, cats, and I'll tell you a story
About how to become an All American Boy
Buy you a gittar and put it in tune
You'll be rockin' and rollin' soon.
Impressin' the girls, pickin' hot licks, and all that jazz

I-I bought me a gittar a year ago
Learned how to play in a day or so

And all around town it was well understood
That I was knockin' 'em out like Johnny B. Goode
Hot licks, showin' off, ah number one.

Well , I 'd practice all day and up into the night
My papa's hair was turnin' white
Cause he didn't like rock'n'roll
He said "You can stay, boy, but that's gotta go."
He's a square, he just didn't dig me at all

So I took my gittar, picks and all
And bid farewell to my poor ole pa
And I split for Memphis where they say all
Them swingin' cats are havin' a ball
Sessions, hot licks and all, they dig me

I was rockin' and boppin' and I's a gettin' the breaks
The girls all said that I had what it takes
When up stepped a man with a big cigar
He said "come here, cat--I'm gonnna make you a star."
"I'll put you on Bandstand, buy ya a Cadillac, sign here, kid."

I signed my name and became a star
Havin' a ball with my gittar
Driving a big long Cadillac and fightin' the girls off ma back
They just kept a'comin', screamin', yeah-they like it

So I'd pick my gittar with a great big grin
And the money just kept on pourin' in
But then one day my Uncle Sam
He said (sound of 3 footsteps) "Here I am"
"Uncle Sam needs you, boy
I'm-a gonna cut your hair

ah-Take this rifle, kid
Gimme that gittar" yeah.

Overall Meaning

Parsons's song All American Boy is a story that encourages listeners to become successful by becoming a rock and roll star. The singer tells a story of how he bought a guitar, learned to play in a day or two, and impressed everyone in town with his hot licks. He practiced all day and night, and his father, who didn't approve of rock and roll, asked him to stop. The singer decides to leave home and goes to Memphis, where he performs in sessions and impresses everyone.

Eventually, a man offers him a record deal, and he becomes a star. He drives a big long Cadillac and fights off girls who love his music. However, one day, his Uncle Sam comes for him, and he has to leave his guitar and career behind to serve his country. The song is a reflection of the popularity and cultural influence of rock and roll in the 1950s and 1960s.

The lyrics to All American Boy are a story that captures the American Dream. Parsons uses the song as a metaphor for success and encourages listeners to never give up on their dreams. He believed that anyone could become an All American Boy with practice and dedication. The song also portrays the tension between the older generation's rejection of rock and roll and the younger generation's embrace of it.

Line by Line Meaning

Gather 'round, cats, and I'll tell you a story
This song is about how to become an all American boy and it tells a story about how the singer became one.

Buy you a gittar and put it in tune
If you buy a guitar and learn how to tune it, you can become a rock star like the singer.

You'll be rockin' and rollin' soon.
If you practice playing your guitar, you will soon be able to rock and roll like the singer.

Impressin' the girls, pickin' hot licks, and all that jazz
Playing the guitar well will impress girls and you can show off your skills with hot licks and other techniques.

I-I bought me a gittar a year ago
The singer bought his guitar a year ago and learned how to play it quickly.

Learned how to play in a day or so
The singer learned how to play the guitar in just a day or two.

And all around town it was well understood
Everyone in town knew that the singer could play the guitar really well.

That I was knockin' 'em out like Johnny B. Goode
The singer was playing so well that people thought he was as good as Johnny B. Goode, a famous guitar player.

Hot licks, showin' off, ah number one.
The singer was showing off his skills with hot licks and he was considered to be the best guitar player around.

Well , I 'd practice all day and up into the night
The singer practiced playing the guitar all day and night.

My papa's hair was turnin' white
The singer's dad was worried about his son's obsession with rock and roll.

Cause he didn't like rock'n'roll
The singer's dad didn't like rock and roll music.

He said "You can stay, boy, but that's gotta go."
The singer's dad told him he could stay, but he had to stop playing rock and roll music.

He's a square, he just didn't dig me at all
The singer's dad was old-fashioned and didn't like his son's new style of music.

So I took my gittar, picks and all
The singer decided to leave home with his guitar and pick.

And bid farewell to my poor ole pa
The singer said goodbye to his dad and left home.

And I split for Memphis where they say all
The singer decided to go to Memphis because he heard that all the best guitar players were there.

Them swingin' cats are havin' a ball
The singer heard that the cool guitar players in Memphis were having a great time.

Sessions, hot licks and all, they dig me
In Memphis, the singer found people who appreciated his music and his guitar skills.

I was rockin' and boppin' and I's a gettin' the breaks
The singer was having a great time playing his music and getting a lot of opportunities to perform in Memphis.

The girls all said that I had what it takes
The singer was popular with the girls in Memphis because of his guitar playing.

When up stepped a man with a big cigar
A man with a big cigar noticed the singer's talent and approached him.

He said "come here, cat--I'm gonnna make you a star."
The man with the cigar offered to make the singer a star and help him get famous.

"I'll put you on Bandstand, buy ya a Cadillac, sign here, kid."
The man promised to get the singer on a popular TV show, buy him a fancy car, and make him sign a contract to become a famous musician.

I signed my name and became a star
The singer signed the contract and became a famous star.

Havin' a ball with my gittar
The singer was having a great time playing his guitar and enjoying his success.

Driving a big long Cadillac and fightin' the girls off ma back
The singer had a fancy car and was popular with the girls, but had to fend off their advances.

They just kept a'comin', screamin', yeah-they like it
The girls couldn't get enough of the singer and his music and kept coming to his shows.

So I'd pick my gittar with a great big grin
The singer would play his guitar with a big smile on his face because he loved his job.

And the money just kept on pourin' in
The singer was making a lot of money from his music career.

But then one day my Uncle Sam
The singer was drafted into the military.

He said (sound of 3 footsteps) "Here I am"
When the singer heard he was drafted, he imagined the sound of his Uncle Sam's footsteps approaching him.

"Uncle Sam needs you, boy
The military needed the singer to serve his country.

I'm-a gonna cut your hair
The military would require the singer to get a haircut.

ah-Take this rifle, kid
The military would give the singer a rifle to use.

Gimme that gittar" yeah.
The military would take away the singer's guitar, which was a big part of his life and identity.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EDWARD SEVERIN BROWNE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

@marksorenson5871

2y↑2

A real classic. Its about Elvis. I love it

@russellcarson4207

3y↑6

I remember this song very well. I was 16 in 1958. In fact, I had the record on vinyl 45. It struck me as not actually a song about Elvis Presley, but a kind of a mythical rock n' roll creation with elements of Elvis, Carl Perkins and Chuck Berry. Elvis was the voice, Perkins was the spirit, and Chuck Berry was picking the hottest licks. Why else would "Johnny B. Goode" be mentioned. And, I became aware that Bobby Bare was the guy who recorded the song. I'm not sure who said it first - maybe Bobby Bare himself - but the tune made it to No. 2 on the charts. That made it too valuable, certainly as a career launch, for Bare to just let it go. For those of us who "were there when it happened," so to speak, if it was supposed to be kept secret it wasn't very well-kept.

@cosmictom280

just happen to see your post .. I still have my copy of this 45 if your interested let me know .. recordguybob@yahoo.com

@daepowel5833

I was there, too, dude, I agree with you. Nice to have someone else to sh these memories.

@joeorlando8226

Hey Russell. I was 8 years old but my 16 year old brother had that 45 too. I remember dancing to it and acting like I was playing the Guitar. Those were the greatest of days!

@ericharuppert7214

1y↑1

This is my father, Vernon Joel Ruppert's song and voice. His stage name was Bill Parsons. He was legally prohibited from taking any credit for this song because of a deal involving a car.

@RavenThom

51w

I bought the 45 in high school, still have it and a few thousand others,

@derbilmotion

4y↑3

Bill Parsons. Classic.

@ericharuppert7214

1y↑4

Yes, Bill Parsons, aka Vernon Joel Ruppert, my father

@derbilmotion

1y↑1

@@ericharuppert7214 way cool! 😎

@edharbas4828

I remember this song. My brother had the 45. He'd sing along to it like a pro. I'd do my best to imitate Bill and Fred. Elvis never entered the picture. The Elvis connection just wasn't there. Fred had Elvis 45's. Fred had it all including rock & roll. He was no square. He had the capacity to dig it all.

@ediereay7507

1y↑1

My husband informs me this was the first "45" he ever bought

@thomasponzio8345

8y↑6

the first rock and roll story song about the king Elvis

@carlbaker3439

4y↑1

No Bill told me that everybody thought it was about Elvis but he said he really wrote it about himself.

@DJDiscoCat

@@carlbaker3439 You are right Carl. Also while the song is credited to Bill Parsons, writer Bobby Bare performed and sang the song as a guide vocal for Bill and then had to leave to join the Army. The label took that recording and released it without ever having Bill Parsons do his own version. You can read about it in Billboard's Book Of #2 hits.

@ericharuppert7214

@@carlbaker3439 you knew my dad? Please tell me more...

@ericharuppert7214

@@carlbaker3439 correct, it was about Bill Parson's life (aka Vernon Joel Ruppert), my dad

@rogercruz8704

2y↑1

1968 DRAFT BOARD CATCH ME IF YA CAN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@rayskitten78

2y↑3

Did you know this is on elvis Presley's jukebox

@budbergsma6621

1y↑1

Bobby Bare recorded this song NOT a certain Bill Parsons, which was just a nickname.

.

@ronlawray1563

4y↑3

Being a product of 50's music, this song struck a chord, particularly if you had been drafted or knew it wouldn't be long coming..

Loved the visual accompanying this song!

@marty-fh1rw

15w

Clear.

@kofola1973

4y↑7

Bill Parsons aka Bobby Bare.

@elvisonwax

This is the version credited to Vince ‘The Big E’ Nelson on the Personally Elvis LP from the 1980s.

@harryfrezza1035

Chills! E! King!

@thomasponzio8345

8y↑2

good video

@nickandmikec

4y↑6

It was a recording by Bobby Bare, mistakenly credited to Bill Parsons. The record company asked Bare to keep mum about it and they would make it up to him. Bare had been drafted and had just gone into the army.

@carlbaker3439

4y↑1

That's not exactly true, I knew Bill very well even preached his funeral, we use to get together often and play music, he told me the true story on that, later Bare did record it.

@AttilatheHun576

4y↑4

@@carlbaker3439 That's horse pucky. Bobby Bare wrote it and recorded it before he went into the army. It was his first hit.

@larryhyatt1676

4y↑1

I don't know but this was the popular cut on the west coast

@ericharuppert7214

@@carlbaker3439 I'm confused. My father, Vernon Joel Ruppert told me his whole life that he used the stage name Bill Parsons to write and record this song and that he was unable to take any credit for it because of a bad "deal" involving a car. He sang the song to me often and explained that it was about his life. He was a musician in the 50's and managed bands as well. He was on the "Buddy Deane Show" in Baltimore and I went to his band, The Londonaires, reunion in the 90's. My father was a good, Christian man, married to my mom 47 years at the time of his death and I know for a fact he would not lie to me

@ericharuppert7214

@@carlbaker3439 please help me understand

@shannonlindsaytaylor

@dougwass8909

9y↑5

All American Boy...... Bobby Bear

@drdimento

Listen careful to the voice. It’s not Bobby. The whole story is over on one of the other posts on this same song title but with Bobby bare’s name. It is Bill Parsons singing but Bobby gets the credit in the end. See the story. 🙂

@carlbaker3439

@@drdimento That is very true.I knew Bill very well.

@carlbaker3439

4y↑1

Not. it is Bill

@drdimento

@@carlbaker3439 groovy. like me, you look like you're from that era or a nearby era ?

@edwardknoch4987

@@drdimento watch this episode of Ray Stevens' CabaRay. Bobby is on the show, and tells us that yes, HE was Bill Parsons and HE recorded this song, then later began recording under the name Bobby Bare.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmx1uROtmXA

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